Theme F7.3 Pillar 3 – Adaptability
Theme F: Helping firms and employees to adapt to structural economic change and the use of information technology and other new technologies. Strategic objectives - To promote inclusive working practices and adaptability.
Policy rationale for Themes E and F
Both of the thematic fields under the Adaptability pillar cover lifelong learning and basic skills, work-life balance and ICT skills. The policy rationale section is divided along these lines rather than the thematic fields. This is to encourage a wider approach to tackling the issues within themes E and F.
Work-life balance and inclusive work practices
A wide range of working practices and patterns are currently used in the UK, but there is evidence that many employees, including those who do not have caring responsibilities, would like to take up flexible working patterns. For example, while almost 24% of employees work formal flexi-time, this would be preferred by 35% of employees. Workers in the UK are likely to worker longer hours than anywhere else in the EU. This can damage employment opportunities for lone parents and carers. The Department for Trade and Industry’s work-life balance campaign aims to increase awareness and take-up of employment policies and practices that benefit businesses and help employees enjoy a better balance between work and the other demands on their lives. There are a number of commercial benefits to businesses adopting flexible and inclusive working practices as well as benefits for society. The Government has worked to publicise these benefits through initiatives and case studies. You can find more information on the website: http://164.36.164.20/work-lifebalance/ These initiatives are only suggestions: not all flexible working options suit every business or employee. The Government is, however, encouraging employers to adopt practices which suit their specific businesses and their employees, recognising that employees have different needs at different stages of their life and acknowledging that all will work best if they can achieve an appropriate balance between work and all other aspects of their lives.
Activities undertaken include: - Developing schemes and toolkits to persuade and help employers, particularly SMEs and employees to adopt a work-life balance. The focus could include those areas not yet well covered such as changing the long-hours culture, parental leave and the value of volunteering.
- Using technologies in work to support recruiting older people with health issues, disabled people and people with caring responsibilities.
- Testing ways to help employers develop knowledge of best practice in flexible and progressive retirement patterns and in how to retain key skills.
- Challenging the long-hours culture.
Examples of activities funded in the first round - Research into the business needs of SMEs within specified high-growth industries and awareness raising about the benefits of achieving a work-life balance.
Sources of match funding in the first round
Trade unions, Partnership Fund and the Challenge Fund (DTI) local authorities, voluntary sector and further and higher education institutions.
Adaptability and using ICT The Government believes strongly that the key to a dynamic economy is being able to adapt to swift technological and organisational change. The key to encouraging businesses and employees to be adaptable is to promote a balance between flexibility and fairness. This is especially important within the UK which has a diverse labour market which offers people choice but within a framework of minimum standards. Legislation such as the Employment Relations Act, the Working Time Regulations and the National Minimum Wage is used, but unnecessary regulations on both the labour market and business are reduced through the Better Regulation Task Force and the Government’s Regulatory Impact Unit. The UK continues to have one of the most flexible labour markets in Europe. The Department of Trade and Industry published ‘Opportunity for all in a world of change’ - a White Paper on enterprise, skills and innovation in February 2001. This paper is available on the DTI website www.dti.gov.uk/opportunityforall/ and identifies a number of skills shortages which need to be tackled and sets out a strategy for improving the skills of the workforce, building on the recommendations of the National Skills Task Force. In particular, the paper identifies a shortage of technicians and ICT professionals. It also highlights that today's knowledge-based economy increasingly demands people with high-level skills and the ability to adapt quickly to changing requirements. Many businesses recognise that current levels of training are not sufficient to meet changing skill needs. Women are also under-represented in the IT sector, particularly in high-level posts. The Government’s ambition is to make the UK the number one country for supplying advanced ICT and related skills. It is providing support to encourage innovative approaches to developing higher-level skills, especially encouraging those who currently have lower-level skills. Examples include: - UK On-line centres, which have been designed to meet the needs of local people who have low or no ICT skills;
- the DfES’s E-learning Strategy Unit (dfes.gov.uk/elearningstrategy/) which aims to establish unity between government ICT initiatives and an e-learning consultation launched in July 2003;
- the IT New Deal that enables people on New Deal to gain ICT skills through a government and business partnership; and
- UK On-line for business – an initiative to help businesses improve performance with ICT.
Equal is helping to increase the diversity of the workforce within the ICT industry. Women remain generally under-represented in higher-level ICT jobs. Equal will support innovative actions designed to encourage women into this work. This can be achieved by promoting a more positive image of jobs in the IT sector or encouraging employers to recruit from non-traditional labour pools. Activities undertaken to support the use of ICT include: - Innovative approaches to encourage people with low-level skills or qualifications to attain high level skills in ICT.
- Work which seeks to significantly increase non-traditional labour pools into the ICT field by working with disadvantaged groups; or by encouraging employers to recruit from
non-traditional labour pools. - Piloting ways of improving access to skills in the workplace and elsewhere by using ICT in more imaginative and effective ways.
- Making sue that there are routes from learning to actual employment in ICT, perhaps looking at work-based education.
- Promoting libraries, museums and art galleries as places for lifelong learning.
Examples of activities funded in the first round - Developing innovative ICT products that will allow physically disabled people to access interactive training, (theme F).
- Applying ICT to support industries in rural areas (theme F).
- Piloting a model for training workers in the textile industries in the North West by using technology (theme F).
For more information about activities undertaken under this Theme in Scotland visit Ist Round Approved DPs and 2nd Round Approved DPs
Sources of match funding in the first round
The private sector, New Deal, Jobcentre Plus, LSCs, further and higher education institutions, local authorities and RDAs.
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