Time to make an executive decision
Terry Watts, chief executive of Proskills comments on the announcements during the Comprehensive Spending Review. Should we breathe a sigh of relief, or wait with baited breath in hope that the same mistakes aren’t made again? For months, the effects of the oncoming CSR loomed over us, hanging above our heads like a dark cloud […]
Guilds to be “at the heart” of skills re-evaluation
Traditional guilds will be at the heart of the coalition government’s attempts to elevate the status of vocational skills in a bid to support economic growth, the skills minister has said. In a speech to the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, skills minister John Hayes said that, even before guilds […]
Do graduates have the right skills for work?
If 1 in 10 students in 2009 couldn’t find any form of work, does this mean that universities are not giving graduates the right skills that they need to make the transition to the workplace? Poppy Ring investigates. ‘Traditional degrees’ have been under fire for not properly preparing young people for the world of work, […]
Onto the podium
Drawing from his experiences of working with Olympic athletes, Jonathan Males explains even a tiny change in the right area has the potential to make a big difference. For Olympic athletes, reaching the podium is a tangible outcome for their many years of hard work. For the serious athletes, fourth place may as well be […]
UK does not have “too many graduates”
Contrary to popular belief, the UK does not have too many graduates to underpin future economic growth – just the wrong type, according to a report from the Work Foundation. While the recession has exacerbated the number of job losses among manual, administrative and unskilled workers, the country still required expertise in managerial, professional, associate […]
Skills-based courses to be made more “hands-on”
The Education Secretary Michael Gove will today announce a major review of vocational qualifications and skills-based courses for 14- to 19-year-olds in a bid to make them more "hands on". The review will be led by Alison Wolf, professor of public sector management at King’s College London and is intended to assess the way vocational […]
Immigration cap ‘leads to bigger skills problem’
The abrupt introduction of a ‘radical’ immigration cap would generate major skills problems for employers and lead to more offshoring. Cath Everett reports. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) issued the stark warning after the Office of National Statistics’ Migration Statistics Quarterly Report revealed an unexpected 20% rise in net migration to the […]
One in ten plan to offshore jobs
Despite high levels of domestic unemployment, organisations are turning to both migrant workers and offshore outsourcers in a bid to plug UK skills gaps as the economy starts to recover. According to the quarterly ‘Labour Market Outlook’ survey published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and management consultancy KPMG, some 45% of […]
NHS to roll out ‘skills passport’ scheme
The NHS is set to roll out a national ‘Skills Passport for Health’ scheme in order to improve talent management and reduce admin costs, following the success of a year-long pilot project. The proof-of-concept trial was undertaken among nursing staff at seven English NHS Trusts during the financial year 2009-2010. Workers created a verified online […]
Young people ‘well-equipped’ for work
Although employers are becoming increasingly reluctant to hire young people, those that do generally find them well-equipped for working life – despite the bad press that this demographic receives. According to a survey of 79,152 employers undertaken by IFF Research on behalf of the UK Commission for Skills and Employment (UK CES), a mere 23% had […]
Lean times ahead for skills funding
The skills industry is split over whether the coalition government’s plans to divert funding from a vocational training scheme in order to create extra apprenticeship places would be a positive move or not. According to a survey undertaken by the World of Learning Conference & Exhibition (WLCE) organisation in June, 50.9% of respondents do not […]
Proskills launches training calculator
Businesses interested in calculating the cost of not investing in training for staff can now use a dedicated skills calculator to see where improvements can be made. Proskills Academy for Materials, Production and Supply, has recently launched its Predicator Calculator, aimed at helping businesses across its industries calculate the cost of not investing in training […]
Goverment launches public skills consultations
Skills Minister John Hayes has launched a couple of public consultations, with the aim of understanding how scarce public resources should be used to best effect to meet employers’ requirements. The ‘Skills for Sustainable Growth’ document outlines the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ view on skills’ priorities and how they should be delivered, while […]
Harrods to offer degrees to staff
Harrods has become the latest employer to devise a tailored degree course for its staff in conjunction with a university in what appears to be a growing trend. The move follows the announcement last month that the University of Portsmouth had developed a bespoke workplace learning programme in Strategic Quality Management with high-tech giant Hewlett-Packard […]
Staff willing do skills training in their free time, says report
The majority of personnel would be willing to give up their free time to undertake training in a bid to boost their salaries and help them fulfil their potential, according to new research. A study undertaken among 2,200 employees in the UK, France, Spain and Germany by learning and development provider Cegos found that 76% […]
Skills training should be government priority, says ProSkills
An employer’s body has called on the coalition government to invest in skills training ahead of next week’s emergency Budget to help the manufacturing industry tackle skills gaps and fill 3,500 job vacancies. Proskills, the Sector Skills Council for the Process and Manufacturing sector, said that, while it was not expecting blanket subsidies, it believed […]
Wales gets WISE with sustainable skills training
Wales has had a good week in terms of training opportunities following the opening of an institute to deliver learning in new environmental technologies and the provision of funding to teach traditional conservation skills. Jane Davidson, Welsh Assembly Minister for the Environment, opened the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE) yesterday, which will specialise in […]
L&D under fire reveals report
Despite the direct link between investment in L&D and financial performance, nearly half of all UK employers made cost-cutting rather than innovation a priority during the recession. According to a survey among 200 learning and development (L&D) professionals in organisations with more than 1,000 staff undertaken by Loudhouse Research on behalf of Thales Training and […]
All you ever needed to know about Time to Train
Cheryl Clemons gives us the low-down on the latest government training initiative and how to ensure you are complying. We know it makes business sense for organisations to provide their employees with the right training and tools to help them perform well in their roles. So, encouraging organisations to make training a priority is, in […]
Cardboard cop-out
Another great episode last night – and finally we got to see a bit more of the other candidates. What’s more, it was one of my favourite design tasks (remember the bum exerciser and the doomed ‘gym in a box’?) This week the youngsters are confronted by several pairs of wellies in the hallway before […]
