§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what research her Department has undertaken to identify the skills required by industry in the past two years. [14694]
§ Mr. PaiceThe Department commissions an annual survey of employers which asks about changing skill requirements and recruitment difficulties. In 1995 and 1996, it was published by Public Attitude Surveys Ltd. as the "Skill Needs In Britain" survey. The Department is also funding in-depth studies into changing skill52W requirements within specific occupations. There are in the process of being published by the Institute for Employment Studies under the banner "Skills Review".