Finding the Words
Reality TV shows like Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice are portrayed as showcasing business talent. But for Vince Stevenson it’s the way that these intelligent, high-flying contestants fall when faced with an audience that highlights a serious business issue. The business world is finally waking up to the fact that communication skills are at an […]
Multi-Million Grants to Build Construction Skills
The construction industry is set to receive a record figure of £140m in training grants this year.Available from 1st August 2007, CITB-ConstructionSkills Grants are available to support a wide variety of training within the industry, covering key initiatives such as qualifying existing workers, improving health and safety,and training new recruits. Frms can claim grants for […]
Multi-Million Boost to Health Service Training
The English health service is set to benefit from a further £100m annual investment in skills, thanks to a new three-year deal.Skills for Health – the sector skills council for the public, private and voluntary healthcare sectors – has signed a new multi-million pound Joint Investment Framework involving Strategic Health Authorities and the Learning and […]
NHS Graduate Scheme Scoops ‘Blue Ribbon’
The NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme rhas won the ‘Best of the Best’ award from the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).It also scooped the award for best in Recruitment and Assessment.The NHS scheme was acclaimed by the judges for communicating a strong link between cultural values and recruitment competencies. They were also impressed by its […]
Rolls Royce Launches Graduate Scheme
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has launched a programme for graduates.The BMW-owned company plans to employ up to 15 graduates on the two-year programme, which will offer the recruits guidance from senior management mentors.Potential career paths include manufacturing, engineering, facilities management, sales and marketing, corporate communications, finance and information technology. The programme includes cross-functional placements which could […]
Bovis Acts to Tackle Construction Skills Shortages
Building firm Bovis Lend Lease UK is establishing a not-for-profit company to tackle construction skills shortages.The new organisation Be Onsite aims to offer on-site industry specific training and employment and will pay particular attention to the skills gaps where no specific training currently exists.Bovis Lend Lease head of Community Development and Be Onsite managing director […]
Free Thinking: Mind the knowledge gap
Martin Shovel argues that too much knowledge can can prove even more dangerous than a little when it comes to sharing ideas. Why is it that the more we know about something, the harder we find it to explain what we know to other people? Research evidence suggests that our difficulties aren’t caused by the […]
Top 50 IT Training Companies Named
IT Skills Research has put QA-IQ at the top of its annual table of the UK’s Top 50 IT training providers.Learning Tree International come in second, followed by SAP and IBM Training.David Pardo, IT Skills Research explained how the list is compiled. “As we have done in previous years, we gathered the revenues of companies […]
A Smile a Day Boosts Customer Satisfaction
A polite ‘good morning’, delivered with a smile, is the preference of most customers who say that a little friendly formality goes a long way, according to a recent survey.Standard Life Healthcare quizzed respondents for the survey and found that the more casual ‘hi’ is failing to win points with consumers, with just one in […]
Welcome for Updated Networking Qualifications
Training company Global Knowledge is welcoming the major overhaul of the CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification programme as good news for firms and students. Cisco has replaced the former four-day introductory course for the CCNA qualification with a new five-day Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices 1 (ICND1) course and associated exam to qualify as […]
Businesses Missing Out on Refugees’ Skills
Greater recognition of refugees’ skills, experience and qualifications is needed if they are to play a more significant role in the UK labour market, the Welfare to Work Conference will be told today.Refugees should also have the opportunity to learn occupationally-specific ESOL, the conference will be told, and employers need access to improved information that […]
Star Talent Missing Out on Development
British business is failing to make the most of its star talent – with less than half of UK businesses implementing talent development programmes, according to research by recruitment outsourcing specialist Capital Consulting and Cranfield School of Management. While 60% of the businesses surveyed said that talent management is essential to a businesses bottom line, […]
Entry Open for World Of Learning Awards
Entries for the World of Learning Awards are now open and the search is on for the most innovative new learning initiatives and exceptional venues of 2007. This is the seventh year for the awards, which aim to reward organisations and individuals whose outstanding achievements have notably improved workplace productivity and performance. Categories include:– Bespoke […]
IT Industry Unites Against Digital Illiteracy
Leading IT industry representatives have agreed to set up a Europe-wide e-Skills Industry Leadership Board, in the fight against digital illiteracy. The e-Skills Leadership Board will cooperate closely with the European Commission to ensure that every European has the opportunity to become equipped with the basic skills needed in today’s labour market, and in particular […]
Firm Invests in Training to Construct Success
Sussex firm ISG Jackson has announced the creation of a new in-house training and development academy to reinforce its commitment to recruiting, training and retaining the most talented individuals within the construction industry. The launch of ISG Jackson Academy brings together the company’s existing training and development programmes into a formal business strategy and promises […]
Employers Sign Up to Skills Pledge
The first 150 employers have signed up to the government’s “Skills Pledge” – to get all of their workforce up to a level 2 qualification.The equivalent of five good GCSEs, the level 2 qualification is increasingly seen as essential for the workforce, as the number of unskilled jobs decrease.Those signed up to the pledge include […]
Energy Sector Faces Serious Skills Shortage
Leading energy experts say that their industry is facing a serious skills shortage, according to a new survey.The Doosan Babcock ‘Energy Pulse’ survey, polled 500 UK energy experts and found that that 87% of believed that the UK is facing a serious skills shortage. Iain Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Doosan Babcock says, “The Energy White […]
Workers Favour Informal Learning Route
Informal learning is workers’ favourite method of gaining new skills, a NIACE survey has discovered.Overall, 82% of the 2,000 respondents found learning by doing the job quite or very helpful. This was followed by being shown how to do things by others (62%), and watching and listening to others (56%). Just over half – 54% […]
The Changing Face of Work Skills
The past 20 years has seen a fall in the number of jobs needing no qualifications for entry and a rise in those requiring computer skills.But according to research published by the Economic and Social Research Council on skills, knowledge and organisational performance, the pace of change has slowed during the past five years.The report, […]
Work-Based Accreditation: A Proposal With Teeth? By Annie Hayes
UK workers are being branded as the laggards of the EU skills pool, according to a leading business group, who suggest putting work-based training in prime position via a new accreditation system. Reactions have been frosty, Annie Hayes reports. Shaping up for the future: The business vision for education and skills the 49 page epic […]
