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January 2003 |
So, what is the cost of "the higher education experience" and when is the "best" time to indulge in the experience? That depends, very largely, on which of the many pundits you listen to! Just to prove, yet again, the range of sources we use to bring you the news we've a report from MoneyBox on BBC Radio Four on student funding. I'd like to take credit for knowing that the programme was being broadcast – the truth is that I caught the tail end of the discussion by accident.
As readers of longer standing (notice that I have avoided saying "older readers") you will know that much of the information in Members' Update is obtained from journals subscribed to by the Department for Education and Skills, available in the library in Sheffield, through Dawn and I visiting the library for a day towards the end of each month. This month went somewhat awry. First, Dawn has a streaming cold (was it 'flu?) and I had to go on my own. Second, one day was not enough so I has to go back the next day (for the afternoon). Third, even that wasn't enough so Dawn is going to Sheffield next week to pick up some of the things that I had to leave – these will appear next month. Fourth, several of the journals which we have regularly used are no longer subscribed to by the DfES as it is considered that they are not relevant to the department's role. These are now available at the Department for Work and Pensions library in London. So, off to London we go!
The Future of Education – how much to put in and what to leave out? That is the question; whether 'tis better to suffer the agonies of reading it all to edit it or put it all in (and have a very long Update) or to leave out some of the longer articles.
The digital curriculum – should, or should not, the BBC be allowed to compete in an area which is, according to some commentators, already well catered for. I suspect that the argument will rumble on despite the contract having been awarded.
I am aware that most of what I've written so far applies to England (and Wales in some cases). News from Northern Ireland in Update is woefully short and for Scotland we rely on press releases from the Scottish Executive and the national media augmented by a couple of "Scotland specific" journals.
It's unfortunate, to say the least, that the document collection built up by Northern Light has collapsed with the parent company's bankruptcy. This is already having a major impact on academic and specialist libraries which have paid up-front subscriptions and now do not know whether the journals will arrive!
When a June journal appears on the shelf in January (presumably having been hiding at the bottom of a pile on someone's desk) there's not much point in the "news" items but some comment still has relevance 6 months later – and will be included, space permitting.
Last week was a week of contradictions. First off, there were two opinions on the work/life balance issue. Amicus, the manufacturing, science and finance union had some sharp criticism to throw at managers, because they weren't allowing more flexible working. Then compare their views with those of market analysts Mintel. They found that the workers are enjoying more satisfaction in balancing work and life.
Contradictions, Part II. Income Data Services says graduate recruitment is in big trouble and the picture is decidedly gloomy for those grabbing their mortar board and gown and rushing into the job market. The Association of Graduate Recruiters has poured, not so much cold water, as a bucket of ice cubes on Income Data Services' findings. The AGR claims that the life of a graduate jobseeker couldn't be easier.
Radical reform to make universities more open to all students and more competitive in the world economy was today (22 January) unveiled by Charles Clarke, Education and Skills Secretary. Launching the Future of Higher Education White Paper, Mr Clarke made clear that coasting along, basking in previous successes and shirking the need to reform the sector would be harmful to the economy as well as universities and students themselves. Standing still was not an option, he said.
The Future of Higher Education is in .PDF at www.dfes.gov.uk/highereducation/hestrategy/pdfs/DfES-HigherEducation.pdf
Statement by the Secretary of State www.dfes.gov.uk/highereducation/hestrategy/pdfs/CharlesClarkeHEStatement.pdf
A shorter document for students and parents What it Means to Students and Parents is at www.dfes.gov.uk/highereducation/hestrategy/pdfs/DFES
You can order priced copies of the Future of Higher Education by contacting 0870 600 5533 or emailing orders@theso.co.uk quoting reference number: CM 5735.
DfES Press Notice 2003/0008
(relates to England) 22
January
Update comment: I've omitted a great of this very long press release but, have you noticed the first inconsistency? Headline "Future of higher education in England and Wales" but the press release "relates to England".
As listed by The Guardian (22 January)
The government has been warned that it could face opposition over top-up fees from up to 150 of its own MPs. However, Phil Willis, the Liberal Democrat education spokesman, argues that there is very little that rebellious MPs can do. He points out that the only part of the proposals which require a vote is whether to raise tuition fees from their current level to a maximum of £3,000. Mr Willis said: "Many backbenchers feel that their day in the sun will come, but they will learn that it has already gone. The select committee's report will be debated but not the proposals. It's a stitch up."
Polly Curtis, The Guardian 22 January
In an article for The THES (24 January) Alison Goddard provides an outline of the long-awaited higher education White Paper, The Future of Higher Education. The key points are:
All up-front fees are to be abolished and top-up fees have been set at £3,000 per year and will be introduced in 2006. Top-ups will apply to all higher education qualifications, including foundation degrees. Repayment will commence after graduation, but only if the person is earning £15,000 or more per year. Interestingly, universities must draw up an Access Agreement to improve access for disadvantaged students, before they will be allowed to charge higher fees. Maintenance grants have been reintroduced for students from low income families which will cover the first £1,100 of fees, plus up to £1,000 per year. Ms Goddard tells us that the White Paper seems to envisage "a handful of élite research institutions, a group of leading research universities, a group of leading regional universities doing research and teaching, a number of institutions concentrating mainly on teaching and a cohort of former higher education colleges gaining university status, but only for undergraduate teaching."
A selection of documents relating to the White Paper, including an executive summary and the White Paper itself, is available at www.dfes.gov.uk/highereducation/hestrategy/
Update comment: At last! Now we can all officially un-bate our breath and wait for the lilting sounds of the "hurrahs" and "boos" to begin. Dawn.
Professor Nicholas Barr, the economist who first proposed the loans and fees scheme some 10 years ago, responded to the news that fees will be deferred until after graduation by describing it as "absolutely terrific". He added: "It's the equivalent of universal grants for students."
Sir Richard Sykes, rector of Imperial College, has criticised not only the low level of fees his institution will be allowed to charge, but that any increase is to be subject to satisfying an external access regulator. He said: "Imperial College's admission policies and procedures are based on academic merit whatever the background of the student. The issue at Imperial, as elsewhere in the UK and abroad, is that of quality of the supply. Universities should not be expected to address problems of schooling, peer pressure and family expectations found in some parts of society."
Sir Alec Broers, vice-chancellor of Cambridge University has admitted that the institution will be "considering" top-up fees, despite the assurances that were made to Cambridge students that such fees were "not under consideration". He said: "Cambridge intends to remain at the forefront of international teaching and research, and to continue to be one of the world's top universities. That means we need to continue to recruit world class academic staff, and for that we need additional resources. We will need to look closely at the proposals to charge higher fees."
Donald MacLeod, The Guardian 22 January
The news that universities will not be allowed to increase their fees until they have drawn up an Access Agreement has been described as "repulsive" by the vice-chancellor of Brunel University. Steven Schwartz is outraged that his institution's attempts to raise money may be thwarted if the Agreement does not meet with the requirements of a newly appointed regulator who will determine whether the university has made every effort to widen participation by non-traditional students. He said: "Choosing to attend a university is determined by family values, role models, school quality, the availability of jobs and the attraction of vocational training. None of these is under university control. This is why the proposal for an access regulator is so repulsive. If student selection and student fees are centrally regulated, it is almost certain that admission decisions will be made for political, not educational, reasons."
Alison Goddard, The THES 24 January
Sir Richard Sykes, Rector of Imperial College London, has responded to the White Paper by saying the maximum fee is not high enough.
Richard Garner, Education Editor,
The Independent 23
January
Comment from opposition leaders:
Damian Green, Conservative shadow education secretary: "We're worried that a manifesto pledge has been thrown out in all but name for the second time. In 1997, they said no fees. In 2001, they said no top-up fees, and here they go. This is the second big betrayal of students."
Phil Willis MP, Liberal Democrat shadow education secretary: "With these proposals, the government has broken countless promises on higher education and betrayed future generations of students."
Polly Curtis, The Guardian 22 January
Doctors and medical academics are disappointed that the White Paper made no mention of the rumoured fee remissions for public-sector workers. Colin Smith, chairman of the British Medical Association's medical academic staff committee, warned that fees could drive students away from medical school which would have a detrimental effect on the NHS.
Claire Sanders, The THES 31 January
A strategy to help business capitalise on university skills and research was set out by Charles Clarke, the Education and Skills secretary, when he published the government's White Paper on Higher Education Reform today (23 January). The strategy includes a five-point Blueprint for Higher Education and Business and also sets out measures to enhance the business benefits from the new student funding system. The Blueprint includes:
Copies of the Future of Higher Education (price £17.50) can be obtained by contacting 0870 600 5533 or emailing orders@theso.co.uk quoting reference number: CM 5735
A summary leaflet with be available from Prolog (0845 6022260 or email dfes@prolog.uk.com) free of charge.
DfES press release 2003/0009
(applies to England) 23
January
Tony Blair has rejected the criticism that the introduction of differential fees for universities will create a two-tier system. Speaking at a Labour Party event, Mr Blair said: "The greatest sadness is when people describe the pursuit of excellence as élitism. It is surely in the nature of things that some parts of a service perform better than others. But it is the oldest and most damaging shibboleth in the left-wing book that levelling down is the route to equality and social justice. In fact, it is excellence within a public service that provides a spur to greater achievement and the levelling up of the whole of the service."
Andrew Grice and Richard Garner,
The Independent 24
January
The HE strategy document has requested that FE colleges work more closely with HE institutions. It revealed that the bulk of the government's expansion plans will be met by an increase in the number of students studying for foundation degrees. HND and HNC qualifications will be subsumed into the foundation degree by 2005 and it is anticipated that FE colleges will assume more responsibility for the provision of sub-degree study. In some cases, funding for such qualifications will come directly from HEFCE. Colleges will also receive funding to develop foundation degrees in collaboration with employers. All of the proposed reforms contained in the White Paper will be implemented as follows:
Higher research category introduced; first knowledge exchanges and centres of teaching excellence named; student guide to universities published; teaching quality academy and leadership foundation established; changes to university title criteria; statutory adjudicator for student complaints and access regulator appointed; grants restored for new students from poor homes; arts and humanities research council created.
More knowledge exchanges and teaching excellence centres named; all new lecturers to be trained; first top-up fees agreed with regulator.
Research assessment revised; performance-related pay introduced; first loan repayments under graduate contributions scheme.
Alison Goddard and Tony Tysome, The THES 24 January
The Mixed Economy Group, which represents around 11% of further education colleges which provide higher education, has expressed concerns that universities may try to "muscle in" to the market for foundation degrees. It would like to see FE colleges which provide HE receiving a proportion of the top-up fees, in recognition of their role in widening access.
Tony Tysome, The THES 31 January
University research departments which are in danger of losing their state funding have been advised to look to business for investment. The HE White Paper, Future of Higher Education, suggests that universities with "non-intensive research roles" are "steered away from basic research to work as consultants to local businesses". The institutions will work closely with Regional Development Agencies to "boost local economies and … become more embedded in regional economies". It says: "We see staff in these institutions creating innovative solutions to real-world problems and needs, rather than themselves making breakthroughs in science or technology." To this end, there will be an extra £500,000 a year for five years added to the Higher Education Innovation Fund. This extra funding will be used to develop a network of 20 Knowledge Exchanges which will be held up as examples of good practice in links between non-research intensive institutions and business. A Knowledge Exchange, which could be made up of either an individual institution or a consortia of HE and FE organisations, must fulfil four criteria:
The first eight Knowledge Exchanges are set to open in 2004-05.
Caroline Davis, The THES 24 January
According to a survey of vice-chancellors, by The THES, over a third will raise fees by the maximum amount permissible on all or the majority of their courses. Almost two-thirds admit that they intend to charge this amount on at least some of their courses. Only one university has said that it will not impose the full fee on any of its courses. Michael Driscoll, vice-chancellor of Middlesex University, said: "It was clear at a meeting of Universities UK last week that the vast majority of universities are moving rapidly towards charging fees at the higher end of the band." Lecturers' union NATFHE believe that universities which do not charge top-up fees run the risk of being viewed as providing a poorer quality of education. A spokesperson for the union said: "When price, whether we like it or not, is taken as a proxy for quality, who wants to advertise that their course is second rate?" The survey also revealed that the introduction of an access regulator is highly unpopular.
Claire Sanders, The THES 31 January
In an astonishing contradiction to yesterday's (30 January) news from the Income Data Services (IDS), [see next column] the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) has announced that those entering the labour market with a degree have never had it so good. The news team at hrlook.com reported yesterday that although graduate salaries are expected to rise, the IDS says that the average increase will be negligible. Furthermore, they predicted that recruitment of graduates is set to slump dramatically. According to IDS research, recruiters who were typically taking on 500 graduates in 2001 on average took on just 17 in 2002, and it added that there was little chance of that situation rectifying itself in 2003. That flies in the face of the AGR's news, which has been released today. They have conducted a survey – based on the responses of many of the UK's largest graduate recruiters – which says that graduate recruitment is set to rise by 7.9% in 2003. They do report a drop in last year's figures, but it is nowhere near the same scale that the IDS claimed. The AGR says recruitment fell by just 6.5% over the last 12 months.
HRLooK 31 January
The Association of Graduate Recruiters tells us that "a significant rise in job vacancies for graduates, coupled with continuing growth in starting salaries", supports the government's arguments for introducing top-up fees. According to the AGR, the number of graduate vacancies has risen by 7.9% this year and the median starting salary is £20,000. AGR warns, however, that this will not necessarily continue to be the case. A spokesperson said: "The modest salary increases predicted by the survey for 2003 show that recruiters no longer feel the need to pay the ever-escalating salaries packages that have been such a feature of the recent graduate recruitment market."
Tony Tysome, The THES 31 January
Female HR practitioners are lagging far behind their male colleagues in the pay stakes, according to the Personnel and Payroll Salary Survey 2002. The survey found that, at senior level, 42% of male HR directors earn £50,000+ per year, compared to just 8% of female directors. The survey report argues that this gap is largely due to the over-representation of women in HR. CIPD adviser Charles Cotton argues, however, that the gap is more likely to be due to the low status of HR activity in a substantial number of organisations.
People Management Online 9 January
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled."
Plutarch
The picture emerging from the latest Income Data Services (IDS) survey of graduate pay and progression is one of a depressing slump. Recruitment fell sharply in 2002 and there is little sign that demand will pick up in 2003. The downturn has been stark: an IT company taking on 500 new graduates in 2001 would typically expect to recruit only 17 in 2002. The 17th annual survey, to be published next week (of 3 February), covers 123 major employers across all sectors of the economy. It finds that the downturn in recruitment activity has had a knock-on impact on starting salaries. Key findings are as follows:
HRLook 30 January
In an article for the Fabian Review (to be published in March 2003), Labour Councilor Sally Prentice argues that there needs to be a much more flexible system for paying tuition costs. Ms Prentice believes that introducing a one-size-fits-all system will be unhelpful since students enter university from a variety of financial backgrounds. Instead, she suggests, students should be able to choose a method of payment which suits their needs from a range of options, including paying before, during and after study. Ms Prentice writes: "In our increasingly individualistic and consumerist society, it is simply not possible to meet everyone's needs and preferences with a uniform system. Such an approach sits uneasily with the government's focus on increasing diversity and choice in public services."
Donald MacLeod, The Guardian 14 January
Update comment: I have been deliberately avoiding the subject of top-up fees versus graduate taxes, primarily because most of what I read/report on seems to be refuted the next day by another interested party. I felt that it would be much more productive to wait and see what is actually published, rather than bring you yet more speculation. However, this article caught my eye – mostly, I think, because it seems to have found a middle ground instead of trumpeting one method over another. Dawn.
All water under the bridge now, isn't it? Hazel.
The HE White Paper, the Future of Higher Education, reveals that a national Teaching Quality Academy will be developed by 2004 which will "promote best practice in teaching". Under new measures introduced in the White Paper, all university teachers will be expected to meet stringent professional skills standards and all new recruits must undertake teacher training. The Academy will be formed by a merger of the Institute of Learning and Teaching, the Learning and Teaching Support Network, and the Higher Education Staff Development Agency, and will oversee teaching standards and promote professional development across the sector. The paper says: "Teaching has for too long been the poor relation in higher education", the paper says. "It has been seen by some institutions as an extra source of income to support the main business of research. This is a situation that cannot continue. Institutions must properly reward their best teaching staff, and all those who teach must take their responsibility seriously."
Phil Baty, The THES 24 January
This analytical account by Gareth Parry and Anne Thompson helps to explain the many silences, confusions and ambiguities which have accompanied this policy history over the last 15 years. Written for policy-makers, managers and practitioners seeking to understand the changing context for higher education in the colleges, this authoritative and critical study highlights the continuing power of sector interests in the shaping of contemporary policy and the pursuit of institutional advantage.
This publication is available, free of charge, from the
Learning and Skills Development Agency,
Regent Arcade House, 19-25 Argyll
Street, London W1F 7LS
tel: 020 7297 9144
email:
enquiries@LSDA.org.uk
It is aslo
available to download in .PDF from
www.lsda.org.uk/files/pdf/R1164.pdf
LSDA Briefing January 2003
Academics in Scotland fear that the HE reforms in England will have "major financial consequences" for Scottish universities.
David Caldwell, director of the umbrella body Universities Scotland, said that lecturers and researchers were concerned that the increase in funding would lead to a pay-gap opening up between staff on either side of the border.
Mr Caldwell argued that staff in Scottish universities had been falling behind other professions for some time. He said: "We got away with it in part because exactly the same thing has happened in England, and it is a UK-wide market. But if we face a situation where in England they are able to reward the best teachers and researchers better, we will not be able to get away with it any longer."
Stuart Reid, The Scotsman 23 January
A new report commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council reveals that there are currently more than 60,000 invisible students in higher education. They are invisible participants because their courses of study are not recognised by either funding bodies or the outside world. This was the conclusion of a survey from the Learning and Skills Development Agency, which argued that FE colleges are being undervalued in terms of the role they play in delivering higher education. Findings include:
Ursula Howard, Director of Research, Learning and Skills Development Agency, said: "This area of higher education – "non-prescribed HE" – has until now been seen as peripheral and not a significant area of higher education. But it is vital to building higher level vocational and professional skills, and improving Britain's competitiveness internationally. One of the key findings of our research is the need to raise the profile of further education colleges that provide HE and to clarify the policies over how this kind of work is planned, funded and inspected. We look forward to the anticipated higher profile that HE in FE will play in achieving the 50% participation targets for higher education and the government's support in boosting this area of work."
Non-prescribed higher education: where does it
fit? by Janet Clark is obtainable free of charge from
Information
Services, LSDA Regent Arcade House, 19-25 Argyll Street, London W1F 7LS tel:
020 7297 9144
email: enquiries@LSDA.org.uk
Tony Tysome, The THES 10 January
"Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense."
Arnold Bennett
In an article for The Guardian (17 January)
John Sutherland argues that Tony Blair is ignoring the most obvious way to achieve all his hopes for education. He suggests that, by encouraging universities to develop USA-style athletics programmes, Mr Blair could increase participation from non-traditional students, raise investment in institutions and maybe, win a couple of gold medals. Mr Sutherland argues that athletics programmes are one of America's greatest educational success stories. They have raised the academic aspirations of a great many students from non-traditional backgrounds, particularly African-American males. He says: "What one should look at is … the fact that 10% of all (male) American university students are African-American. It is one of the great success stories of American education in the last half-century. Would that Britain had done the same by, for example, its citizens of Afro-Caribbean origin." Mr Sutherland goes on to point out that sports success raises the profile of universities. They are more likely to attract motivated students if they are seen to be committed to achieving sporting prowess. Moreover, competing in televised events such as the Rose Bowl often result in an institution receiving substantial corporate and alumni donations. Mr Sutherland says: "Imagine a situation where soccer scholarships pull in a cohort of previously excluded school leavers (pulling behind them a larger cohort of their soccer-mad peers). And imagine inter-university soccer games are prime-time on Sky Sport (Loughborough 7, Oxford 1). … Imagine college soccer stars going professional on graduation. Imagine, as I say, all this (which is really to imagine what already happens in the US) and ask yourself would the state of English higher education, and (after a decade or so) English professional sport be enhanced or not? They would. And the beauty of it is, it wouldn't cost Gordon Brown a penny. Go for it Tony: you can't lose."
Figures released by UCAS show that the growth of students applying to go to university has slowed significantly. The growth rate for the 2002 intake was just 2.8%, around half the figure recorded for 2001. The figures also show that more students are opting to study nearer to their home, a situation which the NUS claims is due to the fear of accumulating unmanageable debts.
The Guardian 17 January
Edinburgh University is to receive an extra £1 million to help widen access for disabled students as part of a £10 million package for Scottish universities and colleges. The money will be used to help the university to meet the requirements of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.
The Scotsman 20 January
Vice-chancellors of new universities are warning that changes in funding arrangements may have an adverse affect on pay awards for university teaching staff. From next year, HEFCE will separate institutions specialising in access from the research élite. While the funding council insists that money for teaching will be maintained, vice-chancellors are concerned that this will not actually be the case, since access funding is explicitly for funding students, not rewarding staff. They argue that this will inevitably "transfer teaching funds from universities with poor access records to those that excel at extending in this area". This is in contrast to research-led universities, which have no such restrictions on their funding and are free to spend their extra money on boosting staff pay. Mike Driscoll, vice-chancellor of Middlesex University and incoming chairman of the Coalition of Modern Universities, commented: "It is deeply disappointing. What this means for universities that are not research intensive is there is no money to address basic pay. All the rhetoric of rewarding teaching does not stack up. This is deeply divisive." Universities UK agrees with this analysis, and predicts that the situation can only worsen. UUK calculates that, once special initiatives such as Centres of Excellence, workforce development, strategic-fund development, and foundation degrees are excluded, real-terms funding per student will rise by 0.1% in 2003-04; fall by 1.2% in 2004-05; and fall by 0.6% in 2005-06.
Phil Baty, Claire Sanders and Alison Goddard,
The
THES 31 January
UCAS figures show that Assembly Learning Grants have had a marked effect on Welsh students' choice of university. The number of Welsh students who chose to study at Welsh universities rose by 8.7% from the 2001 figure. Part of the rise may be attributed to students attempting to limit the amount of debt they incur during their studies, and it also seems that the Learning Grant is enabling people from disadvantaged backgrounds to take up higher education if they remain close to home.
The Western Mail 17 January
"Uncertainty over higher education funding in Wales is causing anxiety among vice-chancellors and student leaders", writes Tony Tysome (The THES 31 January). Mr Tysome tells us that Welsh institutions were hoping that there would be some indication in the White Paper of how funding would be resolved. Vice-chancellors have warned that, without a strategy in place, it will be impossible for them to make long-term plans. In response to the vice-chancellors pleas, the Welsh Assembly has promised to increase its efforts to complete negotiations with Westminster over proposals to devolve powers on student funding to Wales.
A new report from Critical Thinking and the Scottish Council Foundation accuses the Scottish Higher Education and Funding Council of offering empty rhetoric when it comes to developing graduate employability programmes. The report, Higher Education: Higher Ambitions?, argues that SHEFCE is too focused on skills shortages and the needs of employers and the economy to see what students themselves want. According to the report students would like careers guidance and opportunities for work experience throughout their degree. If they receive adequate levels of support, it says, "they will make themselves employable". The report goes on to warn about a "major inconsistency" in employer's attitudes which threatens to undermine the entire widening participation policy. It says that employers have not embraced the principles of a diverse graduate population, preferring to recruit young staff from traditional universities. It suggests that employers should be encouraged to recognise that mature students from new universities are as suitable as any other and often have more relevant skills than their younger counterparts.
Olga Wojtas, The THES 24 January
The Institute for Access Studies at Staffordshire University is to undertake research into why students from working-class families drop out of university. It hopes to establish why the UK rate for non-completion of courses is increasing. The project has received an award from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and will publish its findings and recommendations in two years' time.
For more information about the project -
Falling
Down Ladders and Charming Snakes: the meanings and implications of young
working class student drop out from HE: an international participative
study –
contact Dr Jocey Quinn, Institute for Access Studies,
Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent ST4 2DE
tel: 01782 295741 or
295731
email:
j.t.quinn@staffs
Rodrigo Davies, The Guardian 9 January
Iain Gray, Scotland's enterprise and lifelong learning minister, has ordered the extension of an existing review of higher education issues due for completion by March. University funding was not within the original remit of the review, which is undertaken every four or five years, but it will now be included for the first time. An inside source said: "The view is that we do not have a short-term problem so there is no need to charge ahead with hotheads. But there are concerns about the long term, and this review could perform much the same job as the Cubie committee [set up to suggest alternatives to tuition fees in Scotland] did."
Jason Allardyce, Political Editor,
Scotland on
Sunday 26 January
Michael D Bush, associate professor of French and instructional technology, Brigham Young University
Introducing the concept of standards in educational technology Mr Bush tells of a large area of Baltimore burning to the ground because fire services from neighbouring areas could not attach their hoses to Baltimore's hydrants and the logistical problems of transporting freight and people over railroads with different gauge track. He says: "Yes, the world of educational technology is rapidly moving towards standards, but is this movement the means for averting disaster, or is it in fact a disaster waiting to happen? On the one hand we have the concern that technologists are leading the effort without appropriate concern for valid instructional design principles. On the other, we have predictions of the not-too-distant existence of a "learning ecology" in which documents made up of multiple data types will be created and flow freely among producers and consumers of knowledge, a scenario that is totally unrealistic without the existence of standards at some level". The technologies are seemingly myriad – "an alphabet soup" of IVD, DVD, CD, CD-I etc; .DOC, TXT, .HTML etc document types; then Media Player, Real Player; add the operating system and different Web browsers and you've got a problem without beginning to look at content. The key, however, is not the technology. Don't worry about the size of the pipe but whether "what we send down the pipe might or might not reach its destination in a form that will be usable by those for whom it is intended".
Educational Technology Volume42 Number6
November-December 2002
Update comment: The above was taken from the first page and a half of six and a half pages – with a further three columns of references! I'd like to re-read this article several times and then "translate" it into ADSET'S main area of work – information about learning opportunities.
Judith Christian-Carter writes (Croner Training and Development Briefing Issue No 74 January 2003) of the need, in technology-based training, to be aware of the "f" words. No, she's not using bad language – her words are "feedback" and "function buttons".
Ms Christian-Carter is scathing about the "quick and cheap" approach to the production of e-learning. Good feedback takes longer to program and test than content – the inevitable happens. On "function buttons" it seems that there are two extremes from the minimal "next", "back" and "quit" to programs which present a bewildering array of buttons (surely not all of which are needed on every screen).
In an article for Library and Information Update (January 2003 Volume 2(1)), Ian Winship reports on Northumbria University's decision to use a VLE to present information resources to users. Northumbria University opted to use Blackboard to deliver the VLE since it proved to offer the most flexible approach. As well as offering an entry point to learning and other materials, Blackboard makes good use of a library "portlet" which allows students to track their own resources. Users can also personalise their login page, giving them instant access to the resources they use the most.
For more information about Blackboard, visit:
www.blackboard.com/
Ian Winship is Electronic Services Manager, Learning Resources
Department, Northumbria University
Update comment: More on VLEs which, if you remember from a couple of months ago, are virtual learning environments. Is this a "posh" name for online learning or is a VLE more than online?
Education Secretary Charles Clarke has launched a new package of measures to extend digital learning in schools and colleges over the next three years. Speaking at the BETT show at Olympia, London, he said the measures would "help develop teaching skills and practice across all education sectors, extend access to online digital resources, and continue investment for an effective ICT infrastructure." The measures will include:
Mr Clarke added: "Some people have contested the value of ICT in teaching and learning. I challenge that view. We have spent over £1 billion creating an ICT infrastructure in schools, colleges and libraries, stimulating the content market and training teachers. We are now beginning to reap the rewards for that massive investment as effective use of digital resources in teaching and learning is making a difference to raising standards. We know that a choice of innovative and professional digital resources helps transform classroom practice. That's why I am very pleased to announce that Curriculum Online is now fully open for business. The portal means a revolution in the way teachers can search, compare, select and share digital resources."
URL: www.nc.uk.net
The TES 10 January
Alan Clarke, Senior Development Officer for ICT and Learning at NIACE, believes that, while there may be an enormous amount of interest in e-learning, many people are side-tracked by large-scale projects and expensive programmes. Mr Clarke argues that there are numerous ways in which ICT can be harnessed to assist learning without being the focus of a course of study. He suggests that, for example, digital cameras serve a multitude of purposes, from the study of architecture and horticulture to publicising a course and, provided the equipment is linked to the objective of the programme, they can provide a "stimulating focus" for learners. He argues that tutors who have access to PCs can produce their own resources, from worksheets to interactive learning products. Online resources such as quizzes and message boards can open up channels for communication as, indeed, can email discussion lists and e-conferencing.
Mr Clarke says: "For many tutors, I suspect that the idea of a large-scale implementation of e-learning is quite intimidating. They may lack understanding, confidence or simply time to attempt the task. However, small-scale efforts are relatively straightforward. They require only a modest investment in time and can provide a very rewarding experience for tutors and learners."
Adults Learning Volume 14 Number 5 January 2003
Erkki Liikanen, the European commissioner for enterprise and information society, set out his [Directorates?] eEurope 2005 Action Plan at the recent IST 2002 conference in Copenhagen. The plan's outline concentrates on five areas comprising e-government, e-health and e-learning, e-business, broadband/Pv6, and security of networks and information.
e.learning age December/January 2003
Update comment: Could he fit any more "e" areas in? How about the "e-meaning-of-the-universe"?
The government today (10 January) approved the BBC's application for a licence-fee funded digital curriculum service. The service will comprise interactive online learning materials in support of the school curriculum and will be available via the Internet.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said: "I have approved the application, and have attached specific conditions to the approval to ensure that the service makes a positive contribution to a varied and competitive industry in education software."
The TES 10 January 2003
"Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not."
George Bernard Shaw
The BBC's application to use £150 million of licence-fee-payers' money to launch Digital Curriculum has been heavily criticised by an independent research body which investigated the BBC's submission. NERA, an independent economic consultancy, commissioned by the Digital Learning Alliance, has examined the submission and has concluded that its submission is fundamentally flawed. NERA concluded that the document, written by PriceWaterHouseCoopers, (PwC), "cannot be credible because it sidesteps the main issue", namely that the BBC would be supplying its services free. By not placing this issue at the heart of PwC's analysis, NERA questions the validity of the PwC report and its ability to fully assess the impact the BBC would have on the industry. NERA also found that:
British Educational Suppliers Association press release 16 July 2002
Update comment: Dawn dug this up from the archive in the light of the decision to support the BBC's production of the Digital Curriculum.
The BBC is to come under further external scrutiny after the government attached a set of stringent conditions to its approval for the corporation's plans to offer online educational services for schools. The government said its approval for the BBC's digital curriculum, a package of materials to support the national curriculum, contained "the strongest ever series of conditions". These were designed to allay fears among commercial educational software suppliers that the BBC would drive out private investment by entering the market, using £150 million of licence fee money over five years. It followed an earlier set of conditions attached to the approval for the BBC's youth television channel to be launched next month and the decision in October to allow external regulators to fine the corporation for breaches of standards and production quotas. Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, detailed 18 requirements on the digital curriculum including obligations to exploit the BBC archives, promote technological experimentation, adherence to prior commissioning plans and a strict quota on its involvement in core national curriculum subjects. The service will face an independent review in two years and the BBC has already committed to spend £45 million over five years on content from independent suppliers.
Ms Jowell said the conditions took into account the intense lobbying efforts of commercial suppliers: "There is room for everyone. These conditions will prevent the BBC from dominating this market, but it's right that it should play a important role in a competitive and growing market for digital learning resources." However, commercial suppliers said the constraints were insufficient to ensure balanced partnership between the private and public sectors and the approval would therefore reduce choice for schools. Dominic Savage of the Digital Learning Alliance, which includes Granada, Heinemann and Pearson, owner of the Financial Times, said he was "bitterly disappointed" with the government's decision. "I'm staggered it's as bad as this. The BBC should have been steered into complementary rather than competitive areas," he said. "Most of the constraints are what the BBC put in its own application." Research Machines, another member of the DLA, has already instigated a judicial review of the digital curriculum and the resources the BBC has committed to it. The review is expected to be heard at the end of the month. Mr Savage yesterday said the DLA would decide whether to launch its own legal action after studying the government's decision in detail. Caroline Thompson, the BBC's director of public policy, said constraints on the corporation's ability to commercially exploit its services through BBC Worldwide, its commercial arm, were particularly tough.
Gautam Malkani, Media Correspondent,
Financial Times
9 January
Educational publishers, including Granada and Channel 4, have expressed deep disappointment at the news that the BBC has been given the go-ahead to introduce a digital curriculum. The decision by culture secretary Tessa Jowell to permit the BBC to develop an interactive learning platform has angered commercial operators, who are not convinced that the conditions attached to the agreement will protect an open market. The restrictions include:
Ms Jowell insisted that adding such stringent conditions to the proposal would be enough to prevent the BBC from gaining a "disproportionate" advantage in the sector. She also dismissed claims that the BBC would dominate the market, saying that digital learning resource development is a "rapidly expanding" industry and that there is "room for everyone". Unfortunately, the Digital Learning Alliance, which represents commercial education software operators is not convinced. Phil Hemmings, director of educational software company Research Machines (RM), commented: "We don't think she has listened to the industry at all and we are seriously considering whether the process she embarked on can be said to be a fair and decent one. … If they think the industry will be happy with a set of fairly loose extra constraints a la BBC3 and bit of extra money, then they'll have underestimated the depth of feeling."
Dominic Timms, The Guardian 13 January
RM, the listed educational software specialist, is to lead a High Court action against the BBC, to challenge the corporation's plans to provide free material to schools under the "digital curriculum". The judicial review will hear claims from RM and more than a dozen other software companies that the government's award of the contract to the BBC followed improper procedures at the corporation. If successful, the groups may then take the government to court. A spokesperson for RM said: "By approving the digital curriculum the government is effectively sanctioning a single, state-controlled provider of digital learning content."
Saeed Shah, The Independent 27 January
"There are two types of people – those who come into a room and say, "Well, here I am!" and those who come in and say, "Ah, there you are.""
Frederick L Collins
Adult Learning Minister Ivan Lewis is keen to reassure providers of adult and community learning (ACL) that, despite the fact that guaranteed funding from the Learning and Skills Council to LEAs is ending, there are "no plans" to remove the sector from LEA jurisdiction. He also offers his assurances that, no matter what future developments there may be for ACL, the sector will retain its "breadth of purpose". He says: "I would not want to see it develop a narrower skills or economic focus – even though ACL often does play an important role in helping people up the ladder towards skills and employment. I am committed to retaining the distinctive role of ACL, from fostering social inclusion to learning for leisure." Mr Lewis insists, however, that this does not mean that the government will be "soft on quality and standards". He maintains that all learners are "entitled to the same quality and accountability of provision", regardless of the level of learning they pursue or the outcome they seek. Efforts to ensure parity of provision will include:
Mr Lewis says: "For me, ACL has to be central to our aim to ensure that every individual experiences the dignity of self-improvement which is still denied to far too many people and is part of ensuring that lifelong learning is enshrined in the culture of every community in every part of our country."
Adults Learning Volume 14 Number 5 January 2003
Update comment: Yet another statement from government "there are no plans to …" which could mean "I haven't publicly formulated the plans as yet".
This is a section from the second part of In Demand: Adult skills in the 21st century, published by the Strategy Unit. It sets workforce development in the wider context of government policy and maps out an action plan for the development of policy up to 2010. This section discusses the wider context: how the flow of skilled people into the workforce must be promoted.
URL: www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/innovation/2002/wfd/report/
Skills and Learning Intelligence Quarterly Bulletin – Volume 7 January 2003
Clifton Chadwick, Vice-president (research), Cambridge Consulting Corporation
The computer will revolutionise education, the information super highway will provide young people (and others) with all the answers. Thus the experts over the last twenty years. However, Mr Chadwick likens the computer to other tools. It's only a tool and, in some ways, less likely to achieve the end than previous tools which were set to revolutionise education. For, with greater access to information comes a greater need to be able to know the meaning and value of the information and how to use it appropriately. The argument is that not only are computers providing access to a wide range of information previously unavailable but that computers do not help students develop creativity, perspicacity, or judgement which are, surely, what education is all about.
Educational Technology Volume 42 Number 5
September-October 2002
ISSN: 0013-1962
Update comment: Perspicacity – an archaic word meaning ingenuity but it is what the man said! I was fascinated. You'll need to get hold of a copy of this subscription journal to read the whole thing as I really haven't the mental capability to set out the arguments for you. Hazel.
Health and education organisations have teamed up to launch a national campaign, which aims to improve toilet and drinking water facilities in schools. The Bog Standard Campaign is a project of the Enuresis Resource & Information Centre (ERIC), the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association (CPHVA) and School Councils UK. A survey by CPHVA school nurses is underway and the results will be used to lobby the government for improved toilets and drinking water facilities for pupils. The current legislation fails to address standards that are relevant to pupils in schools. There is also a growing catalogue of evidence of short and long term health problems (both physical and psychological) that impact on children's health and learning due to substandard toilet and drinking water facilities. In addition, many pupils are unwilling to use the facilities because toilets are frequented by bullies and smokers as a haven from the gaze of staff. This intimidation, along with the lack of privacy and access is causing many pupils to avoid using toilets at school completely. School Councils UK is calling on pupils to highlight inadequate facilities and work with headteachers to improve them. It claims that the state of school toilets has a significant effect on a school's ethos and educational attainment.
School Councils UK press release – 22 January
Following the news that a fifteen-year-old girl is taking her local education authority to court, claiming that detentions are a breach of her human rights, Scottish education authorities are anticipating a judgement in her favour. Four authorities have banned detentions outright and a further three have introduced a policy which requires teachers to obtain permission from parents before they detain children outside normal school hours. These decisions have angered teaching unions in Scotland. Bill Fitzpatrick, former president of the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association, said: "It is high time we started taking parents of the most unruly pupils through the courts ourselves."
Paul Kelbie, Scotland Correspondent,
The Independent
7 January
Excessive parental demands are not limited to Scotland. Staff at the Pacific Palisades High School in California are being sued by parents who want their children's failing grades changed to passing grades, even though those children were absent 15 to 30 times during the semester and did not complete enough schoolwork to pass their classes. Teachers have now implemented a policy requiring students and parents to be responsible for their children's absences and missing homework. When asked what they wanted to record on their school telephone answering service, they came up with the following message: "Hello! You have reached the automated answering service of your school. In order to assist you in connecting to the right staff member, please listen to all your options before making a selection:
If you realise this is the real world and your child must be accountable and responsible for his/her own behaviour, class work, homework, and that it's not the teachers' fault for your child's lack of effort, hang up and have a nice day!"
The Scotsman 8 January
Article reproduced in full
with permission from Rosie Free, deputy education editor at the
Scotsman
Alan Wells, director of the Basic Skills Agency, tells us that schools must offer classes to parents in how to play games, and have a conversation, with their children. Mr Wells argues that children entering schools at the age of four or five are "less articulate and less able to express themselves" than previous generations and that the situation is getting worse. Mr Wells also condemned the misuse of national tests for primary school children arguing that they are no longer being used to assess national education standards, but are used as a criteria for judgmental parents to decide where to place their offspring. He went on to criticise the government obsession with target setting, saying that it is "the equivalent of pig iron production in the Soviet Union".
Richard Garner, Education Editor,
The Independent 9
January
A local authority in Scotland has called for Christianity and Christian religious observance to be given a greater priority in non-denominational schools. East Renfrewshire Council warns that the assumption that children are taught about Christianity in the home is misguided. It claims that schools place more emphasis on other religions, believing that children are already aware of Christianity when this is simply not the case. The Rev Angus Kerr, Church of Scotland representative on the council, commented: "It is important that there are spiritual aspects within school life because I don't believe that spirituality is being taught any more in the home where it used to be. There is no doubt that those supporting, working in, and sending their children to, denominational schools have an expectation that religious observance will take place. In non-denominational schools, the place of religious observance is less secure and needs to be confirmed nationally in policy."
Elizabeth Buie, Scottish Herald 22 January
Amey, one of the key firms in a £360 million Edinburgh Public Private Partnership scheme, has sold off part of its stake in the project because of spiralling debts. Under the partnership, Amey had been entrusted with "building, refurbishing and maintaining education establishments". While council officials have been keen to stress that the "unexpected change of ownership" will have no effect on PPP schools, the news has caused considerable concern among Scottish opposition politicians. Liberal Democrat education spokesman Jim Lowrie said: "This is a bombshell. It's a very serious situation which illustrates how little control we have over this PPP project."
The Scotsman 23 January
A report from the Audit Commission reveals that schools built using private finance are not cheaper, better or completed more quickly than those built by councils. The report, PFI in Schools, says that the Private Finance Initiative "has resulted in cramped classrooms and poor heating, lighting and acoustics". Dick Waite, senior researcher at the Audit Commission, warned the government that, on the evidence so far, he would not recommend that local education authorities be compelled to use PFI to build new schools.
Jill Sherman, Whitehall Editor, Times Online 16 January
Tony Newman, Barnado's, Cardiff
In less than a decade, children who provide care for ill or disabled parents and siblings have become a major target of social welfare [and Connexions?] services. "Young carers" suffer, it is suggested, from a degradation in mental and physical health, have damaged educational careers, restricted social networks, and will suffer long-term consequences in adult life as a result of their childhood caring role. This paper argues that limited empirical evidence exists for these claims and that, where legitimate concerns arise, they are frequently related to poverty, social exclusion, and unsupported or inadequate parenting, and have no direct relationship to illness or impairment. While dedicated services to young carers have made a valuble contribution in highlighting an important social issue, a radical reviw of their place in the overall structure of support services is long overdue.
Disability and Society Vol 17 No 6 2002 pp 613-625 ISSN 0968-7599 (print) 1360-0508 (online)
Update comment: Is this a chicken and egg question? OK, so the degradation suffered is due to poverty, social exclusion etc rather than the parent's illness. But does not, in many cases, the parent's illness create, or play a large part in creating the poverty?
Young disabled people want to have the opportunity to make the same choices as their non-disabled peers – but they need support to do so and barriers need to be removed. This was the conclusion of the DRC's 2002 National Conference, Achieving Aspirations, Improving Young Disabled People's Choices. The sell-out event brought together young people, decision makers and education practitioners to focus on young disabled people achieving their aspirations across all areas of life. Keynote speakers included Maria Eagle MP, the Minister for Disabled People, and Olympic Gold medallist Tanni Grey Thompson. It was a lively and participatory event with workshops, debate and a question time.
The conference post-event report is at www.drc-b.org/drc/Documents/Conference2002Feedback.doc
Disability Rights Commission
Email Bulletin no. 14
January 2003
The drive to "inclusive" schooling was stepped up in Scotland with publication of a draft Bill to reform special educational needs. The Bill, entitled the Additional Support for Learning Bill, will give significant new powers to parents. Introducing the Bill, Scottish Education Minister Cathy Jamieson argued that the legislation would be a "move away from the often stigmatising definition of special educational needs, which is sometimes seen to mark out a small number of children". She said: "With the broader concept of additional support needs, it provides a wider framework to support those who might be facing barriers to learning, for whatever reason and at whatever time in their school education."
Neil Munro, The TES 17 January
The DRC recently hosted a debate, Getting in or getting on?, as part of its Educating for Equality campaign. The debate posed questions about what we mean by equal opportunities for disabled people in education. It also looked at some of the issues in the education system which impact on disabled people. Over 70 key education stakeholders were invited to the event including representatives from trade unions, the business community and disabled people's organisations. Peter White, the BBC Disability Correspondent, chaired the event. Speeches were followed by questions and comments from the audience.
If you wish to obtain a copy of the transcript of the event, please email campaigns@drc-gb.org. A tape recording of the event will be available on the DRC Website shortly.
Disability Rights Commission
Email Bulletin no. 14
January 2003
Geoff Ruggeri Stevens, Brighton Business School
This article reports a foundation survey of the extent of employment of disabled people in these sectors of industry – transportation, IT and financial services – in two UK counties, identifies which specific disabilities and limitations on personal skills are seen by employers as the greatest impediments to employment, proposes a new model for analysis by using a modification of established recording models, and provides a springboard for further work. The survey reported here was based on structured interviews with personnel officers conducted by telephone. No separate question was devoted to invitation of free comment, but the interview delivery of the questionnaire normally led to a general discussion of the issues raised, and some typical quotes and comments from respondents are included in the results.
Disability and Society Vol 17 No 7 December 2002
Today (29 January) sees the launch of a new committee the sole purpose of which is to break down the employment barriers experienced by disabled people in their search for work. The Disability Employment Advisory Committee (DEAC) has been established to advise the Department for Work and Pensions on the problems faced in the labour market by disabled people, and to develop recommendations to overcome them.
The DEAC is made up of people from leading companies, trade unions, organisations of and for disabled people, and providers of services for disabled people. Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the DEAC, Maria Eagle, Minister for Disabled People, welcomed the new body: "Disabled people must be able to live in an inclusive society where they have the same opportunities as everyone else," she stated. "Extending employment opportunities to disabled people is key. I am confident that the expert advice provided by the newly appointed members of the DEAC will help us ensure that disabled people get the most appropriate and effective support they need to get – and keep – jobs." Chair of the DEAC, Sally Witcher, a freelance consultant researcher, commented: "Disabled people have a wealth of skills and talents to contribute to the labour market and it is vital that we all work together to remove the barriers that stand in their way." The DEAC has set out four clear objectives:
HRLook 29 January
Annette Lareau, Temple University
An extremely interesting look at the dynamics of family life as these are affected by both class and race. I'll come back and read it properly next month (says me hopefully but with not much expectation). The main finding is that it is social class that very largely, determines the intrafamily interactions but that race plays a part in the external relationships.
American Sociological Review Vol 67 No 5 October 2002
Update comment: I'll try (or rather, ask Dawn to try) finding an alternative source of articles for purchase now that Northern Light is no longer available to us.
The Commission for Racial Equality has shocked the Scottish National Party by refusing to support moves to give Gaelic "secure status" in law. Michael Russell, the SNP's education spokesperson said that he found this decision "astonishing" since the CRE already has an accord with the Welsh Language Board, the body which works to establish equality between Welsh and English in public affairs in Wales. The CRE accord states that it will work with the Welsh Language Board to prevent discriminatory practices which "work against racial and linguistic harmony". Mike Conboy, acting head of the CRE in Scotland, argued that the private members bill which seeks to give Gaelic secure status would be "potentially damaging to race relations". He said: "While the CRE supports the promotion of minority languages and culture, we are concerned that establishing a basis of equality between the English and Gaelic languages is a far-reaching objective which could send out an unhelpful message in terms of race relations. The Scottish Parliament's priority should be to help those minorities which feel excluded from public life and that is not the case with Gaels since few are unable to communicate effectively in English."
Neil Munro, The TESS 24 January
The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) commissioned the polling company NOP to interview 305 young disabled people aged 16-24 during October and November 2002. All of those questioned said that their disability/impairment limited their daily activities in some way:
Disability Rights Commission
Email Bulletin no. 14
January 2003
Trevor Phillips, the new chair of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), believes that teachers are influenced by race when it comes to the way they deal with unruly pupils. He argues that white boys need to be "nutters" to be expelled while black pupils are excluded all too easily. He called on the CRE to work with OfSTED to ensure that schools are complying with the Race Relations Act.
Michael Shaw and Karen Thornton, The TES 24 January
A study which looked at ethnicity and feedback reports on 420 local government managers has concluded that local authority managers are in danger of contravening race equality laws. The study, commissioned by the Improvement and Development Agency, shows that bosses' performance ratings of ethnic minority senior and middle managers were lower than the ratings given by peers and direct reports. In contrast, there were few discrepancies between the appraisals for white managers. Juliette Alban-Metcalfe, research projects manager at Leadership Research and Development, which conducted the study, said that bosses were "being discriminatory and failing to give ethnic minority managers feedback on performance". She commented: "Under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, local government organisations have a duty to address the race equality issue. This finding about bosses and feedback has major implications because it is a barrier to career progression and equal treatment. If local government organisations don't do anything about it they could be contravening the Act."
Eila Rana, People Management Online 23 January
In an article for The Guardian (14 January),
Phil Revell tells us that there is at least one target the government doesn't have to worry about hitting. Despite the accusation from the Stephen Lawrence inquiry that institutionalised racism is a major problem in British society, it seems that increasing the number of ethnic minority teachers and headteachers is not viewed as being worthy of a target. Moreover, Mr Revell divulges that there are no figures available which tell us how many black and Asian teachers there are currently working in UK schools. Steps have been taken to attempt to address this lack of data. However, it seems likely that there will be no comprehensive picture of the ethnicity of UK teachers until 2006.
Jesse Walker, of American magazine Reason, "interviews" Mickey about his continued captivity under the Supreme Court-approved Copyright Term Extension Act.
URL: www.reason.com/links/links011703.shtml
Neat New Stuff I Found This Week – 23 January
© Marylaine Block, 1999-2002
John Twing reports (Educa No 224 June 2002) on research into the growing learning centre movement, with insights provided by comments from learning centre managers as well as from survey evidence. In early 2002 Guildford Educational Services Ltd, under contract to the Learning and Skills Development Agency, undertook research into various aspects of the growing learning centre movement. The "Holy Grail" scenario has been sought since the Open Tech Programme of the mid-1980s. This says that, for centre-based open learning: "if learners are motivated, good learning material is available, and generalist mentor support is at hand, (almost) anyone can learn (almost) anything in (almost) any learning centre". The article covers, in addition to comment on the Holy Grail:
The full report, Learning Centres Revisited is available at www.learningtechnologies.ac.uk
A major package of funding to support union-led learning in Wales has been announced by Jane Davidson, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning today (13 January). The funding of more than £1.4 million for Wales TUC Learning Services will run to March 2006 and aims to strengthen the ability of unions to develop partnerships to extend access to education and raise skills for the benefit of both employees and employers.
Welsh Assembly press release 13 January
A new report from the Prisoners' Learning and Skills Unit has called for an entitlement to education to be embedded in all prison sentences. The Unit would like to see prisoners receive an initial assessment at the beginning of their sentence, and for them to be placed on a programme of study which would continue after release. This would be achieved by developing links with local FE colleges which would support ex-prisoners who are learning in the community. A spokesperson for teaching union NATFHE welcomed the recommendations but also said that the union had some reservations about how they would be put into practice. The spokesperson said that NATFHE is particularly concerned about who will assume responsibility for the courses, saying: "education professionals rather than prison governors should be ultimately responsible for education programmes and targets."
Rodrigo Davies, The Guardian 9 January
Mary Prince, director of marketing and student recruitment at City of Westminster College, has condemned the obsession with the under-19s in further education. She points out that there are currently around 2.9 million adults in FE, making up 83% of all LSC-funded enrolments. These adult learners enjoy overall achievement rates of around 75%. Ms Prince argues that, by concentrating on the standards achieved by 14 to 19-year-olds, the government has missed out on a great opportunity to "counteract the poor performance tag that has dogged the sector for some time". She says: "There is a serious lack of real knowledge and understanding about the student cohort and range of work undertaken by further education. Researching the profile that further education has with the popular press last year produced damning evidence. With the exception of [The Guardian], and, to a lesser extent, the Independent, the national press clearly had little idea about what further education colleges did. This did not prevent the Daily Telegraph from pronouncing it "the least successful sector in education".
The Guardian 20 January
Update comment: If the sectors being compared are primary, secondary, further and higher then you're not comparing like with like. In fact, as I heard someone say the other day, "it's not just trying to compare apples with pears when you should be analysing fruit – it's comparing apples with chairs!"
The adult basic skills strategy unit at the DfES has commissioned the Learning and Skills Development Agency to carry out a research and development project on dyslexia in partnership with NIACE – the national organisation for adult learning. The project will gather together existing research on how to support adults with dyslexia, carry out a survey of learning providers, conduct seminars, identify different approaches to teaching and learning, publish case studies and materials, promote good practice and advise teachers on how to support students with dyslexia.
For more information, contact Judith Woodlock by email
at: jwoodlock@LSDA.org.uk.
LSDA
Briefing January 2003
The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned the government that it risks a "Criminal Records Bureau-style debacle" if it permits Educational Maintenance Allowances to be managed by a private firm, rather than LEAs. Graham Lane, Labour education chairman of the LGA, argues that town hall officials are best placed to administer the scheme, and urges the government to remember what happened the last time a private company managed a government fund. ILAs anyone?
The TES 10 January
Contents of Volume 5 Issue 1 January-March 2003 are as follows:
The integration of modern ICTs into the teaching/learning process has great potential to enhance learning. In addition, ICTs, although expensive, may be the best investment to make acceptable levels of learning affordable for all students anywhere.
Brain research is beginning to shed light on fundamental questions about human learning. This article highlights recent research on the brain and its implications for education, learning and technology.
This article reviews the effectiveness of technology-based instruction in terms of instructional effectiveness, time savings, cost reduction, individualisation, and student attitudes.
As technology becomes more and more ubiquitous and affordable, e-learning carries the greatest potential to train masses in the developing world in anything and everything; e-learning can and will revolutionise learning in the Southern Hemisphere.
Earth Odyssey is a field ecology outreach program in which students explore the biological diversity of their environment. The goal of this program is to use technology to promote critical thinking through the natural sciences.
The Intergeneration Program and the New Technologies is a program where young students tutor the older generation at computer and Internet skills while at the same time learning from them a chapter of their personal history.
The Pew Foundation has been funding a coordinated effort to see if universities can increase the effectiveness of their large introductory courses while reducing the instructional costs. Three rounds of grants have been awarded, with ten colleges and universities receiving awards in each round. Final reports are in from the first round. What do the results indicate?
This article summarises three research papers published in the past two years on the use of interactive television for distance higher education. Two of the papers look at consumer satisfaction from the students' and the faculty's perspective; the third, assesses course effectiveness.
This article describes ways by which developing countries and policy makers can reform education to equip people to deal with the new challenges of a global knowledge-based economy.
Update comment: A particularly interesting issue this quarter. Telephone 01536 410500 or email info@adset.org.uk and I'll photocopy my 80-page document in return for £3.50 in postage stamps! Hazel.
A House of Commons public accounts committee report on public sector Websites, published on 13 December, has stressed the importance of keeping information up to date, after discovering various examples of incorrect, inaccurate and out-of-date content. For example, on the UK online Website, the Budget was described a "hot topic".
E-Government Bulletin – Issue 128 10 January
Update comment: And the UfI/learndirect site is still telling people to go to their library and/or local careers service office to find out about funding for learning through using FunderFinder, MoneySearch or Inspire programs. You may know that MoneySearch disappeared about two years ago and that the company behind Inspire went into bankruptcy some four years ago!
The European Commission has pulled the plug on a project to create a vast pan-European information exchange for local and regional government, after it failed to produce a working prototype within an acceptable period of time. The EUSlanD initiative (European system for local authorities' networking domain), initiated in January 2000, was intended to be a "multilingual index to information sources and case studies" which would help local authorities across Europe exchange knowledge and experience. The project was hampered by a series of delays, and failed to produce a working prototype acceptable to the commission. Following a final investigation the commission finally pulled the plug last month.
E-Government Bulletin Issue 128 10 January
The Small Business Service (SBS) has published a strategy document entitled Small Business and Government: The Way Forward. It sets out the overall strategic direction of government support for small businesses, with the overall aim "to accelerate the drive to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business by 2005". There are seven core themes to the strategy:
This is a short document that outlines the overall strategic direction rather than setting out any operational details.
Further information is available from the Small Business Service Website www.sbs.gov.uk
SSDA INTELLIGENCE Newsletter Issue 7: January 2003
Microsoft has announced that it will pay shareholders dividends on their investments for the first time in its history. John Connors, chief financial officer at Microsoft, said that there were two reasons behind this decision. First, Microsoft had enjoyed continued growth throughout the downturn in the technology industry and, secondly, the resolution of a number of legal cases has meant that Microsoft will not have to set aside as much money as it thought to cover legal costs. It is estimated that the payout will cost Microsoft around $870 million. This may sound like quite a lot of money to you or I. However, in the three months to the end of December, the software corporation saw its revenues rise by a tenth to $8.54 billion.
Infoconomy Bulletin 24 January
Figures released from the Office for National Statistics reveal that the UK has plunged into a "record trade deficit" for the second month in a row. Demand for British exports fell so drastically that the deficit has widened from £3.63 billion in October to £3.98 billion in November, the highest since records began.
Philip Thornton, Economics Correspondent,
The
Independent 11 January
In a feature article for TrainingZONE LearningWIRE (Issue 238 13 January), Robert C Ginnett PhD, Senior Fellow at the Center for Creative Leadership, asks why there is still a great deal of misunderstanding between the terms "management" and "leadership". He tells us that, while the words are commonly used in any discussion of organisational practice, they are frequently interchanged as though they both mean the same thing. Mr Ginnett believes that there are fundamental differences between a manager and a leader. The purpose of a manager, he argues, is to control his/her organisation. The purpose of a leader is more "value-laden", involving creativity and risk-taking. He says: "Some have said, leadership is about doing the right things and management is about doing things right." Mr Ginnett argues, however, that organisations need both leaders and managers to achieve their full potential. He adds: "[I was once] asked the following question: Which would you say is most important: leadership or management? After a pause to consider both the question and its implications, I responded with this question: What do you think is more important: breathing in or breathing out?"
World Chambers Network, a Paris-based trade service for chambers of commerce, has launched an online search engine to help businesses research markets overseas. Users of the Website can complete a free customised search form which will give them access to a database of articles, reports and documents relating to their query. They may then purchase the full text of any article they wish.
URL:
www.worldchambers.com
managinginformation.com 3 January
Microsoft has announced that it is ceasing support for the Windows 95 operating system.
Update comment: Is anyone still using it? YES! Lots of people are. The main advantage is that, because it's now considered "old hat", the virus writers ignore it! And many of the games won't run on anything higher than 98 anyway.
Not sure what the difference between a hacker and a cracker is, or a "white hat" and a "black hat"? Confused by some of the jargon or high-tech terms in articles about Internet fraud?
Take a look at the excellent Cybercrime Glossary at:
URL:
www.techtv.com/cybercrime/aboutus/story/0,23008,3363041,00.html
Internet Scambusters Issue 58 17 January
BT has lowered the customer levels required for upgrading to ADSL for 388 exchanges, a move it says will boost broadband use. It will also set trigger levels for 87 exchanges which, up till now, had not been allocated one. Upgrade work will begin immediately at 22 exchanges. Paul Reynolds, BT Wholesale chief executive, said: "Our growing experience of the work involved now allows us to be confident in lowering many of the demand levels at which we will upgrade exchanges."
Dinah Greek, vnunet.com
TheITportal News Roundup
27th January
Multimedia messaging (MMS) will not live up to European mobile phone operators' expectations in terms of the revenue it will generate, a study concludes. Research published by Datamonitor, the market analysis company, warns that European consumers have been slow in taking up MMS services. "Consumer readiness for advanced mobile services is nowhere near where it needs to be," said Richard Clifford, Datamonitor's mobility analyst. "MMS will not be as much a mass market thing as people make out." Mobile phone buyers continued to be more interested in features such as weight and battery life.
Maija Pesola, Financial Times 26 January
A new campaign from the DTI is warning consumers about expensive text, fax and email scams. Recipients are duped into telephoning premium rate lines by a variety of means. Unsolicited texts encourage people to phone to find out who has registered a romantic interest in them. Others suggest that they can tell users how to reduce the cost of mobile phone calls and Internet charges. Yet another asks hotels and restaurants to send menus or brochures through premium rate fax lines. The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) strongly advises that people register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and the Fax Preference Service (FPS) to avoid this kind of unsolicited contact. Registration can be completed online at:
TPS – www.tpsonline.org.uk
FPS – www.fpsonline.org.uk
Advice for anyone who has been the victim of such a scam
is available online at:
http: //www2.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/unsolicited.htm
Library and Information Update January 2003 Volume 2(1)
Mobile ringtones may have been dismissed as a passing fad. However, they have still managed to clock up more than £600 million in revenue for the record industry. It seems that, while traditional record buying is in decline, young fans are still willing to part with a couple of pounds of their money for a 30 second tinny burst of a hit tune, rather than spend the same amount on a CD single.
Adam Sherwin, Media Reporter, Times Online 16 January
Some of Britain's most well-known companies have been accused of "wasting millions of pounds on useless redesigns of their corporate Websites". A survey from Porter Research found that, among the FTSE 100, 16 sites are so bad they should be removed immediately and several others have actually succeeded in making their Websites more difficult to navigate than before. Companies which received the harshest criticism include Severn Trent, Next and Alliance Unichem. Adrian Porter of Porter Research commented: "A third of FTSE 100 companies have redesigned their sites, which shows they are beginning to take the medium seriously. But the majority are still wallowing in mediocrity."
Jon Ashworth, Times Online 6 January
It's not often that we have occasion to bring you an article from Saga Magazine. However, in the January 2003 edition, Alexander Chancellor has some interesting thoughts on the Internet, written from the perspective of an older user. He argues that there is a growing army of "ordinary" users who have the "techno-élitists" on the run. He says that, in the early days of online activity, "unpleasant, cocksure people tried to hijack the new medium for an exclusive new culture that would frighten off people like you and me". Unfortunately for them, he says, it is difficult for them to debar everyone else when "they have been swamped by the likes of my mother-in-law who, at the age of 88, likes using email just as if it were the Royal Mail". Mr Chancellor points out, however, that there is still a gulf between the language of experts and the language of the ordinary user. He says that IT specialists still "conspire to confuse and humiliate us, as anyone who has used a computer helpline knows". Making the words that are used to describe technical accoutrements more readily understandable to the user is, he says, "the greatest challenge of the future".
Labour MP Deborah Shipley has called on credit card companies to name and shame clients who use their credit cards to purchase child pornography over the Internet. She also wants companies to alert police to Websites which accept credit card payments for such material. Her comments come as Scotland Yard is reported to be working its way through some 7,200 names given to the by US detectives who unscrambled the credit card numbers of subscribers to a pay-per-view Web service. She said: "I think [credit card companies] should take responsibility now and the media should investigate these banks and ask them what they are doing, and those that fail to block sites, the media should name them and anyone who has got that credit card should cut it up and show how they feel about it."
Helen Puttick, Scottish Herald 15 January
If pop-up ads are the bane of your life then you may be interested to know that they are little more than the tip of the iceberg as far as dirty advertising tricks are concerned. An article in .net (January 2003) offers a list of some of the more annoying "weapons" Website owners have at their disposal. These include:
For a look at these and other tricks, .net advises you to visit The Trix Scripts Website <www.trixscripts.com>. This is an online store which sells hundreds of malicious scripts to Website owners so that they can dupe surfers into visiting pay-per-click adsites. Forewarned is forearmed.
Internet Scambusters has issued a warning to anyone who uses online auction sites such as eBay. Anyone who is purchasing expensive goods is advised by auction sites to use an escrow system, whereby a neutral third party takes receipt of payment until both parties are satisfied with goods they have purchased. The escrow company then takes a percentage of the total price for the service. However, reports are emerging of escrow companies working in partnership with bogus auctioneers. When you send your money to the escrow company, you are effectively sending it to a scammer who will pocket your money and disappear, leaving you with no recourse. Internet Scambusters advises that, to avoid being duped by phoney escrow companies, you should:
Internet Scambusters Issue 58 17 January
The Patent Office has issued online guidance notes for UK businesses. The Patent Office says that it is working to implement the Directive as soon as possible, and certainly by the end of March, and that any rumours of a later implementation date are unfounded, as it has made no such statement.
The guidelines can be accessed at: www.patent.gov.uk/copy/notices/guidance2.htm
managinginformation.com 9 January
CILIP has welcomed the delay to the implementation of the EU Copyright Directive. Barbara Stratton, CILIP's Adviser on Copyright and Information Development commented: "CILIP is pleased the Patent Office is taking enough time for full consideration of all the responses, especially in the light of the technical complexity of the legislation – and given that the EU had allowed less time than usual for implementation of a directive."
Library and Information Update January 2003 Volume 2(1)
Record companies are threatening to sue large organisations whose servers are being used by employees to help themselves to free music, arguing that they have become "hotbeds" for illegal media downloading. Allen Dixon, executive director of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, commented: "Frankly, in this day and age, companies that don't pay attention to their networks need a wake-up call."
Simon Beavis, The Independent 21 January
Writing on the Red Herring Website, Lawrence Lessig reviews an item which takes an alternative view of copyright infringement. The review is of an article by Professor Salil Mehra, published in the Rutgers Law Review during the autumn of 2002, which argues that there are many cases where a breach of copyright can work in the favour of the rightsholder. The article suggests that there is a conflict of interest between lawyers and businesses which is not best served by copyright litigation. Lawyers wish to protect their clients from breaches of copyright but do so even when a business could reap financial benefit through copycat activity. Professor Mehra points to the Japanese market for dojinshi comics. These are blatant rip-offs of original works and would certainly be considered breaches of copyright in the USA or the UK. However, Japanese lawyers are not champing at the bit to sue these amateur artists for unauthorised use of a work. Instead, Japanese publishers recognise that dojinshi comics fuel demand for original works, thus benefiting the original author.
Mr Lessig writes: "There's a lesson in this example that executives in the content industry should think about before they sign away their businesses to lawyers. The law is a rough-edged tool. It was not crafted by geniuses of economics. How it affects new and different markets is uncertain. A smart business therefore asks not whether the use of its content is "theft", but whether the use of its content will (eventually at least) benefit it. The business of business is to make business, not to purify the world of copyright violations."
managinginformation.com 15 January
Update comment: Worth reading in full, it's online at www.redherring.com/insider/2003/01/copycats011003.html
Scientists have warned that they may have to abandon crucial medical research because of changes in patient confidentiality rules. The Data Protection Act (DPA) requires that consent must be gained from individuals for every separate piece of research. However, scientists argue that their research often leads them into areas which were not considered when consent was given. Under the DPA, they would be required to go back to each subject and request permission again. This would be, they claim, prohibitively expensive and would undoubtedly put research at risk. Cancer Research, the UK's largest medical charity, has asked ministers to award them a full exemption from this aspect of the DPA. While there is an exemption clause which allows the Secretary of State for Health to approve the use of data without consent, medical charities want blanket exemption, rather than case-by-case approval.
Jo Revill, health editor, The Observer 5 January
The TUC has today (9 January) urged Richard Thomas, the new Information Commissioner, to resist employer lobbying and publish the delayed code of practice on monitoring of staff email and Internet use. The latest draft of the unimplemented code gets it about right according to the TUC – it makes employers have a justifiable reason before breaching employee privacy. It provides clear guidance on how the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) regulates employers' use of email and Internet monitoring, CCTV cameras, and covert surveillance to monitor staff. The absence of the code has meant employers and workers have lacked clear guidance on their legal rights and responsibilities under data protection laws which have been in force for over a year.
HRLooK 9 January
Ministers are to begin discussions with schools, colleges, universities and exam boards to investigate the feasibility of introducing a post-qualifications university admissions system. Two options are on the table: for students to sit examinations immediately after Easter; or the university year to begin in January. Charles Clarke is reported to be in favour of reform to avoid a repeat of last year's A-level fiasco.
Richard Garner, Education Editor,
The Independent 25
January
If you find that you write a lot of Web-based text, for example blogs, feedback forms, diaries or forum entries, you may find this freeware download very useful. IESpell adds a button to the toolbar which checks any Web-based text you submit.
URL:
www.iespell.com
.net January 2003
Mike Tomlinson has been appointed to head a task force to look at the future of the 14-19 curriculum. The government's blueprint for educating 14-19 year-olds gives a "strong indication of support" for the introduction of a European-style baccalaureate system and ministers have made it clear that Mr Tomlinson is free to recommend scrapping GCSEs and A-levels if "he felt pupils' best interests would be served by a broader qualification along the lines of an English version of the baccalaureate". Speaking at the launch of the blueprint, Mr Tomlinson said that the future of the two examinations was "in the melting pot".
Richard Garner, Education Editor,
The Independent 22
January
In an address to the Federation of Awarding Bodies in Birmingham on 10 January, QCA Chief Executive Ken Boston has outlined how the QCA will play a strategic role in addressing the key issues of skills shortages, international competitiveness, unemployment and social disadvantage facing the country. The speech came in response to a request from Ivan Lewis, Minister for Young People and Adult Skills, for the QCA to lead a programme of work that will modernise the vocational qualifications system, ensuring that it will meet the future needs of individuals, employers and the economy. As Chair of the steering group overseeing this work, Dr Boston described why the National Qualifications Framework has to evolve to recognise and accredit both general education programmes and, crucially, specialist vocational programmes undertaken during further education in the workplace. Dr Boston also spoke about the relationship between work and skills, and the unique and critical role which the QCA must play in building sustainable ecosystems across the country, and that this work would form a key strategic objective for the QCA in the coming months and years. He said: "The function of this division is to maintain and enhance standards in vocational education and training, and to play a proactive role in national workforce development. It will anticipate and respond authoritatively and promptly to emerging needs for learning, assessment, certification and qualifications."
SSDA INVOLVE Newsletter Issue 19 31 January 2003
The government's plans to introduce a matriculation diploma have been shelved. Instead, it plans to concentrate on "creating a coherent framework of vocational qualifications that can lead from school level, or apprentice level for those in work, up to foundation degrees".
Tony Tysome, The THES 17 January
Doctor Sheila Lawlor, director of right-wing thinktank Politeia, has condemned the Tomlinson inquiry as "whitewash". She argues that the QCA and examining bodies are not to blame for the "dumbing down" of A-level standards. It is, she believes, the interference from central government and the "politicisation of education" that caused the fiasco. Dr Lawlor said: "Academics and independent bodies should set exams, and budgets should be devolved to them. Anything where the government is involved won't work. They appoint the William Stubbs of this world. It is a very politicised system."
Polly Curtis, The Guardian 13 January
Paul J Ilsley
How do people express civic responsibility during an age of globalism, corporatism, and worldwide adoption of technological culture? Adult educators should find their role in creating appropriate and natural discourses of participation. We can hope that they make sense of the citizenship research and help people make their choices. This paper contains the text of Professor Ilsley's keynote presentation to the Fifth International LlinE conference Social Capital and Citizenship June 2002.
Paul J Ilsley is professor of Adult Education and Educational Research, North Illinois University.
LLinE Lifelong Learning in Europe Vol V11 issue 4/2002
Update comment: Sorry – this does not appear to be available online.
Research conducted by Derek Leslie, professor of economics at Manchester Metropolitan University reveals that women are less likely to find a place in higher education than men, even though their qualifications may be superior. He believes that this situation is largely due to the increasing number of "male-oriented" vocational courses, such as scientific and technical HNDs and foundation courses. Professor Leslie argues that, unless steps are taken to broaden the subject base of sub-degree education, the situation can only worsen. He said: "We need more lower-tier courses that appeal to women. If new provision duplicates what is on offer, and the lack of provision for women at sub-degree level continues, this will further exacerbate the problem." This opinion was echoed by Alan Smithers, professor of education at Liverpool University, who commented: "Men and women opt for different subject areas. Men tend more towards the practical and theoretical, which are the areas covered by foundation degrees. The government ought to be looking carefully at widening this agenda. Otherwise, we will waste potential and fail to serve the country's economic needs."
Alison Utley, The THES 17 January
In an attempt to increase the number of its female candidates standing for parliament, the Conservative Party has introduced psychometric testing so that it can prove women are up to the job. Conservative Central Office (CCO) has employed an occupational psychologist to conduct the tests as part of its wider plan to become more "professional" and more "open to women". Theresa May, the party chairman, said yesterday (21 January): "It's obvious that women are more than capable, but unfortunately the constituency parties won't just take CCO's word for it … we have now got something that is a professionally-based, rigorous assessment, that gives that message."
Deborah Summers, Scottish Herald 22 January
Update comment: I wonder which one they've decided to adopt!
That's the message coming today (31 January) from management training provider Cambridge Online Learning (COL). COL undertook research to determine whether opportunities between men and women were equal in the workplace, and found men had a much easier time of it. Women, says the report, are too often restricted by responsibilities in the home or because they spend time caring for relatives. The figures showed twice as many women miss out on training opportunities because of other, non work-related demands on their time. The other major obstacle to securing work training was the fact that a lot of women work part-time. Angela Allen, who is the Women's Management Consultant for Cambridge Online Learning, said that the key obstacle to women is the still accepted belief that they are the homemakers and should spend more time on domestic duties. "Not one man in our survey cited lack of child care provision as a hindrance to training," she explained. "Yet it proved to be the biggest issue for women. There is still a widespread assumption that women are the homemakers and are therefore expected to bypass their career prospects in favour of family responsibilities."
HRLooK Friday News Update 31 January
Analysts at Incomes Data Services tell us that the gender pay gap widened last year because of male "fat-cats" awarding themselves "inflation-busting" pay rises. Pay awards for the top 5% of male workers rose at a faster rate than the rest of the workforce, resulting in the average pay for men pulling away from the average pay for women. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that women now earn an average of 81.2% of men's salaries, compared with 81.5% in 2001.
Philip Thornton, Economics Correspondent,
The
Independent 20 January
This is the advice from Butler Group to anyone who is reeling from the news that discarded hard drives, even when freshly reformatted, can still contain recoverable and sensitive data. Butler Group highlights research from two students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who purchased 158 hard drives on eBay and found that 128 of them were still fully functioning. Only 12 had been successfully erased. Butler Group Opinion advises: "The phrase Don't Panic! is totally appropriate on this occasion. This is a straight risk and asset management issue". Butler Group would advise all organisations to have a formal disposal policy, which includes erasing the disk, or have a contract that specifies this with a recycling company. It is no different from the disposal of waste paper – establish a recycling system now before environmental legislation forces it.
But are we talking about a significant risk here? Skill, potentially some software, and a serious level of intent are required to retrieve data from formatted disks. A significantly bigger risk comes from the CD-ROMs that are now routinely used for back up, and older floppy disks. They can be slipped into pockets and read in any computer. Organisations need policies to protect and dispose of all their data, whether digital or hard copy. It's not rocket science, just Don't Panic!
Butler Group OpinionWire 30 January
Update comment: It is with some regret that we have to inform you that, as of 1 March, we will no longer be able to bring you information from Butler Group OpinionWire. From that date, OpinionWire will only be available as part of the Butler Group Review Subscription – which costs £745 per year. If we were to subscribe before 1 March we could get a 10% discount. Sorry folks but, even at the reduced price, we just can't do it.
"Wales' economy is living up to the ambitions of our 10 year plan", Rhodri Morgan, First Minister told business leaders. Mr Morgan was speaking at the West Wales Chamber of Commerce lunch at the Marriott Hotel, Swansea. He said: "This week's figures show the total number of jobs in Wales up by 36,000 during 2002; it also shows sharply increasing levels of economic activity in Wales, confirmation that A Winning Wales – our economic development strategy for Wales – is beginning to make a significant difference to the people of Wales."
Welsh Assembly press release 17 January
The twentieth meeting of the national Learning and Skills Council was held on 22 January 2003 at the Council's national office in London.
Details of the discussions are available on the LSC Website www.lsc.gov.uk
LSC press release Briefing 20 24 January
Nick Brown, Minister for Work, today (15 January) welcomed the continued strength of the UK labour market. Nick Brown said:
"The statistics published today point to a steady improvement in the UK labour market. Employment is up, the latest unemployment figures are down on both measures and vacancies remain high. There are now 223,000 more people in work than a year ago. The total stands at 27.8 million, nearly three quarters of all working age adults. Unemployment is down on both measures in the latest period:
DWP press release STAT150103-LMS 15 January
Update comment: Lots more detail, as always, in the press release.
If the definition of a pessimist is an optimist battered by reality, it has become increasingly hard for investors in technology stocks not to be downbeat. The reality of the past three years has been grim indeed. During that period, technology spending fell for the first time in a downturn, the scale and duration of which exceeded the warnings of the most gloomy prognosticators.
Paul Abrahams, Financial Times 6 January
Update comment: Perhaps not the best time to encourage your clients to enter the ICT industries?
The key points of this technical report by David Hastings, Labour Market Division, Office for National Statistics, are:
Labour Market Trends Vol111 No1 January 2003
The Labour Market Statistics Users' Group held a seminar on vacancy data. Andy Dean represented ADSET and, by default, the guidance community, and provides these notes from the event.
Vacancies rose with Employer Direct and with the problems of different systems during the conversion all of these stats were suspended.
The Manchester Low Pay Unit undertook a survey of Jobcentre vacancies nationally in 2000 and found:
The argument was that Jobcentre jobs were unlikely to be taken by claimants, rather by students, thus having little impact on the claimant numbers.
Follow up studies in 2001 and 2002 were confined to Greater Manchester, but found that Employer Direct has had some impact:
Update comment: Thanks for that, Andy. I'd already re-arranged my day once to accommodate a meeting and simply could not do it again. The LMSUG provides very short notice of forthcoming meetings – which are free to attend. If any other readers would like to go (meetings take place in London) please let me know. Hazel.
The SSDA has set up a new labour market intelligence portal, ONE_STOP – The Skills Intelligence Gateway, which provides one-stop access to skills and economic information from a variety of online sources. The portal includes information from the Sector Skills Council network, as well as from other organisations including government departments, independent agencies, professional bodies and academic institutions. Information can be accessed through keyword searching, searching by sector, or by browsing through a list of resources organised under themes. Examples of the themes included are: key UK statistics; labour market and employment; productivity and competitiveness; and learning and qualifications
ONE_STOP can be accessed at: www.ssda.org.uk/one_stop/index.shtml
SSDA Intelligence Issue 7 28 January
Update comment: The newsletters from the SSDA, INVOLVE weekly and INTELLIGENCE monthly, have been providing a great deal of very useful information. This new service shows just how far the Sector Skills Development Agency has moved in a compartively short time.
A preliminary edition of the OECD Economic Outlook is now available. It analyses the major economic trends that will mark the next two years and looks at economic policy measures required to foster high and sustainable growth in each EU member country. Recent measures and forthcoming developments in major non-OECD economies are evaluated in detail and a special section on long-term budgetary prospects and the contribution of fiscal rules to achieve sustainable positions is also included. The UK's economy compares favorably to other major European countries, having recovered from the recent downturn well. The key elements include:
The editorial and summary of projections of the OECD Economic Outlook No. 72 Preliminary Edition, as well as individual country summaries, are available to download free of charge from www.oecd.org
SSDA Intelligence Issue 7 28 January
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently published its report, which examines the state of the UK economy. The report concluded that the economy is performing well, with sustained expansion in output and employment coupled with low and stable inflation over the past decade. The key long-term challenge for the economy is to raise productivity levels. There is an uncertain outlook in the shorter term. Consumer spending remains a key area in this respect.
Further information is available from the Treasury Website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/
SSDA Intelligence Issue 7 28 January
The widely held belief that small firms have a beneficial effect on the national economy, and help provide more jobs, is false. That's according to a new TUC research report published today (7 January). The report suggests that policy makers and commentators often exaggerate the economic importance of small firms. While small firms are, and remain, important, the TUC says that there is little detailed research on the role of small firms, despite big government hand-outs to the sector, and too often assumptions such as "all new jobs come from small firms" go unchallenged despite the evidence. Many people confuse small firms with small workplaces, says the TUC report, Small firms – myths and realities, but small workplaces are increasingly part of large national companies. Most people in the service sector now work for big enterprises in small workplaces, and the share of employment in small firms in the UK has been falling in the 1990s, as it has in the US and Europe.
HRLooK 7 January
Labour Market Statistics for all areas are published today (15 January) and links are available on www.statistics.gov.uk/press_release/currentreleases.asp
ONS press releases 15 January
The European Commission has published a Communication entitled Industrial Policy in an Enlarged Europe, aimed at the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. The document restates the overall objective of improving European competitiveness, as agreed at the 2000 Lisbon Summit, and expresses concern about relatively slow rates of productivity growth in recent years. In relation to improving competitiveness, the report highlights three key factors:
Sustainable development in relation to the three pillars – economic, social and environmental – is seen to be inextricably linked to improved competitiveness in an enlarged Europe. There is also a need to link industrial policy with a range of other policy areas, such as education, research and development, trade and the internal market. The Commission sees this document as part of a consultation process designed to ensure that the approach to EU industrial policy is appropriate in the light of enlargement.
Further information is available from the EU Website www.europe.eu.int
SSDA INTELLIGENCE Newsletter Issue 7: January 2003
Tens of thousands more jobs are set to be cut in financial services amid worsening conditions in the industry, a new survey warns. The sector faces a "gloomy winter" with job cuts accelerating, the CBI predicted on 6 January, in a quarterly survey that provides more evidence of a weakening in the economy. It said that although job cuts had not been as steep as forecast, "the employment situation is expected to deteriorate more sharply over the next three months". The survey added that the rate of attrition in the first quarter was likely to be similar to the 22,000 jobs lost in the third quarter of 2002, the most recent period covered by government data. The CBI's gloomy forecasts came as another closely-watched survey – the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply/Reuters purchasing managers' index – showed service sector growth fell in December to its slowest rate in 10 months.
Tony Tassell and Anna Fifield, Financial Times 6 January
The service boom that has been driving the economy could be at an end, results from this quarter's Recruitment Confidence Index (RCI) suggest. The RCI, which has been produced every quarter for the past three years by Cranfield School of Management and the Daily Telegraph, describes changes in recruitment activity using one sole figure. Values larger than 100 imply an expected increase in recruitment activity, and conversely values less than 100 imply that recruitment activity will fall. When the RCI indices reach values close to 100, recruitment activity is expected to remain stable. The index for the last six month period has plummeted among service sector employers and now stands at 108 compared to 160 three months ago. Predictions for staff turnover in the service industries also suggest a slump in recruitment activity. Last summer employers forecast a hike in staff turnover but the past six months have seen predictions for turnover drop to negative figures, giving a net percentage of minus seven.
HRLooK 31 January
Eurostat has published the 2002 edition of the statistical yearbook of the European Union regions. The Yearbook sets out general socio-economic data on population, GDP, labour force and unemployment as well as data relating to economic themes such as scientific and technological developments and the structure of businesses.
Further information is available at europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat
SSDA INTELLIGENCE Newsletter Issue 7: January 2003
Government plans to expand Modern Apprenticeships have been welcomed by ReMIT, the training arm of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI). Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced the creation of a New Modern Apprenticeship Taskforce intended to lead the expansion of Modern Apprenticeships to nearly a third of young people. Mike Allmond, Managing Director of ReMIT, believes that the announcement is an important first step. He said: "It is a sensible move to admit that a significant number of young people would be better off if they took an industry-based apprenticeship."
SSDA - INVOLVE Newsletter Issue 19 31 January 2003
The Council for Library and Information Resources (CLIR) has launched a new Website. CLIR is an independent, nonprofit organisation serving libraries world-wide. The site blurb says: "Through projects, programs, and publications, CLIR works to maintain and improve access to information for generations to come."
URL: www.clir.org
INFO@UK Issue 22 January 2003
According to a report from the People's Network, there is a "revolution" taking place in local libraries throughout the UK. The People's Network: A Turning Point for Public Libraries: First Findings is based on a national survey of all public libraries and examines the initial evidence on the impact of the project. Key findings include:
The findings also show that The People's Network has had a substantial impact on bringing people back into the library. Library membership has risen and many libraries are finding that they have had to expand opening hours to meet demand.
The Report is available in a variety of formats from
Resource Publications
tel: 020 7273 1458
email:
info@resource.gov.uk
It is also available in full on the Resource Website at: www.resource.gov.uk/news/feature_article.asp?articleid=490managinginformation.com 28 January
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."
Edward Everett Hale
The National Statistician has placed consultation drafts of the Protocol on User Consultation and Protocol on Professional Competence on the National Statistics Website. These are the 3rd and 4th in Protocols which will support the National Statistics Code of Practice – Statement of Principles.
Both protocols are available online at: www.statistics.gov.uk/about_ns/consultations.asp
This protocol states that:
The consultation period for this protocol closes 11 April 2003.
Many of the arrangements described for user groups do not apply in Scotland where there is a specific framework for user consultation on statistics produced by or for the Scottish administration. Details can be found at www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/scotstats
This protocol sets out how the National Statistician, Heads of Profession and Chief Statisticians in the devolved administrations will carry out their responsibility for setting standards for professional competence and expertise. It also sets out the responsibilities of members of the Government Statistical Service and others working on National Statistics to develop their competence, and of managers to support that development.
The consultation period for this protocol closes 7 February 2003
The subject of BBC Radio 4's Money Box programme on 27 January was "Student finance: your questions". One of the main concerns, which became apparent from a number of questioners, was that no-one in the government seems to have given any consideration to the quality of life graduates will have when they leave university with such high debts. Concerns were raised about how graduates were supposed to repay their debts and cover routine household expenditure such as bills and mortgages. Some questioned whether they would be able to take on a mortgage at all. Indeed, there was an expectation that certain events would have to be deferred until several years after graduation. These included buying a house, having children and organising a pension.
A gentleman called in to the programme to ask how much he should be saving per month so that his 7 and 5-year-old grandchildren could go to university. Kim North responded by pointing out that it would be naïve to think that the fees would be fixed at £3,000.
Ms North calculated that, after several years of inflation, the sum required would be almost £42,000 per child [per time at university?]. She advised that anyone with young children should be thinking about saving around £120 per month to cover their education.
A later question came from a woman whose daughter would be eligible to go to university in 2005 but wanted to take a gap year. The panel overwhelmingly advised that she try to persuade her daughter to take a gap year after graduation so that she could be included in the 2005 intake. As Alice Hood pointed out, if she were to defer entry until 2006, she would fall under the new regulations and immediately be £3,000 per year worse off.
A full transcript of the programme is available online at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/programmes/money_box/transcripts/27jan2003.txt
The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that just 7% of families are on sufficiently low incomes to qualify for the full maintenance grant of £1,000. Experts have said that these figures show "how inadequate the grant will be for encouraging young people into university". Claire Callender, the government access adviser who persuaded ministers to bring back the grant, said: "This shows that not only is the grant itself too low, the threshold for receiving it is set too low. It means that only a very few school-leavers will actually be eligible for the full grant, so a key targeted group is not being targeted sufficiently." Interestingly, a spokesperson for the DfES said it estimated that 30% of all students would be eligible for the full grant.
Phil Baty, The THES 31 January
Update comment: So, who do you trust to come up with the correct figure? Or do the different figures mean that 30% of students will come from 7% of families?
The news that the full maintenance grant of £1,000 will only be available to families with an income of £10,000 per year or less has been branded as "a joke" by student leaders. Will Straw, the president of Oxford University student union, said: "That's a joke. At least the threshold now is £20,000 for full fees and £30,000 for partial fees; £10,000 is insulting. It's a grant only in name if it's for families who earn below £10,000." Mandy Telford, president of the National Union of Students also condemned the £15,000 figure at which repayment of loans and top-up fees begin. She said: "The government says that students benefit from higher education and should contribute to their education. NUS argues that the state, the economy and business clearly benefits from a well-educated workforce. If students are going to pay back the money invested in their education it should be done when they do actually benefit – not when they earning £10,000 less than the national average salary."
Polly Curtis, The Guardian 22 January
Economists and accountancy experts are said to be "surprised" at the news that graduates will be charged 9% on any income over £15,000 in order to repay their student debts. Some have argued that this will lead to graduates paying a higher rate of tax (42%) than millionaires (40%) once they reached the threshold.
Richard Garner, Sarah Cassidy and Andrew Grice,
The
Independent 23 January
Jack McConnell, Scotland's First Minister, has ruled out a "fees free-for-all" for Scottish universities. He said: "Top-up fees are not the right solution for Scotland. We have different challenges we have to face in Scotland." However, he was unable to allay fears that a funding gap would open up between institutions in Scotland and England. He also addressed concerns that the reforms would see a substantial increase in "fees refugees" from England but argued that he did not foresee the need for Scottish universities to impose quotas to ward them off. He said: "It's critically important that while we ensure that Scottish students have the maximum opportunities that they need and deserve, we also ensure that our universities attract students not just from England, but from all over the world. We have some of the best universities in the world – they deserve the best students in the world."
Seonag MacKinnon, Education Editor,
The Scotsman 24
January
Alistair Ross and Louise Archer with Dave Thomson, Merryn Hutchings,
Robert Gilchrist, Charine John, Kalliope Akantziliou. University of North
London (UNL)
Brief no: 385 ISBN: 1-84185-852-8 December 2002
The full report (RR385), price £4.95, is available
from DfES Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottingham NG15
0DJ
Cheques should be made payable to "DfES Priced Publications"
The Research Brief (RB385) is available free of charge
from the above address
tel: 0845 60 222 60
Research Briefs and Research Reports can also be accessed at www.dfes.gov.uk/research/
Further information about this research from David
Thompson, Room E633, DfES, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4PQ
email:
david-AS.Thompson@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
Carol Adams, the chief executive of the General Teaching Council, has called for inner-city teachers to be offered "golden-handcuffs" which would reward them for periods of continued service. She would like to see such teachers given a bonus for every five years they spend teaching in deprived schools with challenging pupils and low records of achievement. She believes that this would prevent the exodus of talented teachers to schools in the suburbs. Ms Adams said: "Until teaching our neediest children becomes the pinnacle of a professional career, the best-rewarded and most sought-after job, we cannot seriously tackle social injustice or provide equality of opportunity."
Richard Garner, Education Editor,
The Independent 8
January
5% of Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College's best final-year students have elected to join the Teach First programme – fast-track training to graduates who would not normally consider becoming teachers. The graduates train throughout the summer break and begin teaching in September. Teach First teachers are paid at the same rate and are contracted to stay in their position for two years. The initiative is backed by a substantial number of businesses, who fast-track those involved into the career of their choice after their two-year stint. Brett Wigdortz, chief executive of Teach First, tells us that the organisation has smashed it's original target of 200 placements. It has now received 750 applications.
The Guardian 27 January
Figures released from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that there was a substantial increase in the number of teachers qualifying last year. Unfortunately, the figures also show that the number of graduates in maths and languages is continuing to fall.
For a detailed breakdown of the figures, see Qualifications Obtained by and Examination Results of Higher Education Students at Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom for the Academic Year 2001/02 on the HESA Website at: www.hesa.ac.uk/press/sfr61/sfr61.htm
Donald MacLeod, The Guardian 7 January
An "historic agreement" which will revolutionise teaching practice in the UK has been signed by all but one of the main teaching unions. The deal will give teachers more non-contact time by enabling classroom assistants to provide cover for absent teachers. It will also introduce extra help for teachers, including personal administrative assistants, additional technical support, new managers from outside education, cover supervisors and high level teaching assistants. The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the National Association of Head Teachers and the Secondary Heads Association have all backed the deal, as have Unison and the GMB which represent classroom assistants. Significantly, however, the NUT, Britain's largest teaching union, has refused to support the agreement, saying that it will see "a return to the Victorian era of education" where children are taught in classes of up to 60 pupils. NUT general secretary Doug McAvoy said his union could not sign up to an agreement that "allowed head teachers to staff schools with unqualified classroom assistants, nor one that could potentially increase, not reduce the workload of his members".
The TES 10 January
A quarter of a million teenagers will take exams this month with last summer's A-level furore leading to a surge in the numbers taking resits.
School-leavers are being forced to sit numeracy tests because firms have no faith in maths GCSE, a new study reveals.
More than half the teachers who graduated from Oxford or Cambridge are working in the independent sector.
Teachers facing congestion charges which start in London next month are quitting their jobs, while parents are planning to move children from city centre schools.
Universities and employers will have a central place on the new group to ensure its proposals get their support.
Government under fire for telling literacy and numeracy consultants to ensure all primary schools order "optional" Year 5 tests.
Senior managers at the QCA have been told they will have to re-apply for their jobs.
The number of boys doing physics and maths A-levels has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years, research by The TES shows.
Boys' underachievement is to be the subject of a fresh assault by government school improvement adviser.
Specialist schools turned in an uninspired performance in the first value-added tables.
Birmingham is breaking the law by refusing to review support for children with special needs when they begin secondary school, Education Secretary Charles Clarke ruled this week.
A "quiet revolution" is gathering momentum in public libraries as free Internet access opens up lifelong learning opportunities, a report shows. The People's Network: a turning point for public libraries is free from Resource Publications on 020 7273 1458 or email: info@resource.gov.uk
College staff get £1,200 lump sum in March as unions hail deal that closes gap with schools.
The new breed of classroom assistants who will take charge of classes will receive just 50 days' of training.
Teams of teachers rather than individuals could for the first time receive merit awards under plans to expand performance-related pay.
Cutting teachers' workload will add £250,000 a year to the cost of running a typical secondary and £50,000 to that of a primary – money that governors say schools do not have.
Exam boards were not given enough help in implementing A-level reforms, inquiry concludes.
An article in The Independent (5 January) by the education editor, Richard Garner, tells us that schoolchildren are to be allowed to skip school for two days a week to attend college or undertake vocational training under new plans to relax the national curriculum. It is hoped that these measures will improve pupil behaviour, truancy and drop-out rates among 14- to 16-year-olds. Education experts believe that nearly 40,000 youngsters a year, who would normally fail to obtain any GCSE passes, would benefit from the scheme.
The full text of David Miliband's speech announcing the reforms to the post-14 curriculum is available online at: http://www.education.guardian.co.uk/further/story/0,5500,879300,00.html
The Guardian 21 January
The University of Wales, Glamorgan, is to spear-head an innovative project which will tackle underachievement and "profound educational alienation" among pre-GCSE children. The project, entitled First Campus, is a partnership between Welsh schools and higher education institutions and aims to make continued study a less daunting proposition. Professor Danny Saunders, Head of the Centre for Lifelong Learning, said that First Campus is not intended to be a replacement for vocational or academic study. It is, rather, a safety net for those young people who are in danger of dropping out of education altogether. He said: "We regard this as a critical time where very, very talented students are wasting their chances and deciding to drop out. It limits their career prospects and has very serious consequences later on for university and further education. As long as they have a positive career plan and some constructive strategy, I think that's fantastic. Our concern is where there's no plan; they are not just dropping out academically – they are dropping out full stop."
David Williamson, The Western Mail 17 January
Revised population figures have given the DfES a reason to be cheerful. It seems that its original estimate of the number of students needed to meet the 50% participation target was too high. The revised census figures show the UK population to be somewhat small than anticipated. This means that instead of expanding student numbers by the initial estimate of 400,000, the HE sector only needs to recruit 250,000 to meet the target.
Phil Baty, Alan Thomson and Tony Tysome,
The THES 17
January
Update comment: It seems incredible that estimates could have been that far out.
A new report from Universities UK urges universities to consider academic potential as well as proven academic achievement when recruiting students. The report, Fair Enough? Wider Access to Higher Education by Identifying Potential to Succeed, argues that there are many things which contribute to the successful completion of a degree, and that examination success is just one among many. It suggests for example, that a student who has managed to achieve good results, despite being at a school with a poor exam record, displays a high level of academic potential, even though their grades may be lower than those normally required for entry to a programme of study. Other factors which would be given consideration include how well organised candidates are, whether they work independently, how motivated they are to learn and the level of interest they have in the subject.
Polly Curtis, The Guardian 17 January
A study from the Institute for Policy Studies at London Metropolitan University reveals that higher tuition fees will be "a disaster for social inclusion". Louise Archer, senior research fellow at the institute, believes that working-class students will be forced to study at universities which charge lower fees, even though they recognise that such degrees will have a lower currency in the job market. She argues that this will act as a deterrent to study. She says: "If people have to pay more anyway and come out of higher education with a huge debt and a degree of less value, then I cannot see why that would be an incentive to enter higher education at all. Even if they are paying afterwards, working-class groups will be deterred because the risks are higher and they don't have the same safety net as the middle classes."
Alison Goddard, The THES 31 January
The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) has given £2 million of funding to establish four partnerships across Wales which have been created to increase participation in higher education. The partnerships will operate under the banner Reaching Higher – Reaching Wider and will target schools and colleges in some of the most deprived areas of Wales in a bid to make progression to HE seem like a "perfectly normal thing to do". The partnerships will work closely with higher and further education institutions, schools and local community groups and will build on the existing reputation Wales has for supporting learners from non-traditional backgrounds.
Joanne Atkinson, The Western Mail 10 January
In an article for The Guardian (16 January), Polly Curtis writes: "To the consternation of the public schools, several British universities are including candidates' social backgrounds in their admissions decisions." She tells us that, in their efforts to increase participation by non-traditional students, some universities are blurring the boundaries between "encouraging" and "enforcing" participation. The UK is subject to many anti-discriminatory laws, as well as European laws governing human rights. However, Ms Curtis believes that there is a danger that positive recruitment methods and target setting will add up to discrimination against students from traditional backgrounds. Edward Gould, vice-chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, argues that the problem is not so much with the institutions which "recruit" students. He suggests that it is the popular universities which "select" students that find achieving a wide student base the most difficult.
The Centre for Economic Performance has published a report detailing the results of a study of inter-firm coordination of training activity. The report analyses statistics produced by the Training Standards Council (now the Adult Learning Inspectorate), and presents five case studies, each showing different ways in which firms work together in relation to training. The report concludes by emphasising that there is a potentially important role for employer cooperation in meeting the skill needs of many sectors, and that statutory backing might help this.
The report is available in .PDF from the CEP Website at: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp0555.pdf
SSDA Intelligence Issue 7 28 January
The dotcom crash and increased job insecurity in the financial sector has led to a surge of older people looking to retrain as plumbers. Robert Burgon, director of the British Plumbing Employers' Council, welcomed the news and hopes that it signals the end of the plumbing industry's poor public image. He believes that mature applicants are attracted by estimated potential earnings of £70,000 a year. Mr Burgeon will meet with skills minister Ivan Lewis to look at ways to help mature applicants to retrain. He hopes that he will be able to convince the minister to extend the training grant, currently only available to under-25s, to anyone who wishes to make the career switch. In Scotland over-25s are eligible for £2,500 for Modern Apprenticeships and
Mr Burgon said he will be urging Mr Lewis to make funding available in England to help mature trainees.
Donald MacLeod, The Guardian 13 January
According to a survey commissioned by Investors in People, almost 85% of young professional people aspire to management-level employment. Unfortunately, many respondents admitted that they felt "restricted by current working conditions". Less than half of those questioned felt that their employers supported their career aspirations or encouraged them to seek promotion. Ruth Spellman, Chief Executive, Investors in People UK, said: "It's very encouraging that so many young people aim to play a pivotal role in the future running of their organisation. However, these results also help illustrate a managerial supply and demand problem in the UK. On the one hand we have a raft of young people eager to be the leaders of the future and on the other we have reports of an emerging management skills deficit."
TrainingZONE LearningWIRE Issue 240 27 January
A report published by the Centre for Economic Performance attempts to explain why earnings inequality is much greater in the United States (US) than in most European Union (EU) countries. The main hypothesis tested by the authors – Dan Devroye and Richard Freeman – is that earnings inequality is greater in the US as a result of more significant inequalities in skill levels. The study is based on an econometric analysis of data on skills (from the International Adult Literacy Survey) and earnings (from the OECD). The analysis suggests that, while skills inequalities are greater in the US than in most EU countries, this only explains a small proportion of the differences in earnings inequality. The authors suggest that a number of other factors, particularly the types of pay systems in operation, play an important role in determining wage inequalities at national level.
The report is available from the CEP Website www.cep.lse.ac.uk
SSDA INTELLIGENCE Newsletter Issue 7: January 2003
A study from HR consultancy Cubiks reveals that employees are worried about complaining of stress because they feel that this will damage their career prospects. According to the study, 76% of respondents said that they would avoid complaining that they were feeling stressed because they were worried that it would adversely effect their career. Unfortunately, the study showed that their fears are well-placed. 79% of employers admitted that they would prefer not to employ someone who was prone to stress. 87% also said that they would be unlikely to promote staff that they believed had difficulties handling stress.
Liz Zacharias, People Management Online 23 January
Update comment: And 100% of employers cause stress in their employees?
Early in 2002 the European Union approved a major piece of industrial relations law – the Directive on Information and Consultation (2002/14/EC). Its provisions are due to cover all enterprises with 150 or more employees by early 2005 and all with 50 or more employees by 2008. The list below gives a summary of some of the main provisions of the Directive. It is clear that these are far-reaching, so far as British industrial relations are concerned. Exactly how the Directive will be incorporated into UK law will depend on political circumstances. However, some outcomes are reasonably certain. Forms of consultation based on direct participation will not qualify. Equally, ad hoc and issue-specific arrangements will not qualify, since the directive talks about a "permanent" and "general" system of consultation (Article 10).
Consultation must take place at an "appropriate" time, with employee representatives able to study the information adequately in advance and to prepare for it properly. It must also be "at the relevant level of management and representation depending on the subject under discussion", which implies that there should be different levels of representation and consultation within an undertaking. Consultation under (c) above shall be "with a view to reaching an agreement", which implies an ongoing process of give-and-take. Management is obliged in all consultation to provide a reasoned response to representatives' opinions.
Centrepiece analyses possible effects of this new legislation as well as providing a very brief look at the history of negotiating committees and collective bargaining.
Centrepiece Volume 7 Issue 3 Autumn 2002
John Monks, general secretary of the TUC, claims that the new economy is being blighted by two "epidemics". No prizes for guessing that the first one is stress. However, you may be surprised to learn that the second is repetitive strain injury. According to figures from the TUC, 5.4 million days were lost in sick leave during 2001 due to RSI and an average of 6 workers [a day, year or month?] left their jobs because of it. The TUC has welcomed the European Commission's five-year plan for health and safety, published in March 2002, which includes a proposal to legislate on RSI. Mr Monks said: "A modern economy doesn't have to mean driving the workforce into the ground with mental and physical strain."
For further information about RSI contact the RSI
Association
tel: 0207 266 2000
Helpline: 0800 018 5012
URL:
www.rsi.org.uk
Carol Glover, People Management Online 9 January
According to figures from the British Social Attitudes survey, less than a third of the workforce is currently affiliated to a trade union. The number of trade union members in the workplace has fallen from 49% in 1983 to just 31%. A paper published for the National Centre for Social Research attributes this drop to a number of reasons, including a reduction in the number of unionised workplaces and an increase in the number of jobs in areas that are traditionally less unionised. The paper argues that the passing of legislation which confers rights to an employee, such as anti-discrimination laws, and the introduction of the minimum wage have been interpreted by a significant number of the workforce to mean that they no longer need union protection.
Association Manager Volume 7 Issue 1 January 2003
According to research by the Women in IT Champions group, women in the IT sector are leaving faster than companies can recruit them. The study, Achieving workforce diversity in the e-business-on-demand era, showed that, while 32% of new recruits to the IT sector in the first quarter of 2002 were women, 46% of those leaving the sector during the same period were also women. Rebecca George, UK government director of IBM, and author of the paper, said: "We originally thought that women leaving the IT industry was about work/life balance policies, but that was very naïve. We thought we knew what the problem was, but we're not making progress. With this report we've raised more questions than we started with. But we think that women are leaving because of corporate cultural issues and because they want to work in an environment where they have more control." The report was presented at the government-backed Women in IT conference. Speaking at the event Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, described the report as worrying. She said: "This is a challenge for industry, business and government. We knew we had a problem with women going into the industry, but they don't stay. This is very bad news for women and bad news for the sector. We can't have an all white, all male workforce."
Karen Higginbottom,
People Management Online 23
January
Research from the London University Institute of Education tells us that declining standards in maths teaching are leaving employers without vital skills. The report, Mathematical Skills in the Workplace, reveals that prospective employees are not only poor at using numerical calculations, but also do not have sufficient skill in data handling and the use of models. It further criticises the qualifications system, claiming that it is "too complex and too variable for employers to understand and follow". This has led to employers using their own tests to determine levels of ability, rather than accepting that a particular qualification indicates that a particular standard has been reached. The report concludes: "the country needs to rethink and upgrade mathematics provision for young people."
Rodrigo Davies, The Guardian 13 January
Nine staff members from the British Library were suspended for allegedly accessing hardcore pornography from their work computers. A spokesperson from the library commented: "A number of staff have been suspended. However, we cannot go into detail because of our requirement to maintain confidentiality while the library pursues further investigations into each individual case."
managinginformation.com 6 January
The latest issue to appear on the "browsing shelf" in the DfES library in Sheffield is number 35, October 2002.
Contents:
Update comment: More power? More subsidies?
The mission statement of the DG for Education and Culture of the European Commission urges us to bring people together, to foster respect and understanding, to create a European Knowledge area, and to support the development of cultural and audio-visual sectors. This is the vision to be made into a reality with cooperation and combination of forces, in order to best serve the citizens of Europe. LLinE asked the Director-General of the DG for Education and Culture about the present and the future issues of adult education in the EU.
Interview with Nilolaus Van der Pas by Eeva Siirali
LLinE Lifelong Learning in Europe Vol V11 issue 4/2002
The annual report from market analysts Mintel on British lifestyles has shown that more and more British workers are enjoying a better work/life balance. That's despite working the longest hours in Europe. The survey questioned 2,005 adults on all aspects of their lives and paints a picture of a surprisingly balanced British consumer, with around 50% of adults saying they are pleased with the amount of time they spend at work compared to the time they spend at home. The results show that over the past five years stress levels have not risen, and this is particularly true of British men. Family is the number one lifestyle priority, with the majority of British sitting down at home to a meal together. The number of consumers not taking a holiday is continuing to fall.
HRLook 29 January
A worm that attacks Microsoft's SQL server database software spread through the Internet in the last weekend of the month, causing some cash machines to stop issuing money, taking most of South Korea offline and slowing some Internet traffic in the United States. The worm, known as SQL Slammer, managed to shut down 5 of the 13 root servers by causing them to go into a loop, continuously sending out information to other computers and effectively creating a denial-of-service attack. However, system administrators do appear to have acted quickly. By late Saturday (25 January) anti-virus firms confirmed that it has passed its peak.
Matt Loney, CNET News.com
TheITportal News Roundup 27 January
Update comment: Why did such a small piece of code (only 376 bytes in size) cause so much havoc?
The vulnerability of the Internet was underlined this weekend (25/26 January) as the most serious computer virus attack for 18 months led to a sharp slowdown in network traffic, closed some automatic teller machines and denied access to many computer users. SQL Slammer exploits a known vulnerability in Microsoft database software that is used widely by companies. Personal computers are not believed to be at risk. The attack began just after midnight Eastern Standard Time on Saturday and spread rapidly, infecting hundreds of thousands of computer servers across Asia, Europe and the US. Security experts said that the virus overwhelmed network infrastructure by replicating rapidly and aggressively scanning the Internet for other vulnerable computers to infect. The first impact was felt in Japan and Korea, where some Internet service providers were forced to suspend services. In the US, 13,000 automatic teller machines operated by Bank of America were out of action for most of Saturday. Microsoft identified last year the weakness in its SQL 2000 server software exploited by the virus. In July, it made available a patch to solve the problem. The rapid spread of the virus on Saturday suggested that many corporations had yet to install it. "The lesson here once again is that companies are taking a risk by not installing patches," said Mr Gollotto. The last comparable attack was the Code Red virus during July 2001. Like Code Red, SQL Slammer does not appear to damage the computers it infects other than by generating excessive network traffic. Microsoft early last year launched a "trustworthy computing" initiative to increase the level of security offered by its computer programs. Last year it published 50 patches to fix potential security problems. Bill Gates, Microsoft's founder and chief software architect, has acknowledged that Microsoft in the past paid too little attention to the reliability and security of its products.
Simon London, Financial Times 26 January
Microsoft's policy of relying on software patches to fix major security flaws was questioned after a series of internal emails revealed that the software giant's own network was hit by the SQL slammer worm. System administrators have long complained about their inability to keep up with the steady stream of patches that have poured out of Microsoft.
Source - News.com
TheITportal Midweek Roundup 29 January
Canadian teen skate punk singer Avril Lavigne has become the latest celebrity to be used as bait by virus writers, with two variants of the Lirva worm circulating across the Internet. The malicious ExploreZip.E, and Sobig worm, which uses a PIF email attachment to infect users, complete the list.
Source – The Inquirer
TheITportal News Roundup 13th January
Simon Vallor, a Welsh DJ and Web designer who unleashed computer viruses that spread around the world and infected tens of thousands of machines has been sentenced to two years in jail – the stiffest penalty for such offences. The sentence has been welcomed as an indication that authorities are beginning to recognise the gravity of such crimes. The sentencing judge, Geoffrey Rivlin QC, said that virus attacks "have the capacity to cause disruption, consternation and even economic loss on an unimaginable scale."
Charles Arthur, Technology Editor,
The Independent 22 January
Update comment: Mr Vallor was responsible for the Gokar, Redesi and Admirer mass mail viruses.
The Harry Potter series of books has topped the list of books which caused the most complaints in 2002. According to the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom, JK Rowling's stories drew complaints from a worried public about their focus on wizardry and magic and the detrimental effect they could have on children's sensibilities. Other titles in this year's list include:
managinginformation.com 23 January
In his regular column for Library and Information Update (January 2003 Volume 2(1)), Bernard Naylor, President of the Library Association, "welcomes you to his thought processes on our touchy-feely culture". He is particularly concerned about what he feels is the over-use of the word "welcome". It seems that we are welcome almost everywhere we go, whether it be a shopping centre, town, city, hospital, school or college. Mr Naylor believes, however, that there are some places where a welcome is entirely inappropriate. He feels that, when someone extends a welcome to another person, what they are actually doing is laying down territorial boundaries. They are saying, in effect: "This is my space, but I will permit you to enter it." Mr Naylor argues that public libraries are a very good example of the kind of place where there should not be a welcome sign, even though many managers feel obliged to put them up. He says: "Is it a good idea, when we have charge of a public or academic library, for us professionals to be using the greeting? … I think it is important to ask ourselves repeatedly: "Whose library is it anyway?" The "right" answer ought to be full of implications for how we carry out our responsibilities as library managers."
The Scottish Executive has announced plans to give lessons to the parents of unruly children which will teach them to keep their children out of trouble. The lessons are to be part of a £12 million initiative to encourage greater parental responsibility. Education minister Cathy Jamieson said: "Parents have a crucial role to play in preventing criminal and anti-social behaviour and must take more responsibility for the actions of their sons and daughters, that is why some of the projects being funded will offer training on parenting skills. Parents will learn how to tackle bad behaviour and how to encourage their children to make more positive lifestyle choices." The initiative has come in for some heavy criticism from opposition MPs however, who argue that this is yet another example of the Scottish "nanny state".
Andrew Denholm, Home Affairs correspondent,
The
Scotsman 9 January
The principal of Edinburgh University has urged Edinburgh City Council to give academics in the capital a "London-style" salary weighting. Professor Timothy O'Shea claims that escalating housing costs are causing financial hardship and, unless measures are taken to address this, Edinburgh will suffer a brain-drain as staff are lured to the US. He also fears that it will prove difficult to recruit and retain researchers, thus diminishing the university's reputation for academic excellence.
The Scotsman 16 January
One of the worst-performing education authorities has come up with an innovative way to calm and motivate pupils. Five thousand students in Knowsley, near Liverpool were given a 45 minute CD of soothing and relaxing music. They were also assigned to a mentor who could be contacted by text message 24 hours a day to help them with exam preparation. The efforts seem to have paid off. 30% of pupils are now achieving A* to C grade passes, an increase of 3 percentage points. This figure is higher than the national average.
Richard Garner, Education Editor,
The Independent 20
January
A survey from the Standing Conference for Community Development and the Community Development Foundation tells us that unpaid volunteers are undervalued and receive less favourable treatment than paid workers. The research showed that, even when a volunteer had been working in a community for many years, often putting in more than 50 hours a week, there was still a "huge practical and psychological divide" between them and paid professionals. Some volunteers admitted that they often had difficulty trying to claim back their expenses. The study calls for more financial support for community volunteers. It also argued that training should be made available which "formalises rather than replaces community-grown skills". It concluded: "The single most raised issue by interviewees was direct and stable funding of grass roots community development. This involves future long term funding for paying community workers that emerge from the community and funding for sabbaticals for unpaid community workers who depend on earned income."
Susan Downer, New Start 8 January
The Home Office has "the worst record of any government department in dealing with MPs' letters", according to the latest figures. Despite having a response target of 15 days, over 800 letters had not received a reply six months after the Home Office received them. Beverley Hughes, the Immigration Minister, revealed that 810 unanswered letters were six months old, 177 five months, 229 four months, 210 three months, 222 two months, and 415 one month. Liberal Democrat MP Paul Burstow commented: "These figures show that Home Office ministers have allowed a massive backlog of unanswered letters to develop. Either they are incompetent or treating parliament and constituents with contempt by deliberately delaying the release of information."
Richard Ford, Home Correspondent,
Times Online 22
January
Although you may not to realise it, these are (as at 17 January) the last few days of the UK government's six month consultation period on entitlement cards. The consultation is the latest round of a national debate that has raged since the wartime scheme was abolished in 1952. There are several proposals on the table, but one includes a universal scheme where everyone would be required to register for a card, although there would be no requirement to carry it. The Home Office has already introduced smart cards for asylum applicants. The debate is hotly contested on both sides with the government arguing that identity cards will provide easier access to public services, combat illegal immigration and help tackle identity fraud, which is currently estimated to cost the country £1.3 billion. Critics believe that identity card schemes have no effect on the reduction of crime or identity fraud and could even provide opportunities for organised crime. Then there is the whole issue of data confidentiality. Oh yes, and the government's poor record on IT projects.
TheITportal News Focus 17 January
Update comment: The closing date for the consultation period was 31 January so if you didn't register your concerns it's too late now!
Travel agents in Sheffield are to offer parents discounts if they take their children abroad during the school holidays. The discounts will be between 5 and 10% and will be in addition to any other promotional offers. The move has been introduced as part of a drive to reduce unauthorised absence in the City, since Sheffield currently has a below-national rate of attendance. Education secretary Charles Clarke is in talks with the travel industry to be more supportive of government measures to combat truancy and non-attendance. He condemned parents who remove their children from school for holidays during term time, saying that they are as irresponsible as parents who allow their children to skip school for no reason at all.
Rebecca Smithers, education correspondent,
The
Guardian 20 January
Business issues, rather than technological ones, dominated the debates at the Information Age Empowered Enterprise Conference held in London this week (of 27 January). More than 400 senior managers from major organisations discussed issues such as "Does technology give employees freedom or is it used to control them?", "How can technology be used to measure or motivate employees?" and "Does employee freedom translate into productivity?". The attendance over the two days made Empowered Enterprise one of the biggest conferences in the IT/business sector in the UK over the past 12 months. The event was sponsored by BT and Changepoint, the supplier of PSA software.
Infoconomy Bulletin 31 January
Are you the type of person who believes they are having more than their fair share of visits from the bad-luck fairy? If so, you will be pleased to learn that you could soon be enjoying life like you were born under a fortuitous star. According to a book by Richard Wiseman, of Hertfordshire University, adherence to four basic principles can create good fortune. Mr Wiseman spent four years studying the lives of exceptionally lucky and unlucky people and found that, without realising it, they were actively participating in how their chances turned out. He tells us that the four things that lucky people do which improves their life outcomes are:
The Luck Factor by Richard Wiseman is published by Century, priced £9.99.
Donald MacLeod, The Guardian 5 January
A UK lawyer has said that, should the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) decide to pursue UK ISPs for enabling users to download music illegally, they could find that their attempts are "doomed to failure". According to Stuart Nuttall, of solicitors Fladgate Fielder, the decision by a US judge to force Verizon Communications to hand over the name of its more prolific downloaders could not be repeated in the UK, since it would fall foul of the Data Protection Act. Mr Nuttall argues that the RIAA should stop looking for what it perceives to be "soft targets" and start trying to find other ways of selling music.
Dinah Greek, vnunet.com
TheITportal News Roundup 27th January
Will the government's target for participation in higher education by 2010 be met? Damon Clark analyses the reasons why young people drop out of education and concludes that more emphasis on good work-based learning will be required.
Centrepiece Volume 7 Issue 3 Autumn 2002
Update comment: This eminently readable article is based on Damon Clark's paper, "Participation in Post-Compulsory Education in England", published as CEE Discussion Paper No24 available from the CEP. I'll see how much it costs before I promise to get it (but I expect it to be £5).
The 2003 NIACE publications catalogue is now out. In addition to a list of current publications there is also also an extensive back list, which details items which have been withdrawn from general circulation, but still have some value to researchers and academics, as well as practitioners who wish to see how policy and practice have developed over the years. A number of new titles are noted, including:
"A useful exploration of the current conundrum facing those working in post-16 education."
"Exploring the key themes of sustainability, poverty in rural areas, community activism and challenging racism, this book builds on government strategies and research to share good practice."
"Useful for developing the use of ICT to benefit socially excluded groups."
Copies are available from NIACE, Renaissance House,
20 Princess Road West, Leicester LE1 6TP
tel: 0116 204 4200
email:
enquiries@niace.org.uk
New measures designed to increase the number of social workers and drive up standards in social work education were unveiled today (27 January). The reforms, building on the Social Work Action Plan announced last April, include:
The Framework for Social Work Education www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/social/ffsw-00.asp sets out the expectations of the new social work honours degree.
It describes the standards required for every student and the standards required from HEIs.
Scottish Executive News Release SEED178/2003 27 January
GHK
Brief no: 364
ISBN: 1-84185-820-X
January 2003
Since the introduction of the Skills Development Fund in l999, it has supported a range of innovative approaches, in comparison to other programmes amongst the case study projects reviewed. During the period that it has operated, between 1999/2000 to 2001/2002, it has supported over 700 projects across the nine English regions covering a wide range of projects, from capital investment for developing regional learning infrastructures to providing a variety of advice and guidance services. The research findings suggest that SDF had an influence above its absolute size. Findings include:
The full report (RR364), price £4.95, is available
from
DfES Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottingham
NG15 0DJ
Cheques should be made payable to "DfES Priced
Publications"
The Research Brief (RB364) is available free of charge
from the above address
tel: 0845 60 222 60
Research Briefs and Research
Reports can also be accessed at
www.dfes.gov.uk/research/
Further information about this research can be obtained
from
Madeleine Gadsby, Room W1117, DfES, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4PQ
email: Madeleine.Gadsby@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
Figures released by the DWP show that just one in five benefit claimants intends to open a no-frills bank account with the Post Office to receive their benefits. The system, known as the Universal Bank, was heralded as "the salvation for struggling post offices" which stand to lose a substantial amount of business when state benefits cease to be paid in cash. Unfortunately, the take-up rate has been "alarmingly" low, with most claimants preferring to open accounts with high street banks and building societies. The Royal Mail has criticised the government for failing to raise awareness about the Universal Bank. The DWP, however, responded by saying that it did not wish to promote any system above another.
Christine Buckley, Industrial Editor,
Times Online
23 January
A leading sociologist has attacked the government for belittling personal responsibility with its mantra of low self-esteem, writes Alexandra Frean (Times Online 24 January). According to Frank Furedi, Professor of Sociology at Kent University, the government's obsession with low self-esteem and its potential to cause devastating damage both to individuals and society is in danger of creating a "culture of dependency". He argues that low self-esteem is represented as a consequence of all manner of ills, including poverty, racism, unemployment and domestic violence. He also believes that this message is filtering through to businesses and voluntary groups, who are quick to cite the benefits to self-esteem of their products or activities. Professor Furedi argues, however that "despite this widespread emphasis on low self-esteem, there is no convincing empirical evidence linking high self-esteem with positive social outcomes". He suggests that politicising low self-esteem gives people "an exemption from having to reflect or to take responsibility for the failures of life". He says: "People will become less resourceful and more dependent as they come to believe that unless they are feeling good about themselves, they will not be able to cope with life on their own."
I got a bit lost in reading the report of The Scotts Company (UK) v Budd (EAT/823/01) but the second go-through made it clearer. You are entitled to be paid if you are under notice of dismissal. However, if your contracted period of notice is one week or more longer than the statutory requirement, and your contract does not state an entitlement to pay during this period, then, hey presto, the money disappears!
Labour Research Vol 92 No1 January 2003-01-30
John Bynner, Peter Elias, Abigail McKnight and Gaëlle Pierre
York Publishing Services priced £16.95
This research describes how young people's lives have changed over the past twenty years, by comparing two large samples of young people, one of which reached age 25 in 1983 with the other reaching this age in 1995. It illustrates and interprets the quite dramatic changes in working and living arrangements that have occurred over this period and draws some conclusions about who has benefited and who has not.
The four-page summary report, and a .PDF version, are
freely available from www.jrf.org.uk
Full URL:
www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/n92.asp
The summary is also available by writing to Jospeh Rowntree Foundation, The Homestead, 40 Water End York YO31 6WP
A £6 million funding package designed to support the development of Scotland's social economy was announced today (27 January). This money will be used to stimulate growth in a fast growing sector which plays a key role in the delivery of public policy objectives in areas such as housing, childcare, care in the community and the New Deal.
Copies of the Social Economy Review are available from www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/social/rose-00.asp
Scottish Executive News Release SESJ160/2003 27 January
The Scottish Parliament is reported to have spent a whopping £88,000 on a 36ft-long desk for the reception area at Holyrood. The desk, which costs £3,000 more than an average three-bedroom house in Glasgow, was described by Parliament officials as elegant, practical and "extraordinary value for money". Unfortunately, this view is not shared by Scottish politicians, who condemned the decision as "exorbitant and extravagant" and
"a ludicrous waste of public money".
Gillian Harris, Scotland Correspondent,
Times Online 25 January
London's workers face the worst health and safety conditions in the country, according to a TUC survey of workplace union safety reps published today (7 January). The stark findings have been prompted by Brendan Barber, the TUC's General Secretary Elect, to describe the stress of workers in Britain's capital as "appalling". Workplaces in London came top in the survey for problems with violence and threats, long hours of work, display screen equipment, and asbestos fibre. London was also the bullying capital of Britain, with rates 40% higher than the national average.
HRLooK 7 January
Once again I'm left with the question of whether to cut short the trivia, which I know many of you enjoy, or use the rest of this page and two more for the "fun" items. I'm certainly not short of material to fill the space but whether 'tis better ... no, I will not misquote Shakespeare twice in the same issue of Update! OK, decision made. I'm tired of carrying material over from one issue to the next – and ending up losing it.
Lake Superior State University has issued its annual list of words and phrases it would like to see banished from the English Language for "mis-use, over-use and general uselessness". Included this year are:
For the full list, or to submit a nomination for 2004, visit the Website at: www.lssu.edu/banished/
The Guardian 2 January
No time for a holiday? Try a one-minute vacation instead. This Website takes you on a sixty-second holiday through recordings of the sounds of "a lake in Minnesota as the ice is breaking up, foghorns, ship horns, and the crash of waves on China Beach, and more".
URL: www.quietamerican.org/vacation.html
Neat New Stuff I Found This Week 9 January
© Marylaine Block, 1999-2002
Stolen from Usenet [by Dawn]
Test the speed of your Web connection
http://promos.mcafee.com/speedometer/test_0150.asp
Stolen from Usenet (by Dawn)
A couple of romantic little Websites for all you love-puppies out there.
This site will provide you with a pre- and post-wedding service. For £99, they will host a Website for you for a year. You can post details about your wedding, including maps to the venue and reception and publish your wedding list for all your guests to browse. They will also give you a specific email address for wedding correspondence, for example and will accept RSVPs from your guests. After the wedding, you can upload photographs and persuade your family and friends to sign your virtual guestbook. At the end of the year, they will provide you with a CD copy of the site.
Everything you ever wanted to know about kissing. You can go to the kissing school to learn how to pucker up properly, submit a story about your first/worst/best kiss ever or buy yourself a virtual kiss T-shirt. You can also – and this is the best bit – send someone a customised or pre-puckered e-kiss from the e-kissing booth. Snogging will never be the same again!
.net January 2003
Insaniquarium – a horribly addictive fishtank game
www.popcap.com/gamepopup.php?theGame=insaniquarium
.net Welcome to the Weekend 10 January
Update comment: My husband will attest to the addictive nature of it. All I wanted was for him to test the URL and ... Hazel.
If you have had the misfortune to receive one or more of the Nigerian scam emails, this Website may be of interest to you. The site blurb says: "This page is dedicated to the '419 (Advance Fee Fraud)' scam artists around the world. My friend and I have received quite a few "business proposals" from the 419 scam artists. We have decided to write them back and lead them on a bit." It goes on to reproduce all correspondence between the site owners and the people behind the scams. And it's absolutely hilarious!
So said Dawn. On a slightly more serious note I (Hazel) have been sending these wretched things to the Fraud Squad <fraud.alert@met.police.uk> and this last week I got a "thank you very much" email. I've now written to ask whether all the "grow your ***** by five inches" or "teenpics" emails should also go the same way.
A strong, broad-shouldered young man at the construction site was bragging that he could out do anyone in a feat of strength. He especially made fun of one of the older workmen. After several minutes, the older worker had had enough. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is," he said. "I will bet a week's wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that out-building that you won't be able to wheel back." "You're on, old man," the braggart replied. "Let's see what you got." The old man reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles. Then, nodding to the young man, he said, "All right, get in."
Clean Laffs 6 January
"The Internet is an amazing communications tool that's bringing the whole world together. I mean, you sit down to sign on to America Online in your hometown, and it's just staggering to think that at the same moment, halfway around the world, in China, someone you've never met is sitting at their computer, hearing the exact same busy signal that you're hearing."
Dennis Miller
A leader is best
When people barely knows he
exists
Not so good when people obey and acclaim him
Worst when they
despise him
But of a good leader, who talks little
When his work is
done, his aim fulfilled
They will all say "We did this ourselves"
Lao-Tse
"I'm slowly becoming a convert to the principle that you can't "I'm slowly becoming a convert to the principle that you can't motivate people to do things, you can only demotivate them. The primary job of the manager is not to empower but to remove obstacles."
Scott Adams
The UKHRD Forum, usually a serious discussion group about training and staff development issues, broke out into a rash of offerings about use of the English language. One regular contributor, Richard English, referred us to www.ahajokes.com to read the following poem. Great literature it isn't but fun it certainly is – enjoy!
Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I
will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's
written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque
and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak
and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and
toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and
Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and
reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One,
anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German,
wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and
grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer,
ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage,
foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea,
idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern,
cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with
ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever,
fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour,
scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but
ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation – think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace,
gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough –
Though, through, plough, or
dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give
up!
No moves to take adult and community learning away from LEAs
In Demand: Adult Skills in the 21st century
Microsoft to pay dividend for first time in its history
New information services for companies seeking foreign markets
Small Business Service strategy paper published
UK slumps to record trade deficit for second month
What's the difference between leadership and management?
Citizenship, Active Citizenship, and Social Forums: ...
Home Office owns up to 2,700 unanswered letters
Microsoft ends Windows 95 support
Copyright infringement a benefit to rightsholders?
EU Copyright Directive, UK implementation latest
Record firms threaten big employers with action to combat piracy
RIAA can't touch UK ISPs, says lawyer
Data laws block crucial cancer research plans
New information chief must protect workers from snooping bosses
BBC's application ... heavily criticised ...
Conditions placed on BBC digital curriculum
Green light for BBC's digital curriculum
RM leads fight against BBC "digital curriculum"
Fraudulent escrow services leave buyers in the lurch
Connecting instructional design to international standards ...
EC prioritises e-learning in 2003 programme
Growth in e-learning should not overshadow small-scale ...
Multi-million boost for digital learning
Why computers are failing our children
Economic Policy: a European forum
Pupils told: get your A-levels, then apply for university
Government "risks allowances debacle"
"Young Carers" and Disabled Parents: ...
Bill aims to take away the stigma
Bosses' bonanza widens pay gap between the sexes
Council appraisals discriminate
DRC National Conference 2002: Post-event report
Educating for Equality update: Getting in or getting on?
Employers' Perceptions and Practice in the Employability of ...
Employment prospects for the disabled boosted by new committee
Experiences of young disabled people
Invisible Inequity: social class and childrearing in ...
Russell riled by CRE snub to Gaelic
Salary chasm exposed in the HR profession
Tories prove women are as good as men
Women are losing out because of domestic responsibilities
Industrial Policy in an Enlarged Europe: report and conference
Turf war feared in two-year provision
"Curb top-up fees or face greater doctor shortage", ...
"Terrific", says man who devised fees scheme
Access tsar to penalise élites
Backbench rebellion over top-up fees
Clarke sets out blueprint for business and higher education
England gets £10 billion spend
Future of higher education in England and Wales
Grants of £1,000 fail to soften the blow of top-up fees
New academy to raise status of teaching
Opposition grows to HE funding reforms
Reforms will not produce two-tier system, says Blair
Research-poor told to look to business
V-Cs seize their £3,000 chance
Buoyant job scene "justifies fees hike"
Confusion grows over graduate fortunes
Sharp deterioration in graduate job prospects
?£1 million boost for city university
Call for allowances to stop brain drain
Call to raise status of "invisible" students
Closer by degrees: the past, present and future of ...
Fears remain of cash gulf in Scots education
Figures show student growth down by half
More and more students staying in Wales to study
Study to examine working class drop-out rates
University funding review ordered
V-Cs warn of threat to pay rises
Welsh push for financial control
BT cuts broadband trigger numbers
Credit card firms urged to help stop child porn
Europe slow to adopt MMS technology
Mobile music rings up £600 million
Revamped Websites fail to click with experts
Connecting instructional design to international standards ...
Plug pulled on European database
36,000 increase in jobs in Wales in 2002 ...
A steadily strengthening labour market
CBI survey says more finance jobs set for axe
IMF report on UK economic performance
IT sector has few reasons to be cheerful
Methodology for the 2001/02 annual local area LFS data
New labour market intelligence portal
New tool for analysing regional differences
Service sector recruitment faces gloomy six months
Time to explode the small firm myth says TUC
Learning and Skills Council - Briefing 20 - January 2003
Lifelong and Lifewide Investment in people not Human Resources
Minister announces new era for trade union learning
Report calls for more prison education
?£12 million plan to teach parents of unruly children
Holidays discounted over school breaks
Psychologist gets a lucky break
Schools "must teach parents how to talk to children"
Sociologist tears apart self-esteem of the State
The Work/Life Balance – Britain doing quite well
Potential Mature Student Recruitment to HE
RMI backs apprenticeship and skills sector developments
New report highlights success of People's Network
Full text of David Miliband's speech
Pupils to get time off to learn a trade
Education revolution to mark end of GCSEs and A-levels
Matriculation diploma moved to back burner
QCA to take lead role in vocational qualifications modernisation
Thinktank slates A-levels report
"Bog Standard" Campaign ... to clean up school toilets
Chill-out CD helps lift pupils off the bottom
Classrooms ban detention after pupil cites human rights
PFI schools "don't make the grade"
Schools "must teach parents how to talk to children"
Schools PPP firm sells off part of stake
Teaching of Christianity is being ignored
Evaluation of the Skills Development Fund
Funding package for Scotland's social economy
Building youngsters' ambitions
Graduates face "higher tax than millionaires"
No extra fees for Scottish students
Only 7% qualify for "miserly" grants
Doubts surround "historic" workforce agreement
Figures confirm rise in teaching graduates
Inner-city teachers "should be given golden handcuffs"
Teaching scheme lures graduates into class
Inter-firm coordination of training provision – new study
Computer worm slows global Net traffic
Four viral worms spreading across the Net
Microsoft fails Slammer's security test
Virus hits ATMs and computers across globe
Web designer who created computer viruses is jailed
Agencies underestimate value of unpaid workers
?£2 million higher education push
Census aids push to hit 50% target
Report urges new admission criteria
Researchers claim inclusion will suffer ...
Some students are more equal than others
"Poor maths teaching failing employers"
Aspiring managers let down by UK employers
British Library staff suspended over "porn access"
Dotcom casualties seek plumber positions
Employees afraid to confess to stress
Inequality of skills does not explain international differences
New measures on social work education
Tribunal undermines notice pay rights
Union membership tumbles to new low