Organisational Accreditation and Worker Up-skilling in Britain

Seminar abstract

Britain has lagged behind the G7 countries in labour productivity in recent years. There is also an emerging concern about a potential post-Brexit skills deficit. Up-skilling the existing workforce via on-the-job training may be a vital policy tool available. 

Using a panel of organisations and their 'Investors in People' accreditation status, this paper empirically examines if accreditation promotes up-skilling. Fixed effects estimates reveal that accreditation enhances on-the-job training but only in private sector organisations. Difference in differences estimates using unaccredited organisations as matched comparators reinforce the FE findings.

Engendering accreditation schemes that promote up-skilling, which may help address the current productivity and Brexit concerns as well as fostering a smoother adaptation to rapid technological changes, may be warranted.

Booking

This is an open event. Please feel free to bring your colleagues, friends and classmates.

Speaker bio

Dr Getinet Haile is an Assistant Professor in Industrial Economics. He joined Nottingham Business School in 2012. Previously he held various academic and research positions in the UK, Germany, Kenya and his native Ethiopia.

Dr Haile is a Fellow of the Institute of Labour Economics (IZA) in Bonn and maintains an Associate Research Fellowship with the Chair of Econometrics at the University of Manheim, where he was based prior to joining the Nottingham University Business School.

He has completed several research projects for the ESRC, DWP and the UN-WFP, among others.

He has maintained many professional memberships including;

• Society of Labor Economist (SoLE)
• European Association of Labour Economist (EALE)

As of December 2016, he has become a Fellow of Higher Education Academy.

Dr Getinet Haile's research has appeared in several media outlets including

• BBC Radio 4
• Forbes Magazine
• The Conversation
• DW Radio

He is the module convener for Topics in Labour and Personnel Economics (Level 2), Financial Econometrics (MSc) and Topics in Advanced Econometrics (PhD) as well as serving as the School Disability Liaison Officer.