Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Designing Local Skills Strategies

Higher-level skills are increasingly demanded by the knowledge-based economy. But with rising mobility and demographic change, it is no longer so simple to invest in a skilled workforce for the future. Actions are needed on a variety of fronts, including attracting and retaining talent, better integrating disadvantaged groups into the labour force, and upgrading the skills of low-paid workers. Much of the responsibility for these actions falls squarely on the shoulders of local policy makers. Drawing from a wide array of case studies, ;book analyses best-practice local strategies for increasing workforce skills. And it also takes a close look at the opportunities and challenges presented by international migration. The in-depth case studies in this report range from Shanghais Highland of Talent Strategy to new career ladders which help immigrants escape low-skilled, low-paid employment in New York. National and local-level recommendations on local skills development are provided, for both OECD and non-OECD countriesTable of Content : Executive SummaryPART I. INTERNATIONAL OVERVIEWChapter 1. Local Strategies for Developing Workforce SkillsWhy tackle skills at the local level?-Three aspects of developing a balanced local skills strategy -Two examples of balanced strategies: Shanghai and Michigan-Obstacles to a balanced approach-Conclusions and recommendation-Bibliography Chapter 2. Addressing the Loss of Skills to International MigrationThe problems and opportunities posed by migration-Local strategies for the management of migration processes-Conclusions and recommendations-BibliographyPART II. CASE STUDIES>Chapter 3. The Shanghai ""Highland of Talent"" Strategy-Introduction-Skills strategies in Shanghai-Attraction and retention of talent-Upgrading the skills of the current labour force-Integrating hard-to-reach groups into the skills development system-Implementation and allocation of tasks to different stakeholders -Conclusion-BibliographyAnnex 3.A1. Shanghai Data Summary