Assesses evidence on whether the number of people in the identified ‘core’ professions is likely to be sufficient to meet the demands for skills created by the need to deliver the UK government’s Sustainable Communities Plan. Estimates the available pool of skills and the likely level of demand on the ‘core’ occupations in the future. Indicates the occupations in which specific skills shortages are emerging. Considers the robustness of the evidence base on which existing estimates are made and makes recommendations as to how existing knowledge and estimates might be improved.

The UK government’s Sustainable Communities Plan was launched in February 2003. Following the Egan review of the skills needed to deliver the Plan’s vision and aims, research was commissioned into the supply of and demand for these skills.

The ‘core’ occupations investigated in this research represents an abridged version of the list developed by the Egan Review of Skills. Research into the occupational groups was undertaken using three main sources of data: the Office of National Statistics Labour Force Survey; professional institutions and industry bodies; and third-party reports. Interviews were carried out with six organisations involved in the implementation of sustainable communities to validate the research findings.

Indicates that supply shortages are emerging in the following occupations:

Finds no data available which could be readily used to help estimate what additional level of activity the existing sustainable communities workforce could absorb or what incremental demand will be created by the delivery of the Sustainable Communities Plan.

Department for Communities and Local Government
Phone: +44 20 79449645
Analytical.Services@communities.gsi.gov.uk

01/03/2004

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Ernst and Young

research

Urban Policy