Research Archive - Education and Employers

October 14, 2025

Drawing the future – aligning younger pupils’ occupational aspirations with future labour demands in Sweden

October 14, 2025

Executive Summary Children’s occupational aspirations begin forming at an early age and there are multiple social, educational, and experiential factors that may affect them. These aspirations are still poorly understood in the context of presumptive labour markets, however. This study aimed to elucidate the frequency, influences, and rationale regarding the occupational ambitions of children attending […]

September 20, 2024

Gen-AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work

September 20, 2024

Executive Summary The African Union’s designation of 2024 as the Year of Education highlights the critical importance of education for equipping young Africans with the skills essential for their own and the continent’s development. This report is the second in a series of three envisaged between 2022 and 2025, each covering some 12 countries of […]

March 30, 2024

Evaluation of The Careers & Enterprise Company’s Teacher Encounters Programme

March 30, 2024

Executive Summary Teachers and the wider education workforce play a key role in supporting young people’s career decision-making. However, the pace of change in the economy and industries can make it challenging for teachers to stay up to date with the skills employers need in a future workforce and the variety of opportunities and career […]

October 26, 2023

Global education monitoring report, 2023: technology in education: a tool on whose terms?

October 26, 2023

Executive Summary The adoption of digital technology has resulted in many changes in education and learning, yet it is debatable whether technology has transformed education, as many claim. The application of digital technology varies by community and socioeconomic level, teacher willingness and preparedness, education level and country income. Except in the most technologically advanced countries, […]

June 19, 2023

Skills development in the time of COVID-19: Taking stock of the initial responses in technical and vocational education and training

June 19, 2023

Executive Summary Skills development in the time of COVID-19III X Foreword The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and related lockdown and physical distancing measures caused not only unprecedented disruption in the provision of education and training but also catalysed innovation in distance learning. While access to learning and skills development was maintained in some contexts through […]

October 12, 2022

Our Future Derby: the impact of role models on primary-aged children

October 12, 2022

Executive summary This report evaluates the impact of the ‘Our Future’ project in its third year where 9,000+ children from 52 primary schools across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have benefitted from 131 supported career-related learning activities. The findings show how meeting a diverse range of role models from the world of work has helped to raise […]

September 23, 2022

Apprenticeship outreach: Engaging with under-represented groups to improve social mobility

September 23, 2022

Executive Summary The report shows that access to apprenticeships for young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds is an ongoing problem, particularly among the most sought-after apprenticeship opportunities. There is a decline in the number of apprenticeships, a trend further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with an accentuated decline among younger age groups. Overall, the […]

April 22, 2022

The Future of Learning

April 22, 2022

Executive Summary A thirst for knowledge and skills fit for a new working world: these are learners’ leading requirements of education as we rebuild following the pandemic. In this report, FutureLearn analyses insights from our dual surveys of learners and business leaders. We uncover the education motivations, attitudes and behaviours of 2,000 people and more […]

March 27, 2022

Apprenticeship Outreach: Engaging with under-represented groups to improve social mobility

March 27, 2022

Executive Summary The report provides evidence that show that while many associate apprenticeships with social mobility and disadvantaged groups, diversifying workplaces through apprenticeships isn’t something that happens automatically. It requires concerted effort to target, inform and support under-represented groups, to prevent the most sought-after opportunities going to the already advantaged. Work experience plays a key […]

March 20, 2022

Trends Shaping Education 2022

March 20, 2022

OECD Executive Summary Trends Shaping Education is designed to support long-term strategic thinking in education. It provides an overview of key economic, social, demographic and technological trends and raises pertinent questions about their impact on education. Examining the future of education in the context of global trends has two main goals. First, it is necessary […]