Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Employer Perspectives Survey (EPS) is a large scale survey of UK employers across all sectors of the economy and is part of a series of studies historically commissioned by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) to provide robust and reliable labour market information. Following the closure of the UKCES ownership of the survey transferred to the Department for Education (DfE) in late 2016. The survey provides a UK-wide picture of how employers are meeting their skills needs, looking both at their engagement with skills and employment services and broader approaches to people development. The Employer Perspectives Survey is a key customer insight tool for colleges, universities, schools and other providers looking to understand how employers view and engage with the skills system. The Employer Perspectives Survey is intended to complement the Employer Skills Survey series, which focuses on employer skills demand, skills shortages and training within organisations; the two surveys run in alternate years.

The Employer Perspectives Survey, 2014 covered over 18,000 employers across the full geographical spread of the UK, in all sectors of the economy (across the commercial, public and charitable spheres). The survey examined: approaches to recruitment; awareness and use of skills support services/initiatives; engagement with external training providers, and the use of vocational qualifications and apprenticeships.

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The 2014 questionnaire included the following sections:recruitment, focusing particularly on young people and education leaverswork experience and internshipsstaff development, including sources of information and advicetraining activity and sources of trainingVocational QualificationsApprenticeshipsNational Occupational StandardsInvestors in Peoplecollaborating with other employers

Multi-stage stratified random sample

Telephone interview