How has the UK skills gap changed over the past 50 years?

Question

If you can provide any references that would be good. Thanks

Answer 1

Fifty years ago this expression didn't exist. What did exist was a Britain trying to rebuild itself after the Second World War and begging people from Commonwealth countries to emigrate to the UK to help fill vacancies, normally in lowly capacities. That flooding in of people from abroad, ironically, hasn't changed. What has changed, however, are the standards of literacy and numeracy of the population, which have declined sharply while the apparent level of education appears, on paper, to have improved dramatically.
I have found some links, which I hope may conceivably help, but this is evidently part of an academic course and you presumably have access to suitable material.

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:C0QiLE7dmhkJ:www.cepr.org/Pubs/bulletin/dps/dp859.htm+uk+skills+gap&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6
http://management.silicon.com/careers/0,39024671,39161147,00.htm
http://www.crn.com.au/story.aspx?CIID=57720&r=rstory
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:9Gwb6juQb48J:www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/1999/press_168_99.cfm+uk+skills+gap+fifties+sixties+seventies&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10