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Skills Alignment and 'Matching' -- Easy to Specify, Hard to Deliver?

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Title: Skills Alignment and 'Matching' -- Easy to Specify, Hard to Deliver?
Language: English
Authors: Ewart Keep, University of Oxford (United Kingdom), Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE)
Source: Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE). 2025.
Availability: Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE). 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, UK OX2 6PY. Tel: +44-1865-611030 e-mail: skope@education.ox.ac.uk; Web site: http://www.skope.ox.ac.uk/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Skill Development, Supply and Demand, Employer Attitudes, Educational Policy, Competency Based Education, Alignment (Education), Public Policy, Labor Force Development, Labor Needs, Developed Nations, Developing Nations, Objectives
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom, United Kingdom (Scotland)
Abstract: This paper represents the latest in a line of papers and think pieces that the author has prepared on this topic -- for the UK government, the UK Skills and Productivity Board, and the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council -- since 2014. It seeks to explain why trying to bring skills supply into closer alignment with demand for skills from employers is a much more demanding task than might at first be imagined, and that simple notions of getting supply to 'match' demand may produce policy goals that cannot be delivered. The objective of seeking a closer alignment between the outputs of the education and training (E&T) system and the labour and skill needs of the economy is one that it is hard to object to. Better skills alignment is a public policy goal in almost all developed and indeed developing economies. However, accepting the goal is very different from delivering it, and the purpose of this paper is to stimulate reflection on the barriers that may stand in the way of making further progress and also to identify avenues for future policy development.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED671947
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
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  Data: Skills Alignment and 'Matching' -- Easy to Specify, Hard to Deliver?
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ewart+Keep%22">Ewart Keep</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22University+of+Oxford+%28United+Kingdom%29%2C+Centre+on+Skills%2C+Knowledge+and+Organisational+Performance+%28SKOPE%29%22">University of Oxford (United Kingdom), Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE)</searchLink>
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  Data: Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE). 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, UK OX2 6PY. Tel: +44-1865-611030 e-mail: skope@education.ox.ac.uk; Web site: http://www.skope.ox.ac.uk/
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  Data: 10
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  Data: 2025
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Skill+Development%22">Skill Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Supply+and+Demand%22">Supply and Demand</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employer+Attitudes%22">Employer Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Policy%22">Educational Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Competency+Based+Education%22">Competency Based Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Alignment+%28Education%29%22">Alignment (Education)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Policy%22">Public Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Labor+Force+Development%22">Labor Force Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Labor+Needs%22">Labor Needs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Developed+Nations%22">Developed Nations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Developing+Nations%22">Developing Nations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Objectives%22">Objectives</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom+%28Scotland%29%22">United Kingdom (Scotland)</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: This paper represents the latest in a line of papers and think pieces that the author has prepared on this topic -- for the UK government, the UK Skills and Productivity Board, and the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council -- since 2014. It seeks to explain why trying to bring skills supply into closer alignment with demand for skills from employers is a much more demanding task than might at first be imagined, and that simple notions of getting supply to 'match' demand may produce policy goals that cannot be delivered. The objective of seeking a closer alignment between the outputs of the education and training (E&T) system and the labour and skill needs of the economy is one that it is hard to object to. Better skills alignment is a public policy goal in almost all developed and indeed developing economies. However, accepting the goal is very different from delivering it, and the purpose of this paper is to stimulate reflection on the barriers that may stand in the way of making further progress and also to identify avenues for future policy development.
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  Data: 2025
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      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 10
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Skill Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Supply and Demand
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Employer Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Policy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Competency Based Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Alignment (Education)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public Policy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Labor Force Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Labor Needs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Developed Nations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Developing Nations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Objectives
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom (Scotland)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Skills Alignment and 'Matching' -- Easy to Specify, Hard to Deliver?
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            NameFull: Ewart Keep
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE)
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