Employer consultation questionnaire
This Word version of the questionnaire is intended for reference. Responses can be completed and submitted via: www.pyetait.com/fsreform/employersurvey. Alternatively if you wish to complete and return the questionnaire by another means, please contact us at or telephone 01423 509433 and ask for the Functional Skills Reform team.
As a business-person you will be only too aware of the importance of maths and English skills, and you may have the same concerns as other employers about the maths and English skills of school and college leavers, your staff or new recruits to your business. The Government is listening to these concerns, and has already made some changes to the school curriculum and the content of GCSE maths and English qualifications.
The Government has asked the Education and Training Foundation (the Foundation) to review the literacy and numeracy standards underpinning qualifications such as Functional Skills, to ensure they reflect the needs of employers. To inform the updating of these standards, we want to know what YOU think about precisely what is needed in the key literacy and numeracy skills that are absolutely critical to the success of your business and the long term success of the economy.
DEFINITIONS:
Numeracy: This goes beyond simply ‘doing sums’; it is the ability to use numbers to make good decisions and solve problems in work and at home. In an increasingly digital age, the use of mathematical skills in spreadsheets, for example, is as important as paper-based calculations. However, underlying all of this is the important skill of mental arithmetic. Practical examples include being able to make rough estimates, represent and interpret data, choose the correct maths ‘tool’ to tackle a problem and then understand what decision to make based upon the numerical answer. Here we have referred to all of these skills as ‘maths’ skills.
Literacy: The ability to understand written and oral instructions, write and communicate instructions/reports to others clearly and effectively; so it’s about speaking, listening and communicating (non-written communication); reading instructions, documents, reports, using search engines to find trustworthy information on the web: writing emails, reports, letters, using graphics in different situations to present and share ideas and information with colleagues, managers, new staff, customers etc. Here we have referred to these skills simply as ‘English’ skills.
You can find out more about the Education and Training Foundation’s previous consultation on 'Making Maths and English Work' (MMEW) by clicking here.
About this survey:
The research is being conducted, on behalf of the Education and Training Foundation, by Pye Tait Consulting in partnership with the Learning and Work Institute (formerly NIACE). Information provided to the research company will be treated in strict confidence and in compliance with the Market Research Society (MRS) Code of Conduct. Responses will not be linked to individuals or companies.
The survey will be open until late March 2016. On completion of the survey, feedback will be collated and analysed to identify key themes and possible changes to the literacy and numeracy Standards. Any issues with a mix of views will be brought to the Education & Training Foundation’s attention and discussed at workshops and webinars (dates to be arranged). For more information see www.pyetait.com/fsreform
The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. As you progress, you will be automatically directed to the relevant questions, therefore not all questions may appear.
Any enquiries about this survey should be directed to Miranda Pye at Pye Tait Consulting, via (telephone 01423 509433).
Any enquiries about the maths and English functional skills reform programme research as a whole should be directed to Sue Southwood at the Foundation, via (telephone 020 3740 8280).
About your organisation
Q1 / Where is the location of your head office?
q / Eastern England
q / East Midlands
q / North East
q / North West
q / London
q / South East
q / South West
q / West Midlands
q / Yorkshire and the Humber
q / Other (not based in England)
If Other - please specify:
______
Q2 / How many people does your organisation employ in total (not including sub-contractors)?
q / 0 to 4
q / 5 to 19
q / 20 to 49
q / 50 to 199
q / 200 to 500
q / 501 to 999
q / 1000+
Please leave questions 3 and 4 blank if you don’t know or would prefer not to say.
Q3 / Approximately what percentage of your total staff are migrant workers?
_____
Q4 / Approximately what percentage of your workforce has English as a second language?
_____
Maths and English skills that are essential to your business
We would now like to understand the maths and English skills needed by your business.
Q5 / First of all, which industry sector does your company primarily operate in? (Please select one)
q / Agriculture
q / Construction (including Engineering)
q / Creative and the arts
q / Digital, Information and communication
q / Education
q / Energy
q / Catering/tourism
q / Health and social care
q / Manufacturing
q / Professional and business services
q / Public administration or defence
q / Retail (including car dealers)
q / Transport, distribution and wholesale
q / Voluntary
q / Other
If Other - please specify:
______
The job roles by sector given below are examples. They are intended to indicate roughly the type of role you might like to bear in mind when completing the questionnaire. Whatever the title we are thinking about your new staff or junior staff. The list is to prompt your thinking rather than being comprehensive.
INDUSTRY SECTOR / OCCUPATIONSAgriculture / Farm, forestry or fisheries workers
Recycling officers
Nature conservation officers
Construction and Engineering / Technicians
Trade operatives (bricklayer, mason, plasterer, roofer, scaffolder, joiner, welder, etc)
Plumbers
Electricians
Creative and the arts / Fashion designs
Artists
Painters
Writers
Editorial assistants
Digital, Information and communication / Digital assistants
Marketing assistants
Human resources assistants
Personal assistants
Web design and developments
Administrators
Education / Teaching assistants
Cover supervisors
Education administrators
Nursery nurse/assistants
Educational support assistants
Youth workers
Energy / Energy analyst assistants
Domestic gas installers
Sales assistants
Catering/tourism / Travel assistants/consultants
Sales and marketing assistants
Travel agents
Junior catering staffs
Waitress/waiters
Health and social care / Advice workers
Community care/development workers
Housing officers
Residential care workers
Child care workers
Manufacturing / Machine/process operatives
Sales processers
Production supervising assistants
Drivers/pickers
Professional and business services / Receptionists
Personal assistants
Office assistants
Business sales executives
Internal audit assistants
Public administration or defence / Civil service administrators
Human resources assistants
Education administrators
Development workers
Retail (including car dealers) / Merchandisers/Window dressers
Customer service assistants
Sales/loss prevention assistants
Warehouse assistant/packers
Butchers, bakers, fishmongers
Vehicle technicians, mechanics & electricians
Transport, distribution and wholesale / Transport clerks/assistants
Transport coordinators
Drivers
Wholesale sales assistants
Packers/goods handlers
Voluntary / Support workers
Youth workers
Charity fundraisers
Recovery workers
Administrators
Other/generic list included in all industry sector lists above / Secretaries, receptionists, PAs, telephonists
Book-keepers, credit controllers/wage clerks
Office assistants
Database assistants
Stock control clerks & assistants
Sales assistants
Customer care occupations
Call centre agents
Q6 / In relation to the types of roles shown above, please rate each of the following maths skills on a scale from 1 (not required) to 10 (essential) for your organisation:
Maths
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Solve problems that involve number or measurement in a job-specific context / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Use mental arithmetic to solve simple numerical problems (price multiplied by quantity, calculate the cost of more than one item, and the change due from a transaction etc.) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Know 'times tables' up to 12 / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Mentally estimate an answer (before using a calculator or spreadsheet) to develop a feel for whether an answer is right or wrong / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Break a problem down into smaller parts and then work through systematically to get to a sensible answer in a job-specific context / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Q6 / Maths continued (on a scale from 1 'not required' to 10 'essential'):
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Persevere and try different approaches if you don’t get the answer straightaway / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Make decisions based upon an assessment of different data (e.g. how to meet job sales targets or comparing prices from two or more suppliers) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Understand and use positive and negative numbers of any size in practical contexts (e.g. temperature below zero, loss in trading) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Perform calculations ON PAPER with numbers of any size in practical contexts, to a given number of decimal places and check answers make sense (e.g. the number of products to be purchased, converting litres to gallons, currency conversions, distance and time) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Perform calculations MENTALLY with simple numbers in practical contexts, and check answers make sense (e.g. adding up the cost of three or four items, or converting centimetres to millimetres) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Understand, use and calculate ratios and proportions (e.g. sharing out money using a ratio, comparing the price of products) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Solve problems involving scale (e.g. using scale plans to work out the dimensions of a room or work out how full the stock room is, scaling quantities up or down) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Understand and use equivalences between fractions, decimals and percentages, calculate one number as a percentage of another (e.g. using 40%, four out of ten, two-fifths, as equivalents) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Add or subtract fractions (e.g. to order and compare amounts or quantities/ to solve practical problems) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals for practical purposes (e.g. decimals up to three places and check answers in the context of measurements and money) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Q8 / Maths continued (on a scale from 1 'not required' to 10 'essential'):
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
MENTALLY divide whole numbers by simple fractions and decimals (e.g. a quarter of 1,000, or 90% of 200) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Round numbers and measures to an appropriate degree of accuracy for practical purposes (e.g. when measuring total material needed for a project) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Understand and use simple formulae and equations involving one- or two-step operations (e.g. for calculating kilometres per litre, speed, distance and time) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Be able to use a simple spreadsheet to carry and manipulate data (e.g. simple additions and formulae) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Recognise and use 2D representations of 3D objects (e.g. using maps or plans, or laying carpet tiles) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Q7
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Find area, perimeter and volume of common shapes (e.g. understand terms and that measurements must be in the same units when calculating perimeters, areas or volumes) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Confidently use standard units of metric and where appropriate, imperial measures (length, area, volume, capacity, mass, time, money etc) to solve everyday problems (e.g. understanding buying and selling rates, the use of exchange rates, units of time, temperatures, weights etc.) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Collect and represent data, using ICT where appropriate (e.g. using tables, spreadsheets, bar charts, pie charts) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Understand and be able to use scales in diagrams, charts and graphs / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Use and interpret statistical measures, tables and diagrams, for different types of data, using ICT where appropriate (e.g. use a range to describe the spread within a set of data or compare two sets of data, for example sales results) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q
Be able to make use of, and interpret, graphical information in place of lengthy written text and charts and diagrams (e.g. organising a document to show how many people were affected by flu in 2014 by use of graphics and titles) / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q / q