Identifying skills needs in sectors and occupations

The issue: Why skills needs in different sectors have to be assessed

Skills assessment and anticipation exercises are undertaken to assess current and future skills needs to enable countries to respond to changes in the labour market (ILO, 2015; OECD, 2016). Identifying skills needs is crucial for ensuring strong labour market relevance of apprenticeship programmes, which is one of the six building blocks of quality apprenticeships, as established in Toolkit 1 (refer to section 9.1 of Toolkit 1 for details on skills needs assessment and anticipation).

Employers who regularly assess their current and future skills needs are better prepared to plan strategies for human resources management and development. Skills needs information also supports career counselling and vocational guidance services to inform students’ choices.