Training and Establishment Survival

Abstract

The purpose of SfB is to bring employers more centre stage in articulating their skill needs and delivering skills-based productivity improvements that can enhance UK competitiveness and the effectiveness of public services. The remit of the SSDA includes establishing and progressing the network of SSCs, supporting the SSCs in the development of their own capacity and providing a range of core services. Additionally the SSDA has responsibility for representing sectors not covered by an SSC and co-ordinating action on generic issues.Research, and developing a sound evidence base, is central to the SSDA and to Skills for Business as a whole. It is crucial in: analysing productivity and skill needs; identifying priorities for action; and improving the evolving policy and skills agenda. It is vital that the SSDA research team works closely with partners already involved in skills and related research to generally drive up the quality of sectoral labour market analysis in the UK and to develop a more shared understanding of UK-wide sector priorities.The SSDA is undertaking a variety of activities to develop the analytical capacity of the Network and enhance its evidence base. This involves: developing a substantial programme of new research and evaluation, including international research; synthesizing existing research; developing a common skills and labour market intelligence framework; taking part in partnership research projects across the UK; and setting up an expert panel drawing on the knowledge of leading academics, consultants and researchers in the field of labour market studies. Members of this panel will feed into specific research projects and peer review the outputs; be invited to participate in seminars and consultation events on specific research and policy issues; and will be asked to contribute to an annual research conference.The SSDA takes the dissemination of research findings seriously. As such it has developed this dedicated research series to publish all research sponsored by the SSDA. Lesley Giles Acting Director of Strategy and Research at the SSDA Training and Establishment Survival

Teams, Autonomy, and the Financial Performance of Firms

“…On the suggestions of the referees, I included the following additional control variables in the financial performance equation. A number of these have been found to be significantly associated with financial performance in previous analyses of the WIRS/WERS data, for example, union activity (Bryson and Wilkinson 2002), training (Collier et al 2004), and financial participation (McNabb and Whitfield 1998).…”

Managing low‐skill workers: a study of small UK food manufacturing firms

“…(2006: 14) show, it is not the case that small firms as a group face particularly severe market pressures. Collier et al. (2007) also demonstrate that small workplaces are no more likely than large ones to suffer closure.…”

Education, Training and Economic Performance: Evidence from Establishment Survival Data

“…Some studies have considered the role of market power and/or financial performance, others the product life cycle (Klepper and Simons, 2000), research and development (Hage et al, 1993) or the role of higher technology and ownership (Agarwal, 1996;Colombo and Delmastro, 2001). Collier et al (2005) find that increased training is, in most cases, associated with a greater chance of workplace survival. This finding, however, applies only to workplaces with at least 25 employees, and did not consider any role for the education level of workers in the organization.…”

“…Finally Collier et al (2005), using data from the early 1990s, assess the impact of training investments on commercial survival across different sections of the British workforce. Studies of workplace closure or survival have not otherwise considered any potential role for employer training.…”