Anne Green
Professor of Regional Economic Development
Anne Green is Professor of Regional Economic Development at City-REDI (Regional Economic Development Institute), University of Birmingham. Her research interests encompass spatial dimensions of employment and skills, and local and regional labour market issues. She is currently working on aspects of inclusive growth and productivity. She has acted in an advisory capacity on employment, skills and regional issues to several government departments and agencies in the UK and to the OECD and the European Commission
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Biography
Anne Green is Professor of Regional Economic Development at City-REDI (Regional Economic Development Institute), University of Birmingham. Her research interests encompass spatial dimensions of employment and skills, and local and regional labour market issues. She is currently working on aspects of inclusive growth and productivity. She has acted in an advisory capacity on employment, skills and regional issues to several government departments and agencies in the UK and to the OECD and the European Commission
What is ‘Good Work’ and why does it matter? . SOTA Review No 26
Published: 19 March 2019
As the labour market has recovered following the Great Recession and employment rates in the UK have risen to historically high levels, there has been growing interest in the quality as well as the quantity of employment. In part this reflects concerns about developments in working practices, including the rise of the gig economy, unequal gains from flexible working between employers and workers, employment insecurity and the implications of labour market trends for the ‘productivity puzzle’. The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices added impetus to ongoing debates on ‘Good Work’ and in setting out its ‘Good Work Plan’ in December 2018 for the first time the UK Government placed equal emphasis on the quality and quantity of work.
Who benefits from apprenticeships? The English experience. SOTA Review No 24
Published: 5 March 2019
Apprenticeships are paid jobs incorporating on- and off-the-job training. Traditionally they have been seen as a route for young people to transition from education to productive skilled employment. In practice apprenticeships are very diverse – in terms of age of apprentices and levels and quality of apprenticeships.
In England an ongoing programme of reform is seeking to increase the number of apprenticeships while at the same time rationalising the range of apprenticeships available, making them more attuned to employers’ skills needs and enhancing their quality. Perhaps the single most prominent reform is the introduction of an apprenticeship levy for large firms in 2017, which was followed by a reduction in apprenticeship starts.
The evidence suggests that there are positive returns to individuals in terms of earnings from apprenticeships but their size varies markedly by gender, sector and apprenticeship level, with bigger returns for men than for women (in part explained by gender segregation by sector) and for advanced, higher and degree level than for intermediate level apprenticeships. Employers benefit from the supply of skills provided by apprenticeships but in their decision-making about investing in apprenticeships are concerned to trade-off costs (e.g. wages, training and supervision costs) versus benefits (i.e. the productive contribution of apprentices). Net costs and benefits and associated payback periods vary markedly by sector and apprenticeship level.
