Information for participants
Published 6 March 2015
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukces-employer-skills-survey-information-for-participants/information-for-participants
1. What are the aims of the project?
The aim of the project is to gather information on the skills that employers need, the skills they are short of and the training they offer. The survey aims to help government and other organisations to help employers by better understanding their skills, training, and employment needs.
2. Why do you need to talk to me?
Your business has been chosen at random to make sure we get a truly representative picture of all businesses (large and small) in the UK. Your business can’t be replaced with another business. Your co-operation will ensure that views expressed are representative of all employers in your industry.
3. How was I selected?
Your organisation has been selected at random from Experian’s National Business Database.
4. What does participation involve?
Participation will involve a telephone interview with an interviewer from IFF Research, BMG Research or Ipsos MORI. On average interviews last around 20 minutes however, the interview length may vary depending on the answers that you give. The interview will take place at a time that is convenient for you.
5. Why can’t you talk to my head office?
The survey asks about site-specific topics to understand how approaches vary geographically. If we were to speak to your head office we wouldn’t get a complete picture of issues at a local level.
6. What are you collecting information on?
We collect information on a number of areas including vacancies, vacancies that are hard to fill, the skills of the existing workforce and what training employers offer.
7. How does this benefit my organisation?
The survey provides you with the opportunity to input into research that will help planners develop policies to address employer skill needs. The results will be available to view online within a few months of the survey ending. If you are interviewed and are happy to provide your email address we will also send you a summary of the key findings once they are published.
8. Will my responses be confidential?
Your replies will be treated in the strictest confidence under the Code of Conduct of the Market Research Society. We will ask if you consent to your responses being linked to other surveys; this will only be done with your consent. If you do consent for your data to be linked it will be anonymised and only used for statistical purposes.
9. Where can I view results of the previous study?
Results of the previous study in 2013 can be found here
More information about the 2015 survey can be found on the IFF Skills Survey website.