National Employment Panel

For ten years the National Employment Panel, an employer-led organisation, has been advising Government on labour market policies and performance. It has also pioneered ways of working with employers to help disadvantaged people move from poverty into jobs that contribute to productivity and growth, particularly through the establishment of Employer Coalitions.

It was a key recommendation of the Leitch Review of Skills that the employer voice be strengthened, through the creation of a new, employer-led, UK Commission for Employment and Skills to better integrate employment and skills services. The Leitch Review recommended that the National Employment Panel and the Sector Skills Development Agency be merged to create the new Commission. Both legacy organisations closed on 31 March 2008.

Commission for Employment and Skills

The Commission will open for business on 1 April 2008, and will operate across the UK, making a critical contribution to securing the Leitch Review’s ambitions of achieving an 80% employment rate and a world class profile on skills by 2020.

For more information on the Commission, please visit www.ukces.org.uk.

Employer Coalitions

Our city-regional Employer Coalition network will continue to operate.

• Employer Coalitions

Fair Cities

Fair Cities was a three year employer led pilot programme with the aim of helping disadvantaged ethnic minority residents to gain steady work and new careers. There were three pilot sites in operation, located at: Birmingham, Brent and Bradford.

The results, delivery and policy lessons are valuable legacies resulting from the programme and provide a platform for work to continue with employers through City Strategies and Local Employment and Skills Boards.

Key National Employment Panel publications

• Leading Change, Changing Lives
  Ten years as the employer voice in the Welfare to Work system.
  April 2008 (217KB)
• Fair Cities
  Lessons for Practitioners and Policy Makers
  April 2008 (508KB)
• The Business Commission Report on Race Equality in the Workplace – 60/76
  Recommendations to increase recruitment, retention and progression for ethnic minorities in the private sector.
  October 2007 (1.79MB)
• Enterprising People, Enterprising Places Measures to increase Ethnic Minority Employment and Business Growth
  Recommendations to increase the employment and business growth of ethnic minority and faith groups.
  May 2007 (1.6MB)
• Able to Work - Report from Employers Working Group on Disability
  January 2005 (2.4MB)
• Small employers, big opportunities: Practical no-nonsense advice on how to do better business with small employers
  May 2004 (239k)
• NEP: Leading change, changing lives
  May 2004 (513KB)
• Fair Cities: Employer led efforts that produce results for ethnic minorities
  March 2004 (2.2MB)
• Ambition Stocktake: An interim report on the development and progress of the Ambition Initiative
  March 2004 (424KB)
• Skills: Welfare to Workforce Development
  March 2004 (251KB)
• A New Deal for All: report of the NEP's working group on New Deal 25+
  January 2004 (436KB)
• London Employer Coalition: Annual Report 2003/4
  2004 (399KB)
• Work Works: the Final Report of the NEP's Steering Group on Lone Parents
  February 2003 (237KB)
• Business on Board: recommendations for increasing Employer engagement in New Deal
  July 2001 (355KB)
• Improving the Employment Prospects of Low Income Job Seekers (Main Report)
  May 2000 (110KB)
• Going Public: Opening up New Deal opportunities in the Public Sector
  November 1999 (201KB)