Review: Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind
Title: Time to Think: Listening to ignite the human mindAuthor: Nancy KlinePublisher: Cassell IllustratedISBN: 0706377451Price: £9.99Reviewer: Jacky Pratt, Accredited Practitioner CoachTime to Think is a book that changes behaviour. It has a simple, but powerful message, which is that the quality of our thinking depends upon the quality of another person’s attention when listening to […]
Guide to Employee References and Data Protection
A new guide to how the Data Protection Act applies to employee references is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.The online guide includes good practice recommendations to help employers decide when employment references should and should not be released.It states that in most cases individuals have a right to a copy of information held about […]
Teamwork is Most Sought After Skill
Interpersonal and teamwork skills are the most highly sought after, according to a survey of 4,500 employers.A report, by Job Centre Plus, found that regardless of occupation, whether unskilled or professional, teamworking and interpersonal skills were highly sought after by employers.Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus Lesley Strathie said that the research would help the organisation […]
Apprenticeship Figures Rise
The number of young people successfully completing apprenticeships has risen by 29%, according to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Latest figures from work-based learning providers and colleges for the academic year 2004/05 showed that 67,000 learners achieved their Apprenticeship Framework Certificate – 15,000 more than in the previous academic year. There was also a […]
Work-Based Learning Comes of Age – ALI
Work-based learning has “come of age” according to David Sherlock, Chief Inspector of the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI). But he warns that there is persistent under-achievement in key Government initiatives to get the most disadvantaged into employment. In his annual report, Sherlock praised work-based learning, which he said had undergone “a dramatic improvement in quality” […]
New Occupational Standards for Retail
Retail is the latest sector to publish its National Occupational Standards.Sector skills council Skillsmart Retail said the revised standards have been approved in all four UK nations and it is expected that National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) and Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) units will be developed from the retail NOS by the end of January 2006. […]
New Online Directory of Occupational Standards
A new online directory aims to be a one-stop shop for trainers and employers looking up UK National Occupational Standards. The directory, from Skills for Business, contains information on occupational standards produced by the network of Sector Skills Councils and other standards setting bodies. Users can search the directory by keyword, by the SSC/standards setting […]
Award Recognnises Excellence in Adult Learning
The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) is looking for organisations that can demonstrate originality, creativity and excellence in encouraging adults to learn.The Opening Doors to Adult Learners Awards, which take place in May 2006, are open to organisations across the UK that provide clear routes of progression for, and have a positive impact […]
Case Study: Diversity Training at Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust
An equality and diversity staff development programme is helping one of the UK’s leading NHS Trusts to place increasing value on equality and inclusion, and to reap the rewards of a diverse workforce. Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust is a busy and successful two-star Trust, which serves a population of around 350,000 in the […]
Two-Thirds of Staff Offered no Training
Three-quarters of UK employees are not given opportunities to progress and 67% are not offered opportunities for training and development, a new survey suggests. Statistics in a YouGov poll, commissioned by Jack Morton Worldwide, suggest that a substantial part of the workforce could be unmotivated. While on average only 17% described themselves as unhappy at […]
Brokers Boost Learning Uptake
Learning brokers – who act as matchmakers between individuals and organisations providing education or training – play a vital role encouraging the ‘education-shy’ to get involved in learning, according to a report by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA). Understanding learning brokerage states that learning brokers, such as union learning reps, personal advisers and […]
Training Spend Set to Rise
Not only do employers see training as priority, they’re putting their money where their mouth is with 80% of UK organisations planning to increase or maintain their training budgets in 2006. The finding comes from a survey undertaken by Capita Learning & Development during the recent Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Conference.“These findings […]
Training Key to Staff Retention
More than half of Europeans would quit their jobs over training and development, a new survey reveals.The poll of 600 employers and 8,500 employees from 10 European countries by consultancy Watson Wyatt, found that 52% of respondents would quit if they felt that they were not getting enough training and development.And it seems that staff […]
Chief Executive of Union Academy Named
The TUC’s union academy has taken another step forward with the appointment of its chief executive. Liz Smith.Smith, the TUC’s current head of learning services, has spent most of her professional life working in education and trade unions. In 1998 she co-ordinated the TUC task group that created union learning reps and a special government […]
Staff Most in Need Miss Out on Training
An urgent overhaul of training is needed to address the serious skills gaps crippling many parts of the economy, a TUC report warns. Training, who gets it?’ reveals that a third of businesses do not offer any training to their staff and almost two fifths (39%) of the workforce received no training last year. And […]
Ufi Doing a “Good Job” But Could Still do Better
Ufi has done a “good job” in establishing learndirect, but the organisation needs to streamline its administration and put more resources into services to learners, according to an audit report.Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office said: “learndirect is a major innovative feat that within a few short years has become the largest […]
Trainer’s Tip: Assertiveness Role Play
This week’s tip comes from Mike Kean, who shares his favourite assertiveness exercise. Invite each delegate to think of personal situation in which they need to be more assertive, then write the outcome they would love to have. Invite a partner to be the one you wish them to be assertive with and exchange the […]
LSDA Looks at Barriers to Learning
Employees with poor basic skills and few qualifications are the least likely to take part in learning activities at work, despite having the greatest need for education and training. The finding comes from a new report from the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), which examines the obstacles to workplace learning and initiatives to break […]
USA Leads Way for Strategic Learning
The learning strategy of UK plcs lags behind their counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic according to latest research.In the UK only one of the top FTSE 100 companies employs a Chief Learning Officer (CLO) compared to around 50% of listed companies in the US. The research, conducted by learning solutions provider Thomson […]
Trainer’s Tip: The Induction ‘Funnel’
Rich Lucas passes on some tips about how to organise an induction programme. I use what I call a funnel effect, which lasts one week, but can be as long or short as you like. Day one is very general, company objectives, health and safety, all the hygiene factors etc. As the days progress, the […]
