There has been much policy interest on the theme of children's services in recent years. For example, the 1998 National Child Strategy explicitly aims to ensure good quality, affordable childcare for children aged 0 to 14 in every neighbourhood, including both formal childcare and support for informal arrangements. The sector has a changed a lot…

A summary of evidence from a study of payment structures in six industries in three local labor markets in the United Kingdom is used to show that the conditions under which labor is made available exert an influence on wages that is relatively independent of the skill, experience, and effort of the workers concerned. (Author/CT)

This paper uses recent data from the UK Labour Force Survey to estimate the wage gains that individuals make on average if they complete an apprenticeship programme. The results suggest gains of around 5-7% for men, but no benefit for women. Further analysis extends the results by considering the returns by age group, by qualification obtained, by…