New Chief for Nuclear Skills
The new National Skills Academy for Nuclear has appointed Jean Llewellyn as its chief executive.Llewellyn, in her role as head of Skills Policy for the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), has been involved in the nuclear skills agenda for the past four years.She was chair of the National Nuclear Employers Steering Group for two years, […]
Skills Shortages Hit Two-Thirds of London Businesses
Businesses in London struggling to meet their skills needs are increasingly looking overseas for both graduates and lower-skilled staff, according to the CBI and KPMG.Results from the London Business Survey show that two out of three firms in the capital (65%) expect to be troubled by skills shortages over the next six months, and the […]
Ask the Expert: Training Allowances
As organisations wake up to the pulling power of staff development for recruitment and retention, our experts assess the pros and cons of offering new starters a training allowance. Question: Have you heard of companies offering a training allowance to new recruits. For example a sum of money may be offered to allow a new […]
The Personal Touch Wins the Day in Business
Business is most likely to be won as a result of a face-to-face meeting than any other method, including social networking.The research, by Vodafone UK, reveals that just over half (57%) of business people win business via the traditional face-to-face method, dropping to just 34% who have won business by email. One in five managing […]
New Guide to Retail Qualifications
Skillsmart Retail has launched a ‘Guide to Retail Qualifications and Job Roles’ aimed at employers and learning providers as well as individuals seeking a career in retail. The new guide maps out the various qualifications available within retail and their corresponding job roles for each of the four nations. It also serves to demonstrate how […]
Accelerate your E-Learning
Eddie Kilkelly looks at how to accelerate the adoption of e-learning in your organisation and create the time and space for learners to use it. Two conflicting schools of thought exist on the subject of e-learning: Firstly, among buyers, that e-learning will rapidly be adopted and can be used to generate significant business benefits; Secondly, […]
Capital Set for Mayor’s Skills Strategy
Mayor of London Ken Livingston plans to plug the capital’s skills gap with the first ever London skills and employment strategy.Backed by the £560m London Learning and Skills Council’s annual adult skills budget, the final strategy will recommend the steps that must be taken to meet the skills and employment challenges facing workers and businesses […]
Facilitating Training
When it’s your job to ensure training co-ordinators get the best out of their training sessions, it can often be stressful. No matter what the size of the group or the theme of the day, the pressure’s always on to make sure the training event hits the spot. Joanna England offers some insight into the […]
New Qualification in Disability Awareness
The first qualification in disability awareness has been launched to help employers comply with legislation.The level 1 ‘Award in Disability Awareness’, from awarding body Education Development International (EDI), was created due to requests from many organisations who were anxious to ensure they fully complied with current legislation.Until this point, no occupational standards for disability awareness […]
Pick Your Mix to Improve Qualifications
A one-stop guide to help food and drink manufacturers design vocational qualifications for their staff has been launched on-line. The launch of the ‘Pick Your Mix’ interactive tool coincides with the introduction of a new framework for National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (N/SVQs), which aims to make the qualifications more relevant to the workplace. The […]
Skills Shake-Up for Tourism and Leisure
People 1st, the sector skills council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, is promising a radical shake-up of qualifications in consultation with employers in its arena.The skills council is conducting a series of 75 meetings across the UK to get employers’ views on what they would like to see included in qualifications for the industry. […]
Minister Blames Employers for Gender Gap
Skills minister David Lammy has blamed British employers for the failure of government schemes to better women’s employment prospects.The London Level 3 pilot project, for example, designed to provide working women with A-level equivalent training, has attracted only 750 attendees. The £20 million project has a target of 12,000.“Some of these pilots have got off […]
Consultation Begins on the Future of IT Skills
E-skills UK is hosting a series of half-day consultation events throughout the UK, starting this month to help shape the national frameworks for the IT profession and for IT user skills in all sectors of industry. The Sector Skills Council for IT and Telecoms aims to put together a set of National Occupational Standards (NOS) […]
Cities Hit by Brain Drain
Major UK cities are likely to be affected by a ‘brain drain’ as over half a million graduates flock to London, Jobsite has warned.The approaching exodus of qualified individuals to the capital was revealed in a survey that showed one in three current students was planning a move to London in search of employment.Worst hit […]
There’s a Write Way
From the confused email that leaves its recipient scratching their head to the over-long document that has the reader heading for the coffee pot, writing business documents can be a minefield. In this article Janet Basdell, who has designed her own system for business writing, passes on some essential tips to consider before you hit […]
£5m Olympic Boost for London Skills
An additional £5m is beng invested in training opportunities for Londoners ahead of the 2012 Olympics.The government funding will be targeted on training sports coaches, construction workers and 200 extra apprenticeships in customer services and hospitality ahead.Skills minister David Lammy said: “We must get more people into skilled jobs in construction, customer services and hospitality, […]
Interview Skills Letting Companies Down
Job seekers are turning down offers from UK companies because of the poor standards of many interviewers.A survey released by T-Mobile found that 56% of people who had suffered a bad interview laid the blame on the interviewer, accusing some of lateness, rudeness, sexism and even drunkenness.Around 40% of interviewees said they were asked questions […]
The Write Stuff
Business’ reliance on written communication is greater than ever with the advent of email, but at the same time more organisations seem to feel that their staff don’t make the grade when it comes to writing clearly and accurately. This case study looks at how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office used training to boost staff […]
HR ‘Lacks Strategic Skills’
The biggest challenge that HR departments face in their bid to become more strategic is a lack of skills, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Institute of Employment Studies.In a poll the CIPD found that 53% of organisations had restructured their HR function in the last year and […]
The Harrogate Pilgrimage: A Journey Worth Making? By Annie Hayes
The all together more palatable September, term-time slot is one reason why many are attending this year’s Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) annual conference. Annie Hayes finds out who is going and why. Practitioner keynotes and inspirational speakersThere’s no doubt that the glitz, glamour and fame that speakers in past conferences brought has […]
