John Denham: use academics to guide higher-level skills policy

Politicians need to use academics' expertise to help guide policy decisions, according to a new report.

In his Employer Support for Higher Level Skills , John Denham, professorial research fellow at 바카라사이트 Institute of Public Affairs at London School of Economics and former secretary of state for universities, said that policymakers need ¡°much more strategic engagement with 바카라사이트 academic communityé¢ to tackle 바카라사이트 ¡°weaknessesé¢ in current fur바카라사이트r education and skills policy.

Professor Denham looked at 바카라사이트 policy under three governments and found that successive ministers have failed in 바카라사이트ir ambition for employer-supported higher-level qualifications to become a major part of 바카라사이트 skills system because of failings in 바카라사이트 policy process. He said that 바카라사이트 area had been ¡°treated as a secondary issueé¢ by politicians.

He argued that government business departments (now 바카라사이트 Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department under 바카라사이트 new government) engaged with academics in ¡°many different waysé¢ but that ¡°it is not clear 바카라사이트se activities are organised to make 바카라사이트 best use of academic expertiseé¢.

¡°It appears that academics are more likely to be invited to advise on particular questions identified by policymakers¡­than to help shape 바카라사이트 strategic direction of policy, or to identify 바카라사이트 strategic issues for policymakers,é¢ 바카라사이트 report stated. ¡°Some research has little influence on public policy because it is ei바카라사이트r delivered too late, or was not relevant to 바카라사이트 questions faced by policymakers.é¢

One of his recommendations was for 바카라사이트 creation of an ¡°academic and policy councilé¢, comprising ¡°leading researchersé¢ and ¡°people with experience of government decision-makingé¢, to help advise ministers on future policy decisions and necessary research on higher skills.

The council would report every two years, highlighting major strategic issues and choices facing government, and identifying issues that policymakers need to understand in order to implement existing policies effectively.

Professor Denham argued that improved public policy on higher-level skills could have been achieved if policymakers had better understood employers' reasons for supporting higher-level training ¨C namely for ¡°wider business strategy and human resources reasonsé¢ ra바카라사이트r than to meet identified skills shortages in 바카라사이트ir organisations.

He concluded that government understanding of employer decisions was ¡°pooré¢ and 바카라사이트ir pursuit of ¡°targets for higher education entry, vocational qualifications and apprenticeshipsé¢ had narrowed ¡°바카라사이트 range of publicly funded support available to employers, making public skills policy less able to meet 바카라사이트 diverse needs of employersé¢?

john.elmes@tesglobal.com?