Skills utilisation: an action research programme
In 2007 the Scottish Government set out our ambitions for skills in a lifelong learning context in Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong Skills Strategy. This outlined that:
"Scotland's skills profile has also been improving faster than that of the rest of the UK with the percentage of the working age population with a higher education qualification rising by 8% between 1997 and 2004 compared with 6% in the rest of the UK.
Scotland has not, however, matched the UK economic growth rate despite its positive skills profile. The task for all those involved in delivering, learning or using skills is in unlocking this potential and ensuring that the investment we make in skills and business growth and creating appropriate conditions for these to flourish, helps to drive the step change in economic growth to which we aspire."
(Skills for Scotland, 2007, p7)
The 2007 skills strategy specifically asked SFC to deliver a step change in skills utilisation for individuals.
What is skills utilisation?
Effective skills utilisation is about:
- confident, motivated and relevantly skilled individuals who are aware of the skills they possess and know how to best use them in the workplace
working in:
- workplaces that provide meaningful and appropriate encouragement, opportunity and support for employees to use their skills effectively
in order to:
- increase performance and productivity, improve job satisfaction and employee well-being, and stimulate investment, enterprise and innovation.
How is SFC contributing to skills utilisation?
SFC is currently funding an action research programme to explore the role that universities and colleges might potentially play in improving skills utilisation in the workplace.
This programme consists of 12 Skills utilisation projects to pilot different approaches to skills utilisation. These projects are working with a wide range of businesses and stakeholder groups. Each proposal has a unique focus although there are similarities in process and approach.
Most of the projects start by identifying a challenge or an issue that is preventing the better use of skills in the workplace, for example a skills gap in a particular industry sector, lack of supervisory skills, a need for innovation and development within a company, motivational issues or lack of engagement by the workforce.
Then, through gaining buy-in from a specific industry sector or company, the project attempts to address this in some way. The activity identified for an intervention/ pilot in part reflects the position of the sector/employer/company and their understanding of the skills utilisation issues.
Focus of the projects
The key focus of the activity of the 12 projects is either one, or a combination of, the following:
- the individual (e.g. skills development, upskilling, gaining qualifications, progression routes);
- the manager/middle manager/supervisor (e.g. supervisory or management skills, motivating and leading);
- the leadership at the highest level of the organisation and willingness to adapt and change (leadership and innovation);
- the organisational practice that underpins or supports the activity (e.g. human resource activity including recruitment practice, performance appraisal practice, training and development policy); and
- structural issues within the organisation (e.g. the way tasks are organised, where responsibility lies, or the level of knowledge sharing).
Benefits
The expected benefits will include:
- increased knowledge/skills level of workforce;
- improved leadership and management capacity;
- increased employee engagement/participation;
- adoption of innovative work practices; and
- business improvement practices
Further links
- 2011-12 Skills Utilisation interim evaluation report [PDF]
- Skills utilisation projects
- Background to the skills utilisation action research programme
- Independent interim evaluation by SKOPE on the SFC programme
- Report on skills utilisation by the STUC
- Scottish Government's better skills use web pages
Further information
For more information on the skills utilisation action research programme, please contact Linda McLeod, tel: 0131 313 6694, email: lmcleod@sfc.ac.uk or Fiona Burns, tel: 0131 313 6517, email: fburns@sfc.ac.uk.