Our Knowledge and Expertise
Sectoral and Occupational Studies
HOST is a noted national and European authority on sectoral studies and skills foresight. This focus intensified under a five-year programme of sector pilot evaluation studies for the former Learning Skills Council National Office under a framework agreement. This involved working with sectors as diverse as Cleaning, Construction, Call and Contact Centres, Early Years, Engineering, Health and Social Care, ICT, Retail and Schools. Other projects have included an Evaluation of the Engineering Modern Apprenticeship and National Traineeship Framework, as well as various studies in the Plumbing, Heritage, Tourism and Leisure, and many other sectors as diverse as Heating and Ventilation, ICT, and Hairdressing and Beauty.
HOST is a specialist in assessing the skills effects of technological and process changes in the labour market. We produced the DFES/NTONC Guide to Skills Foresight, and have also worked with numerous Sector Skills Councils/Boards to apply these methods to labour market assessments and sector strategy studies.
Recently, working for the Sector Skills Development Agency, HOST conducted an evaluation of the Network Skills Programme (NSP) 2007/2008 alongside a Skills Foresight Analysis for 2008/2009. A separate project, also for SSDA, to provide research support to the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) included the development of a number of generic support activities and produced guidance including:
- Developing a research strategy.
- Accessing and using international comparative information.
- Commissioning external research.
- Evaluation.
Following on from this project, HOST conducted a workshop for the research network of SSCs exploring in depth how to conduct impact assessment and has produced a series of publications to support SSCs and other agencies.
HOST has equally wide expertise in occupational studies – including in the education and training workforce itself. Here, for schools, HOST has reviewed the TTA/TDA programme for improving initial teacher education and for teacher educator development, as well as working both with the LSC and TDA to evaluate the new Support Work in Schools Vocational Qualification. In the post-16 sector, we have contributed to numerous reviews of teacher and trainer education, qualification and development, including the current review of Centres for Excellence for Teacher Training, Subject Learning Coaches and the cross-Europe review of teacher education in post-secondary education.
“HOST’s expertise in educational policy helped ensure that a valid, well accepted and useful evaluation was produced.”