Skills drive makes sense
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has welcomed the Government's announcement of an extension of training provision for people lacking basic skills, and of thousands more apprenticeship places for both younger and older workers. CIPD research, however, shows that...
Expanding the apprenticeship scheme
Commenting on Government plans to expand the Apprenticeships programme and training schemes, announced today by Skills Secretary John Denham, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'We welcome the Government's ambitious plan to raise skill levels across the UK by expanding...
Senior executives struggle with time management
Senior executives across the UK admit they are struggling to manage conflicting priorities, as demand for their attention is split between strategic planning, stakeholder management and personal needs. Research, published by the Chartered Management Institute, reveals that the UK’s...
Learn Direct abandons daytime TV show
Ufi, which operates learndirect, has announced that it is ending its sponsorship deal with ITV's 'The Jeremy Kyle Show'. The Central Office of Information (COI) managed the contract. The Board of Ufi has taken the decision that continued sponsorship of the show would not protect and enhance the...
Training will result in higher performance
Managers in national and local government need to focus more attention on employee development and motivation if they are to achieve high levels of performance, according to a new report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). 'Fit for Business II: Transforming HR in...
Political skills high importance but skill levels low
Political skills are increasingly being seen as vital to career success, but many managers admit they have room for improvement when it comes to influencing others. A study by the Chartered Management Institute and Warwick Business School reveals that most individuals believe the political...
New Employability Skills Programme
A new programme to help people improve their skills, find a job and progress at work; improving life chances for individuals and their families; and contributing to both a reduction in child poverty and increased social mobility, has been launched by Minister for Employment Caroline Flint and...
CIPD welcomes Government help for in-house training
CIPD welcomes Government proposal to give employers more freedom to develop in-house training Against the background of CIPD research that highlights employer concern about the quality of training given by the Government's skills agencies, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development...
Skills plan welcomed
Welcoming the publication of details revealing how the Government intends to respond to the last year's Leitch report and improve the skill levels of UK workers, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Ministers should be congratulated for drawing up a skills plan that does more than justice...
Workplace dialogue on training and skills
The Government is working with the TUC and CBI to take forward a commitment to develop best practice concerning workplace dialogue on training and skills. This commitment was made last year in t he DTI report, Success at Work: protecting vulnerable workers, supporting good employers In addition...
Assessing training providers
Employers, adults and young people in post-16, Government-funded training will soon be able to judge more easily for themselves how colleges and other learning providers are performing. Details of a new system for assessing performance on the basis of effectiveness, responsiveness and finance...
Thousands of employees to benefit from skills pledge
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has welcomed the skills pledge saying: 'The lives of millions of UK employees have already been transformed by workplace learning. As employers start to sign up to the skills pledge, thousands more workers will get the chance to learn valuable new skills at...
Pictures tell a thousand words but photos are better
It is an old adage that a picture tells a thousand words, but research reported by the British Psychological Society suggests that photographs may be much better than a drawn or painted picture. Gabrielle Simcock and Judy DeLoache conducted their research on toddlers aged either 18, 24 or 30...
Over training can result in lower performance
Caren Frosch and colleagues have according to a report by the British Psychological Society shown that, in certain circumstances, knowing less can lead to superior performance - a kind of ignorance-based wisdom. Their finding builds on Gerd Gigerenzer's work on "fast and frugal" heuristics,...
Does music help you work?
The British Psychological Society has reported research that suggests how we use music can depend upon our personality. There are according to research conducted by Tomas Chamarro-Premuzic and Adrian Furnham three ways in which people use music. As a background to other activities, To...
Can physical activity improve reading ability
The British Psychological Society has reported the findings of a study that shows that physcial activity can improve the reading ability of children at risk of dyslexia. Abeceder asks is the same true of people at work? What use do trainers make of physical activity? The research conducted by...
Learner becomes learning advocate
Vicky Nelson, aged 54, from Notting Hill, has gone from a Tesco wages clerk to a Mobile Union Learning Representative, influencing managers in their learning policies. Vicky's remarkable achievement will be awarded with a National Learning Works Award from the National Institute of Adult...
Supervison of work experience staff
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning firms of their responsibilities towards young people on work experience after the sentencing of a Chesterfield company at Chesterfield Magistrates Court last week. The warning comes after Adis Scaffolding Limited of Duckmanton, Chesterfield were...
More Choice for students more skills for UK plc
145 pioneering partnerships to offer thousands of places on brand new Diplomas- Education and Skills Secretary Alan Johnson and Schools Minister Jim Knight today announced that up to 40,000 places on the first ever Diplomas will be available for young people from September 2008. Courses in five...
More learners on priority courses
More learners than ever in Further Education are participating in longer, high priority courses, including literacy and numeracy, full Level 2 and Level 3, official statistics revealed. The increases are in line with the Government's funding priorities to drive up the nation's productivity and...
Skills improvement benefits employers and unions
When unions and employers work in partnership to improve workers' skills, both reap benefits: unions gain new members and activists, and employers improve staff retention rates and have better industrial relations, two new academic reports have revealed. The research reports, authored by...
English language training
The TUC has welcomed Bill Rammell's positive reaction to concerns raised by the TUC, unions and campaign groups about proposed changes to funding for courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Commenting on a speech made today by Bill Rammell, Minister for Higher Education and...
More young people achieving key qualification level -
Level 2 attainment at 19 rises by 5.1 percentage points A large increase in the number and proportion of young people achieving level 2 qualifications - five GCSEs grades A*-C or the vocational equivalent - has been announced today. In 2004, 66.3 per cent of 19 year olds had reached Level 2,...
It pays to be an apprentice
Young people taking part in Government funded apprenticeships will enjoy significantly higher wages over their life time than they would have done without their training, research reveals. The value of an apprenticeship is estimated to be significantly above that of other vocational...
Employers Skills Pledge
Commenting on Gordon Brown and Alan Johnson's comments on the employers' Skills Pledge in the DfES' press release, Liz Smith, director of unionlearn, the TUC's learning and skills organisation said: The Government's plan for an employers' Skills Pledge is a welcome move to try and bring the one...
Exposing People to fear boosts confidence
It has long been known that exposing people to what they fear can sometimes help them overcome their anxieties. It's called exposure therapy. But there's an aspect of this approach for which the evidence remains inconsistent - that is, should the person being exposed to their fear, focus on it,...
Closing the Skills Gap
New proposals were unveiled for consultation today to achieve world class skills for adults. Sweeping reforms announced in the Government's Further Education White Paper last year, endorsed by Lord Leitch's report on skills, committed to a demand-led system to put purchasing power for learning...
Inspirational learners required
The search for exceptional and inspirational adult learners to receive a national award during the UK’s largest festival of learning has started. As part of Adult Learners’ Week, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) recognises learners – young and old and...
World class creativity
Sir George Cox has published his review of creativity and design in UK business. The Cox Review of Creativity in Business: building on the UK's strengths was concerned with ensuring that UK businesses - SMEs and modern manufacturers in particular - apply creativity and design to improve their...
What is Talent Management?
Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows 94% of respondents believe that well-designed talent management development activities can have a positive impact on an organisation's bottom line. But employers must link their talent management strategy to the...