Researchers from the University of Sussex included Sarah Aynsley - Lecturer and Jacqui Shepherd - English Tutor and Jocelyn Owen - Graduate Employment and Events Adviser. Other researchers included Greg Brooks - Emeritus Professor from the University of Sheffield and Mark Rickinson - independent consultant.

The focus of the research was to provide an independent evaluation of the Skills for Life at Work project which was carried out in the south east of England.

The final report, produced in April 2011, is available to download: Skills for Life: Final Report & Evaluation [PDF 449.25KB]

The main findings of the research were:

• The bulk of feedback from employers, learners and training providers was overwhelmingly positive.
• Employers cited benefits in three main areas: productivity (for specific tasks as well as generally); motivation and teamwork; confidence and communication. In a small number of cases, such positive impacts were less clear.
• For learners, it was clear in many cases that Skills for Life at Work had: opened up new possibilities; increased confidence and self-belief; enabled the development of knowledge and skills.
• Strengths of the project included its potential for beneficial impacts, the nature and quality of training, and its focus on target groups.
  Areas of weakness included set-up issues for employers, training issues for learners and administrative issues for training providers.

The main recommendations of the final report were:

• Projects such as Skills for Life at Work and the type of basic-skills training they provide in the workplace should continue as part of wider efforts to improve skills attainment levels.
• Continued support is needed for certain current practices, such as the provision of ESOL courses, the involvement of small and large training providers, tailoring of courses to workplaces, provision of accredited and non-accredited courses, highlighting of progression pathways between and beyond courses, and the involvement of Trade Union learning representatives.
• Support is also needed for the development of certain improved practices:
  - more systematic recruitment of employers across all sectors
  - encouragement for previous employee participants to act as recruiters for future courses
  - communication of learner feedback and impact examples to senior staff in workplaces
  - simplification of funders' paperwork demands on training providers
  - streamlining initial assessment processes