To be successful in today’s knowledge economy, communities need to boost not only the skills of local people but also the utilisation and deployment of these skills by employers. By ensuring that skills are utilised effectively, local economies can become more competitive and host better...

This policy review of vocational education and training in the West Midlands, United Kingdom was prepared within the framework of the OECD LEED project, "Leveraging Training and Skills Development in SMEs". The report identifies ways of overcoming some of the barriers to workforce development in...