WebFlash - Edition 171

Edition 171 - 16/07/2010

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Editorial Dear Web-Flash recipient… It seems the bonfire of the… well everything… is set to continue, potentially with Government Offices now earmarked for closure, as to what happens to Competitiveness and Convergence funding, only time, and Eric Pickles, will tell. Instinct or Reason: How Education Policy is Made and How we Might Make it Better is an excellent new publication. The authors, including Adrian Perry and Mick Fletcher, explore policy-making in education and skills over the past few decades… making recommendations for Government… Here at Marchmont Towers we are taking part in an interesting new project exploring vocational education and training (VET) and how disadvantaged groups manage to access it, or are excluded from it. As part of this we are producing occasional newsletters carrying details of our developments, and the first edition which includes a look at recent UK developments can be accessed by clicking here. Thanks to my mildly sociopathic, office-sharing chum, Weird-Uncle Flash for sending me this … which unbelievably, is Vince Cables signature, though it looks more like an out-take from a communist-era Czechoslovakian cartoon about tractors than it does the mark of a politician … is it me (probably - ED) but do their new Coalition chums increasingly look at them, as if wondering when these work-experience students will ever leave? Finally, with the economic climate looking even bleaker than an English players chances of lifting a football trophy, it is worth reminding ourselves that it is possible to do even the most disheartening and demoralising activity with a surprising degree of panache… Keep in touch… Ciao! Andy Quote of the day... Cleverness is serviceable for everything, sufficient for nothing. Henri Frederic Amiel Publications and Reports A theoretical review of skill shortages and skill needs This review, commissioned jointly with the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), serves to improve our understanding of the workings of the labour market and the ability of the labour market to meet the skill needs of employers. The analysis within this review will help inform the methodology used by the MAC to identify occupations that are considered to be skilled, suffering from shortages and which it would be sensible to fill through migration. Private sector cities: a new geography of opportunity England urgently needs to grow its private sector economy and create more private sector jobs. Cities and their hinterlands are home to more than 75% of England’s private sector workforce and they will be the key centres for future growth. But in order to unlock the potential of our cities and increase private sector growth, the coalition Government will need to adopt a radical new approach to economic development. Employment and skills: six critical priorities for the next government Following this year’s general election, whichever party takes office will be faced with a range of pressing policy issues on all fronts. However, high unemployment, the changing demands for skills, the need to increase productivity and to reduce expenditure on welfare mean that policies relating to employment and skills will be among the most important. A step towards work, or just stuck in a warehouse? Does FE help young people into employment? LSIS report written by Mick Fletcher critically examines the claims made recently that the FE sector systematically misleads young people by offering courses that appear to lead to employment but which in reality do not. GreenWorks: TUC GreenWorkplaces project report 2008-10 GreenWorkplaces projects are workplace-based initiatives that bring together the practical engagement of both workers and management to secure energy savings and reduce the environmental impact of the workplace. Equality, entitlements and localism In theory, a centralised delivery model provides greater safeguards and ensures that services continue to focus on those groups that are socially excluded and experience differential outcomes from a range of public services. Entry to Learning Pilots Evaluation This report evaluates a pilot that was designed to provide young people who are NEET with opportunities to improve their skills and employability through strengthening the progression between re-engagement activity and formal learning. Barriers to Participation in Education and Training This study explores the barriers and constraints young people currently face when deciding what to do at the end of their compulsory schooling in year 11.	News Taxpayers’ cash for mature students should only equal fees and private investment, insists review Colleges and training providers should lose the right to public funding for adult education if they cannot attract equal investment from individuals and businesses, a review of fees in further education has proposed. Led by the former Learning and Skills Council chair Chris Banks, the review said that courses outside of special entitlements, such as for a first level 2 qualification, should only be funded to match contributions through fees. HE Impact delay Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, has today announced a one-year delay in order to review further the impact requirement in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) . Further Education Minister welcomes completion of fees review Skills Minister, John Hayes, has welcomed the publication of an independent report on the co-investment system in Further Education. ESRC: Rising inequality in the UK undermines mobility and social cohesion New research, presented at a major international conference in London, demonstrates how inequality in education, skills and incomes reduces opportunity and undermines social cohesion. 'One in ten' UK graduates unemployed The jobless rate among 2009 graduates is the highest in seven years, says the Higher Education Statistics Agency. And the number of students who managed to find employment within six months has dropped from 62% to 59%. The figures also reveal how the chances of students finding work depend on their choice of college subject. Contracts awarded to deliver an integrated adults careers service The Skills Funding Agency has announced the appointment of 12 organisations to deliver Next Step, a free integrated adult careers service in England from August. Emergency Budget - Briefing A summary of the Emergency Budget, cobbled together by yours truly, for our sister organisation - SLIM. EU Latest We should not reduce skills to what the market wants Interesting interview with Manfred Tessaring formerly of CEDEFOP. Pre-Announcement on New ESPON Calls New Calls for Proposals on 2 Targeted Analyses and the ESPON Database - Phase II will open on 24 August 2010. The deadline for applying is 19 October 2010. The total available budget is 1.950.000 Euro. Social partners show strong willingness to adapt to the changing social and economic climate Given the economic circumstances in the European Union during 2009, maintaining jobs and avoiding redundancies were to the fore in social partner discussions and actions across Europe in 2009, according to the new annual review of industrial relations developments in the EU from Eurofound’s European Industrial Relations Observatory. Skills supply and demand in Europe: mid-term forecast up to 2020 Economic crisis, climate and structural change, and demographic developments, including ageing and migration, are posing huge challenges for economies and labour markets in Europe and across the world. Driving economic recovery through skills enhancement is crucial because skills are, and will be, needed to respond to the new economic structures that will emerge and to fill the new jobs that will be created. Second application round for study visits will open on 19 July 2010 This second application round concerns study visits for educational and vocational specialists which will be held between March and June 2011. Are we heading for a fairer workplace? Post-recession organisations face many tough challenges. Survival, consolidation and stability may be the most basic, but these are accompanied by the challenges of re-building trust, re-engaging with their employees and other stakeholders, and articulating anew what they stand for as corporate entities – both in commercial terms and in a wider societal sense. Lisbon Council launches a new e-brief Using Europe 2020 to Move from Crisis Management to Restoring Confidence and Growth. Latest data confirm that the labour market in the EU is stabilising, following several months of only relatively moderate deterioration. One European in six reports a constant struggle to pay household bills And three quarters believe that poverty has increased in their country over the past year.	Horoscope Libra The stars welcome your desire to demonstrate a mind of your own and to stop being so easily influenced… and as soon as you stop chasing those squirrels at the behest of your dog you can get started. Events Online Educa Berlin 2010 1- 3 December 2010 16th International Conference on Technology Supported Learning & Training. TUC Briefing - what the Budget means for fairness 21 July 2010, London The briefing will consider the impact of the Budget announcements for groups including disabled people, families and people claiming Housing Benefit, as well as considering the overall impacts of the Budget's proposals for fairness. We hope the event will provide a chance to hear expert analysis of how the Budget will hit, as well as allowing discussion of how to respond to its proposals. Lifelong Learning for a Just and Sustainable World 9 September 2010, Manchester DEA and Campaign for Learning believe that a lifelong approach to learning for a just and sustainable world can contribute to positive change for individuals and society. Such global learning can increase individual agency and esteem, engage people in civic life, build support for international development and encourage community cohesion. Capita's 10th National Conference - Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) 11 October 2010, ‘that’ London Capita’s 2nd National Not in Education, Employment or Training Conference addresses the challenge of worklessness afflicting a generation and impacting negatively on the economy of the nation. It is crucial that agencies come together to share strategies for preventing young people from becoming NEET. Request for Abstracts Productivity, Investment in Human Capital and the Challenge of Youth Employment 16 – 18 December, Italy Deadline for submissions of abstracts: 10 September 2010 The Conference is aimed at achieving a better understanding of the issues in a global dimension through an interdisciplinary and comparative approach. Adapt and CQIA, University of Bergamo (Italy) invites those interested in the area of education, training, labour law, labour economics and human resources management to present contributions. e-Appendix BIG SOCIETY Ten Big Questions about the Big Society - and ten ways to make the best of it… The Coalition Government wants to build a ‘Big Society’. The Prime Minister says ‘we are all in this together’ and building it is the responsibility of every citizen as well as every Government department. nef welcomes the broad vision but recognises that everything depends on how the vision is translated into policy and practice. We offer these questions and proposals to help fill in some of the gaps and bring out the best in the idea of a big society. BIG SOCIETY How experiments can help get Britain to the Big Society Professors Peter John (The University of Manchester), Gerry Stoker (The University of Southampton) and a group of researchers looked into what more citizens can do to help create and maintain a good society, and how governments and other agencies can help to stimulate citizen action. Latest VET news from Europe The latest issue of the ECVET Magazine is available to download. Online Learning 101: Part II Games and Interactivity Games and interactivity e-Learning tools are not for creating entire courses, but rather they are useful for quickly and easily loading games and other "interactivities" into existing courses, presentations, a website, or webinar. If you prefer to stick with PowerPoint as your primary course development tool, these add-ons might help you include new dimensions of interactivity and game-play to your existing materials. List of eLearning Journals More than you would think… The LATEST FROM www.schmoller.net … top snippets and stories from the world of online learning and the internet … All the stories below are from Seb’s excellent Newsletter… What research has to say for practice - nine guides from ALT Click here. *Rampant sproutings of verdant HR knowledge in the allotment of training wisdom…TrainingZone…*** - Coaches opt for self-regulation to tackle unqualified peers. - Staff losing faith in L&D function, warns report. - Top 10 tips to design and implement a successful mentoring programme.

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