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March 2004 |
Am I being dense? No, I don't really want you to answer that but if someone can explain the following to me I would be very grateful. A region of the UK has:
Answers, if any, by email to info@adset.org.uk for publication next month.
Thinking of answers Dawn and I have found the answers to two "odd", as in "funny peculiar", questions this month. First, where can I buy one of those reality baby dolls that are supposed to put teenage girls off getting pregnant? Once you work out that what is wanted is a "baby simulator" the rest is easy! The second question was less straightforward. A member of the public who'd seen ADSET's name in a directory wanted to locate a "free dance" class for adults. Have you tried learndirect? was my immediate response. "Yes, and there's nothing there." OK, I found what the lady was looking for and she went away happy. The moral of this story? Please, if you're even a little bit stuck about something telephone 01536 410500 or email as above. The guarantee is that between us Dawn and I will either provide you with a complete answer or a starting point for your own research (depends on how long something takes to find).
As one door closes so another one opens. Proverb or cliché I care not. The door on the library at the DfES offices in Sheffield has closed in that there is very little left in the collection which is of use in producing this Update. [Since the department is about education and skills, as is, ADSET one wonders what the staff in Sheffield do in order to keep up with their reading!] However, the door that has opened is also in the DfES – it's the one which leads to the library at the DfES offices in Sanctuary Buildings, London. Dawn and I experienced our first visit this month and had not only the run of the library but access to the staff restaurant and coffee bar. Another bonus is that Sanctuary Buildings is just round the corner from the DTI office where we are hoping to mop up the rest of the economic journals which we haven't seen for some time.
Possibly a little late but I bring you this from IDS Brief Number 748 (January 2004) Forewords. "Having just come to terms with 2003's offerings [of employment law] subscribers will be pleased to hear that in 2004 there will be a further raft of complex legislation to deal with." I somehow think that the word pleased was being used in a sarcastic sense! "The introduction of the rules on statutory grievance, discipline and dismissal procedures, contained in the Employment Act 2002, will require many organisations fundamentally to review their practices in this regard." Then there are draft regulations outlawing age discrimination, new rules on information and consultation and, maybe, a European Directive on agency workers. Don't hold your breath waiting for the new TUPE regulations which have been "coming soon" for over five years.
Current Awareness Abstracts: of library and information management literature
I was reading Volume 21 Number 1 (2004) and realised that I may have to give in and go for a subscription. It's a bit "hit and miss" as to whether the most recent issue is in the DWP library at the Adelphi and, even when it is, a hard copy current awareness service is always going to be behind its underlying database. And I may, if I can ever sort out the intricacies of the Emerald Insight website, be able to purchase individual articles as we used to do from Northern Light.
Members' Update is a digest of other publications. It is produced in order to draw together information appropriate to all parts of the Opportunity Information Industry.
Further education colleges are supplying courses based on demand from students, not demand from employers, which is creating an imbalance in the skills market, claims Chris Humphries, director-general of City and Guilds. Speaking at the Careers England conference, Mr Humphries demonstrated how skills which are most in demand by employers are the ones which receive the least attention from FE colleges. Technical skills are at the top of the list of skills demanded by employers. However, FE colleges are guilty of concentrating on basic computing, literacy and numeracy – courses which are at the bottom of the employer's list. Mr Humphries suggested that students may be making incorrect choices about what they want to study because they are not receiving effective careers advice.
Joe Clancy, The TES FE Focus 12 March
Update comment: Far from receiving effective careers advice many students are leaving school without ANY advice.
Ariadne is a transnational project supported by funding from the SOCRATES-GRUNTVIG 1 programme. It aims to develop a set of guidelines for developing and using web-based guidance tools. The project has three main objectives:
More information is available from Mick Carey at Careers
Europe, Onward House, Baptist Place, Bradford BD1 2PS
tel: 01274 829600
email: europe@careersb.co.uk
Newscheck February-May 2004
In a letter to Newscheck (February-May 2004), Vanessa Freeman, Careers Adviser and Guidance co-ordinator at the University of London Careers Service, argues that while technology may improve the delivery of information, it is unlikely that it could ever be used to replace careers guidance in the traditional sense of the term. She says: "There is a danger that in the move towards technology, we forget what guidance is supposed to be. Guidance is about empowering, challenging, discovering underlying issues and using experience to pick up on verbal and non-verbal communication. … I would contend that presently, we are not offering e-guidance but e-advice and information".
To mark its tenth anniversary, the Guidance Council has announced a new campaigning agenda for career guidance in the UK. The campaign calls for:
A Campaigning Agenda for Guidance (PDF 6pp) is at
www.guidancecouncil.com/downloads/campaigning_agenda.pdf
Newscheck February-May 2004
The government has announced that it is to undertake a major review of careers guidance in England, following "scathing criticism" of its Connexions service. The review will consider moves to amalgamate career guidance for both adults and children into a single body. It is also likely to consider the role of the Connexions service. In particular, it will look at whether Connexions should "continue to target young people at risk from dropping out of education at 16, or if it should provide an overall service for all teenagers." A spokesperson for the DfES said that the department intends to hold an "end-to-end review" of careers education and guidance, focusing on help for 11 to 19-year-olds.
Joe Clancy and Michael Shaw, The TES FE Focus 12 March
Kate Bullock & Mike Fertig, University of Bath
Among current concerns in the further education sector in the United Kingdom, the attainment and retention of students has attracted much consideration and subsequent intervention. In many colleges, tutor time and resources have been allocated to providing a personal tutorial entitlement for students that includes one-to-one discussions with an informed adult. This is seen as a strategy for improvement that will provide guidance and enhancement of individual learning, and also support for general well-being in the college. This article explores the perceptions of students and their tutors of the tutorial provision in one general college of further education. Expectations and experiences are compared and contrasted. Issues of significance to students and tutors are examined, and wider implications for colleges intending to implement and develop such systems drawn.
Research in Post-Compulsory Education Volume 8 Number 3 (2003)
Stephen McNair, director of the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce, presents the findings of research into the effects of age mixing at further education colleges. The research found that the majority of classes in FE colleges have age differentials, although there is usually a clear majority of either younger or older people in a class. In the majority of cases, age mixing was found to bring positive benefits. Young people claimed that they felt more motivated to learn and were more inclined to behave in an adult manner when they were in mixed groups. Older adults generally welcomed the "liveliness" of the younger students, although there was little to indicate that the group mixed outside the classroom. There was also evidence to suggest that some older students felt that they had no choice but to accept younger students, believing that their classes would not have sufficient numbers to be viable otherwise. The research also found that the perceived benefits of age mixing only held true when the youngest participants in a class were above the age of 16. Students from 16-19 did not interact well in classes where young people dominated. Moreover, staff found that mixing students from school age into mainstream provision was "problematic". Indeed, most colleges which had tried this approach were forced to revert to providing specialist provision for this age group.
Learning together: Age mixing in further education
colleges, by Stephen McNair et al is available free of charge from the
LSDA, Regent Arcade House, 19-25 Argyll Street London W1F 7LS
tel: 020 7297
9144
email: enquiries@LSDA.org.uk
It is also online (PDF 88pp) at www.lsda.org.uk/files/PDF/1544.pdf
Adults Learning Volume 15 Number 7 (March 2004)
New research suggests that adult learning can improve parenting skills, regardless of whether parenting is part of the course content. According to a study conducted by the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning, adult learners believe that their studies have improved their communication skills and boosted confidence levels, enabling them to be more understanding and patient with their children. Respondents also claimed that studying had improved their relationships with their partner and other adults. However, they felt that it was not the content of their course that made the difference. Rather, it was the change to their daily routine, and the breaking of the "Postman Pat mentality" that facilitated the personal changes to be made.
Dorothy Lepkowska, The TES 12 March
"I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me."
Noel Coward
Author: Leisha Fullick
ISBN: 1-86201-178-8
This policy discussion paper reviews the many changes that have taken place since 1997, both in government policy for adult learning and the structures that have been put in place to deliver those policies. Since 1997, the government has embarked on a series of reforms to raise the levels of skill, qualifications and general learning in the workforce and in the community at large. This paper seeks to start a debate about the key problems, desirable directions and promising patterns for adult learners that are emerging from the large-scale reform of the last few years. Leisha Fullick reviews the genesis of the Learning and Skills Council in 2002, its key tasks and the challenges that it has faced in the first years of its inception. She explores its relationships with government departments and with economic development strategies locally and looks at the creation of other key vehicles of government policy, such as the Regional Development Agencies and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, and their impact on opportunities for adult learning. Within this context, the author looks at the likely impact of the recent Skills White Paper and The White Paper on the Future of Higher Education. The paper raises a number of key issues for debate, in particular on the factors that need to be addressed to maintain the momentum for change, and on how greater coherence can be brought into the system.
Leisha Fullick is Pro Director (London) at the Institute of Education, University of London. She was a founding member of the Learning and Skills Council and is currently Vice President of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education and Chair of the Waltham Forest Strategic Education Partnership Board.
Price £8.95 from Publication Sales, NIACE, 21 De
Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GE
tel: 0116 204 4216
email:
orders@niace.org.uk
Britain trails behind the rest of Europe in taking into account people's prior workplace learning, writes Peter Kingston (The Guardian 23 March). According to new research carried out by the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council, UK colleges and universities are failing to address "accreditation of prior experiential learning" (APEL). The research highlighted systems and legislation in other EU countries which compel educational institutions to offer applicants the opportunity of APEL assessment. Professor Simon Roodhouse, chief executive of UVAC, suggests that APEL would make study more attractive to a wider audience. He suggests that a foundation degree, for example, would be much more popular if prior learning exempted students from part of it or "spared them the bother of doing an access course".
Author: Colin Flint ISBN: 1-86201-206-7
Over 80% of students enroled in colleges of further education are over the age of 19, and over 77% are over 21. Recent policy objectives have placed heavy emphasis on the colleges' role in 14–19 education, with the consequent financial priorities, which may be putting some of their equally important work with adults at risk. This policy discussion paper reviews the current position of the FE sector and its recent history since the incorporation of colleges in 1993. It explores the impact of current policies of both the government and the Department for Education and Skills, and concludes with a number of key policy recommendations, identifying who should take responsibility for their realisation. The paper serves as a reminder of the fundamental importance of FE colleges to the achievement of a learning society and for the creation of a lifelong learning culture. It asks those working in the sector, and those responsible for policy, to remember and protect the essential vision and purposes of further education, and to ensure that our pressing current priorities, vital though they are, do not deflect from the equally necessary wider ambitions.
Price £8.95 from Publication Sales, NIACE, 21 De
Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GE
tel: 0116 204 4216
email:
orders@niace.org.uk
The Association of Colleges warns that adults with poor literacy and numeracy skills are being turned away from colleges because the government's basic skills drive is running out of money. According to John Brennan, chief executive of the AoC, colleges have been told to prioritise courses that will help to meet national targets for level 2 qualifications. This leaves informal courses, such as taster sessions and those which combine literacy and numeracy with other vocational skills, in an extremely vulnerable position. The AoC is urging the government to "loosen the funding rules".
Steve Hook, The TES FE Focus 26 March
The Association of Colleges (AoC) is calling for FE institutions to receive funding for HE programmes directly from the HEFCE. The AoC says that FE colleges will provide around two thirds of the 10,000 extra foundation degree places on offer for 2004-05. The government has allocated a total of £42 million to pay for these extra places. There are around 140 colleges that will receive funding for higher education courses through partner institutions. However, the AoC argues that many higher education institutions "top-slice" a percentage of the money before passing it on to FE colleges. It is calling for the government to give colleges a direct funding stream.
Tony Tysome, The THES 19 March
A report from the Quality Assurance Agency raises questions about the quality of higher education courses which are delivered in further education colleges. The report found that a substantial proportion were experiencing difficulties with "high dropout rates, poor library facilities and overworked staff". Of 153 inspections carried out in colleges, the QAA found that more than 40% of courses had problems with student retention. More than a third of libraries needed updating and students complained that staff were often too busy to give them appropriate support. Responding to the report, the Association of Colleges and NATFHE said that students were suffering because the government was trying to meet its HE expansion targets "on the cheap".
Phil Baty, The THES 5 March
In a submission to the education and skills select committee, the Association of Colleges alleges that too many colleges are being scrutinised by inexperienced and under-qualified inspectors. The AoC argues that "a significant number" of associate inspectors and a number of lead inspectors do not possess the necessary skills or experience to judge the effectiveness of colleges. The submission stated: "The time is right to question whether inspection in its current intensive and costly form is an effective way of making further improvements."
The TES FE Focus 5 March
A-level grades and pass rates keep getting better but the stories persist of less able undergraduates struggling with the "nuts and bolts" of maths and English, writes Paul Hill (The THES 26 March). An investigation conducted on behalf of The THES claims that there has been a noticeable decline in the numeracy and literacy skills of undergraduates. Aptitude tests and "catch-up" courses reveal that students know less and less. One testing system suggested that students from the 2001 intake with a grade B in mathematics A-level showed "slightly lower levels" of competence than those who failed the A-level in 1991. Senior English lecturers claim that undergraduates lack the ability to use the "nuts and bolts of intellectual communication" effectively.
"The seven most dangerous words in the world:
Author Unknown
In an article for Adults Learning (Volume 15 Number 7 (March 2004)), Chris Duke argues that, despite the seeming evidence to the contrary, the higher and further education sectors are not completely separate and independent of each other. Mr Duke, who is the director of higher education at NIACE, maintains that what happens in higher education has an impact on further education, and vice versa. However, he feels that students who participate in HE at an FE institution are treated less favourably than their university-attending counterparts, and that this is largely because the former are more likely to be older adults who are studying on a part-time basis. Mr Duke acknowledges that such students, at just 10%, do not make up a particularly large proportion of the total HE enrolment. He points out though, that as far as the sheer weight of numbers is concerned, this 10% outnumbers the entire university student body as it was in the early 1960s. It is time, he insists, that older adult and part-time HE students received the same kind of consideration that is offered to the young, full-time group. He comments: "One has to ask, sharply, whether the name of the game is not – still – keeping the masses out of `real' universities by pushing up standards and, more sharply, distinguishing the well-groomed sheep from the slightly odiferous goats. … You have to ask whether what is special about higher education can any longer be kept in short supply and kept only for the special people."
Giving evidence to MPs on the Commons Select Committee for Education about his proposed reforms, Mike Tomlinson said that the need to change the current system was clearly underlined by the growing inability among students to write essays. Mr Tomlinson said that even the brightest pupils, with four or five A grade passes at A-level, struggle to "string their thoughts together to write an essay". He believes that this is largely due to an examination system which has "spoon-fed" pupils the answers for far too long. Mr Tomlinson's reforms would include a requirement that every sixth-former will complete a thesis-style dissertation, as part of a new diploma qualification.
Richard Garner, The Independent 6 March
A press release from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister states that postal voting will go ahead this year, but electronic voting will not. The reason, according to the department responsible, is that e-voting would place too much pressure on councils running combined local and European elections.
Info@UK Issue 36 (March 2003)
According to a survey carried out by e-learning provider SkillSoft, almost all IT e-learners said they got what they needed out of their course, regardless of whether they finished it. The survey showed that many learners wanting to update their IT skills tended to learn on-the-job and applied their new skills immediately. Kevin Young, managing director of SkillSoft, said: "The research shows us that employees are using e-learning to help them with problems they experience on a day-to-day basis. If somebody is trying to complete a specific task they can quickly review the relevant section of an online course to assist them and then apply their new knowledge immediately."
TrainingZONE Newswire Issue 299 (22 March)
The Learning and Skills Development Agency has set up a £1 million "transformation" project to assess the impact of e-learning. The funding has been awarded to nine partnerships of colleges, sixth form institutions and adult education organisations. The aim of the projects is to investigate how e-learning can transform the ways in which people learn through the application of technology. They will attempt to discover what works and why, and how to overcome barriers to e-learning.
A full list of projects and successful bids is at www.lsda.org.uk
TrainingZONE Newswire Issue 297 (8 March)
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has announced that it is scrapping the UK e-university (UKeU). The project, which cost around £62 million, has failed to generate sufficient interest from either students or private investors. HEFCE is consulting with UKeU, but it is believed that the aim will be to utilise the remaining funds to support e-learning programmes at individual universities and colleges. HEFCE claims that the programme failed because institutions and students are more interested in blended learning, rather than learning which is delivered solely via electronic media. However, other sources suggest that UKeU spent far too much money on its operating platform, leaving little available for developing high quality content.
Donald MacLeod, The Guardian 4 March
The University of Sheffield aims to expand e-learning by 100% in two years. Sheffield currently delivers 430 e-learning modules, which are accessed by more than 10,000 students. These students represent 45% of the total enrolment at Sheffield University.
TrainingZONE Newswire Issue 297 (15 March)
The Learning and Skills Council is to place "a tighter rein" on the finances of learndirect after it was revealed that it is providing questionable value for money. According to the Annual Report of the Learning and Skills Council, training provided by the University for Industry (UfI) via the learndirect brand was 65% of what was expected in its first year. The report found that, of the total learndirect spend for the year 2001-02, more than a third went on administration costs. Pablo Lloyd, deputy chief executive at UfI, defended the findings. Mr Lloyd said that learndirect represented good value for money, at £249 per 15 hours learner time. Mr Lloyd believes that both this price, and the cost of administration will fall as student numbers increase. He pointed out that, for the year 2002-03, learndirect had fulfilled 80% of what the LSC said it must do.
Steve Hook, The TES FE Focus 12 March
Update comment: Incidentally, the Association of Colleges quite rightly complained that they would face "severe criticism" if they only achieved 80% of what the LSC said they must do!
Training organisation Topss England and Community Care have launched an interactive e-learning project for people considering a career in care work. It also supports new workers entering the social care workforce to complete the induction standards, which are the required benchmark of "fitness to practice" for all new workers in registered care services. The project is also intended to support young people who are undertaking vocational GCSEs and A-levels in health and social care.
Community Care 12-18 February
The Office of Fair Trading has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the Distance Selling Regulations (DSRs) after preliminary research found that many businesses are unaware of this law. The DSRs are designed to protect consumers who purchase goods and services without face-to-face contact with the supplier. The DSRs give extra protection to consumers who shop using methods such as mail order, the Internet, telephone or cable television. Most businesses who regularly sell by such means must comply with the DSRs. The OFT's campaign is designed to help businesses ensure that they comply with the regulations. Under the regulations businesses must give consumers:
OFT press release 40/04 (9 March)
Information Law
Newsletter Issue 36 (12 March 2004)
KeepingLegal.com © Paul Pedley
Volume 44 Number 1 Spring 2004
Recent economic and financial developments
HRLooK has produced a "definitive guide to the Budget for HR and payroll
professionals".
HRLooK's Budget 2004 Summary (PDF 11pp) is at
www.hrlook.com/documents/Budget2004Summary01.pdf
HRLooK 18 March
Gordon Brown must prove he can win the war on public sector waste in order to claim victory for what he calls "the British model" of economic growth, stability and full employment, according to Dr John Philpott, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The CIPD welcomes the Chancellor's general focus on education, science and enterprise, as well as his specific proposals on skills, red tape and welfare reform. But the CIPD also cautioned against a crude war on waste, pointing out that a major cost cutting programme carries potential risks as well as benefits. Commenting on the Budget, Dr Philpott said: "The CIPD accepts that efficiency savings can be made in Whitehall and throughout the public sector by way of improved technology, better procurement procedures and more effective management and HR practices. Savings on the £20 billion scale mentioned in the budget – in line with those earmarked by Sir Peter Gershon – will only be possible in the context of an effective change management process. Losing a net total of 45,000 civil service jobs will take considerable HR effort given the necessary redundancies involved and the need to retrain redundant workers for new roles. If the process is not handled carefully, the war on waste could prove more difficult to pursue than the Chancellor and his waste warrior advisors suggest."
CIPD press release 17 March
The TUC has published its full budget analysis. The analysis covers public spending, civil service job losses, pensions, skills, industry, child poverty, tax credits and other welfare reforms in detail.
It is (PDF 12pp) at www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-7792-f0.pdf
TUC press release 18 March
A transcript of the full Education Budget Statement to the House of Commons has been provided by The Guardian (18 March).
Schools will get an extra £1,000 per pupil by 2008 as part of an £8.5 billion education settlement, Chancellor Gordon Brown promised in his Budget. Increases in education spending were the central theme of the Budget, despite warnings from some experts that economic problems would force him to cut back on public services. In addition, Mr Brown said that headteachers would be given greater flexibility in how to spend the extra money.
Jon Slater and Michael Shaw, The TES 19 March
Gordon Brown has informed a relieved higher education sector that the government intends to "fully fund rising student numbers until 2008". Mr Brown said that public spending in real terms will remain level, even after top-up fees are introduced in 2006. Other issues from the budget which pertain to education include:
Alan Thomson and Anna Fazackerley, The THES 19 March
Gordon Brown has indicated that science funding will be boosted in this Summer's spending review. Mr Brown said that the future of Britain depended on research and enterprise. He announced plans for a 10-year investment strategy "to make Britain more attractive to research companies". The strategy will, he said, achieve:
Sarah Hall, political correspondent, The Guardian 3 March
Schools, universities and colleges across the UK will receive an extra £8.5 billion over the next three years as their share of this Summer's spending review. The review will distribute cash between 2005 and 2008. Education expenditure will rise by an average of 4.4% per year after inflation and spending per pupil will increase from £4,500 this year to £5,500 by 2008. Announcing the figures, Chancellor Gordon Brown said that the increases would take education spending from "one of the lowest levels in the industrialised world" to "amongst the best". Teaching unions dismissed the increases as "woefully inadequate".
Sarah Cassidy, Education Correspondent, The Independent 18 March
Good practice in further education colleges often remains hidden or unexploited because staff lack the strategies and skills to share such practice within their own organisations, says a new publication from the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA). From little acorns: towards a strategy for spreading good practice within colleges sets out to discover how further education colleges identify, validate, share and transfer good internal practice and the factors that support or inhibit good practice sharing. The research findings question the assumption that colleges and staff that are effective at developing good practice necessarily have the skills and strategies to ensure the successful transfer of this practice. Key findings include:
From little acorns: towards a strategy for spreading
good practice within colleges by Philip Cox and Vikki Smith is available
from
Information Services, LSDA, Regent Arcade House, 19-25 Argyll Street
London W1F 7LS
tel: 0207 297 9144
email:
enquiries@LSDA.org.uk
LSDA press release 10 March
German universities have mounted a publicity campaign to woo British and international students to their fee-free degree courses, writes Tony Halpin (The Times 22 March). The institutions are offering a selection of courses, taught in English and leading to a recognised bachelor's degree, in the hope of convincing overseas students to enrol. Nina Lemmens, the London-based director of the German Academic Exchange Service, the DAAD, said: "We very much hope that students in England will take advantage of this. They will be very welcome."
More information is at www.daad.de/deutschland/en/
According to an item in Welcome to the Weekend (12 March), cheating job applicants have taken to paying hackers to get into university databases and either "improve" their awards, or enrol them on courses they never actually attended. The story, reported by Reuters, claims that job hunters are also buying fake degrees from online companies such as easydiploma.com. These companies have become a little more sophisticated over time and many now offer a telephone verification service. Prospective employers can ring the number provided and be reassured that the candidate before them is a genius and would be a joy to have in the workplace.
Update comment: Well, it sure beats studying for a degree. And, at $75 for membership, it's a whole lot cheaper too.
The Schwartz review of university admissions is likely to recommend that the government should introduce a national aptitude test to identify the best students. The review committee, chaired by Professor Steven Schwartz, vice-chancellor of Brunel University, believes that the practice of requiring applicants to sit additional tests at individual universities is divisive and can be unreliable. Professor Schwarz said: "Some of these examinations are neither reliable nor valid. Even those that are reliable and valid have a cost – for travel to the test site and sometimes payment for the test itself. To the extent that this keeps students from low-income backgrounds from applying, such expense can be a barrier to participation. If universities are going to use examinations, then it is preferable to have one well-constructed national examination rather than to make students pay travel costs and fees to take many different tests." He would like to see the introduction of tests similar to the SATs taken by American students.
Alison Goddard, The THES 19 March
Scotland's Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace has promised early action to protect Scottish students from being disadvantaged by English top-up fees. This announcement could heighten speculation that the Scottish Executive may be preparing to take steps to prevent "fee refugees" from England flooding Scottish universities. Mr Wallace said that the Executive was also considering a proposal to subsidise Scottish students wishing to study at English universities. Mr Wallace said: "Our first priority, our prime responsibility as an Executive, must be to protect the interest of Scottish-domiciled students wherever they choose to study in the UK. We are determined that Scottish-domiciled students are not disadvantaged as a result of the changes in the rest of the UK."
Elizabeth Buie, The Scottish Herald 18 March
The Phase 3 Review into higher education, a collaborative venture involving all the main participants in the sector, was published today (4 March). Jim Wallace, Lifelong Learning Minister, said that it made "a very considered and persuasive case for investment in Scottish higher education". The Review provides a collection of data on the key issues influencing the competitiveness of the sector such as staffing, student flows, the fabric of the estate and sources of income. It will help inform the Executive's forthcoming Spending Review.
Scottish Executive News Release SEEL286/2004 4 March
In an article for The THES (12 March), Alison Goddard tells us that students are turning their backs on London universities in favour of cheaper alternatives in other parts of the country. An analysis of figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, conducted by The THES, shows that universities and colleges in London have seen full-time enrolments fall by 3%. However, the largest falls are recorded by new universities in the capital, such as London Guildhall (now part of London Metropolitan) and Thames University.
According to a report commissioned by the Greater London Authority to examine the cost of studying in London, rising costs have "polarised" students in the capital. The report suggests that mounting costs for housing, travel and other necessities have led to a division between the rich, who can afford to study in London, and the poor, for whom even rent-free accommodation would not help them to afford their studies. The report concludes that the cost of being a student in London has risen nearly twice as fast as the cost of studying outside London since tuition fees were introduced in 1998.
Alison Goddard, The THES 19 March
University College London has joined with other HE institutions trying to boost income by changing their student populations. UCL has unveiled plans to "diversify its student intake and reduce its reliance on state funding". As is the case at other institutions, in practice this means that it will be increasing its postgraduate population, increasing the proportion of students drawn from outside the EU but freezing all other intakes.
Alison Goddard, The THES 26 March
"You can complain because roses have thorns or you can rejoice because thorns have roses."
Ziggy
In addition to the threat that it will freeze the number of home students that it enrols, Oxford University claims that it will also expand its postgraduate provision. According to internal strategy documents obtained by The THES, Oxford claims that it will increase full-time student numbers entirely through postgraduate provision. The document acknowledges that the move will cause a "convergence in size of the undergraduate and graduate populations". However, it states that this will facilitate Oxford's reduction of dependence on state grants.
Phil Baty, The THES 12 March
Alex Neil, the incoming chair of the Universities' Association for Continuing Education Scotland, believes that Scottish universities should streamline their numbers if higher education north of the border is to "maintain its place in the international research league". Mr Neil, of the Scottish National Party, argues that the best way to achieve this would be to make sure that no city has more than one university. Those which are based in a single city, such as Edinburgh, Napier and Heriot-Watt universities, should merge, he said. This would create fewer institutions, but each institution would be in a much stronger financial position.
Olga Wojtas, The THES 12 March
The number of first-class honours degrees awarded at the 19 research-led Russell group universities has increased by 50% in five years. Élite universities awarded 9,475 firsts last year, 50% more than five years ago. Lord Matthew Oakeshott, a Liberal Democrat peer claims that this is clear evidence that UK universities are "dumbing down". However, it is worth noting that the number of firsts awarded still only represents 15.5% of the total degree awards, a figure which has risen from 11.8% over the same period.
Polly Curtis, The Guardian 15 March
Funding worth £212 million has been allocated for research in universities for 2004-05 – a rise of 11.6% compared with the previous year. The rise is part of the funding allocation package unveiled by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) today (17 March). The Executive is currently examining the Phase 3 Review of higher education in Scotland. This report provides information about the competitiveness of Scotland's higher education sector, including the implications of proposals in the English HE Bill. The Review will help inform the Executive's forthcoming spending review.
A full breakdown of the SHEFC allocations is at www.shefc.ac.uk
Scottish Executive News Release SEel293/2004 17 March
John Colvin, University College Worcester, England
Higher education institutions in the United Kingdom are subject to a variety of pressures to encourage a more inclusive and broader-based student body. This has resulted in an extended range of flexible course delivery patterns for mature, part-time students. This article discusses a pilot to extend the academic year for a small cohort of such students using a web-based learning environment. The pilot delivered the course outside the traditional teaching period (in the Summer vacation period). The article first introduces the background to the pilot and details its aims. This is followed by a review of the pilot that was devised for evaluation purposes and an analysis of its implementation. Finally, by way of summary, there are general comments on the pilot, and specific comments on encouraging collaboration and site usage, on training, on lurking and on flaming.
Research in Post-Compulsory Education
Volume 8 Number 3 (2003)
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has published how much money it will distribute to universities for teaching and research in 2004-05. The Council says that it will distribute a 9% cash increase in total grants. This, it says, builds on an increase of almost 8% announced last year. However, the overall increase hides cuts to the grants at almost 50 institutions. While some institutions have seen their funding frozen or cut because of poor research ratings, it appears that most are the result of a failure to fill student places.
Alison Goddard, The THES 5 March
The government has revealed that universities are to be given a permanent "third stream" of funding, alongside teaching and research cash, to foster collaboration with business. In its preliminary response to the Lambert review of university-business links, the government confirmed that it will develop the Higher Education Innovation Fund as a permanent third stream "to further build the capacity in the university sector for knowledge transfer".
Phil Baty, The THES 19 March
In an article for KMWorld (Volume 13 Issue 3 (March 2004)), Susan Feldman of International Data Corporation details the expense in time, money and corporate goals when people can't find the right information in a timely manner.
Neat New Stuff I Found This Week 26 March
© Marylaine Block, 1999-2004
A new degree course offered by the University of Leicester is seeking to halt the decline of interest in science among undergraduates. i-science combines multi-disciplinary modules from seven disciplines – physics, chemistry, biology, geography, archaeology, maths and geology. Each module will examine a particular topic and look at the way in which each discipline is affected by, or has an impact on, the topic. It will also examine the way in which the disciplines impact upon each other. In this way, the degree aims to offer an alternative to the highly specialised courses currently on offer.
Jan Zalasiewicz, The Guardian 17 March
Attempts by Cambridge University to widen participation have been scuppered by poor results from state-school pupils. The university argues that it offered places to more state-school pupils. However, one in five failed to achieve the grade required for their conditional offer last summer. Geoff Parks, director of admissions for the Cambridge colleges, said: "Just a few state-school students deferring entry or not meeting offers can easily turn a percentage increase in offers into a percentage fall in acceptances."
Claire Sanders, The THES 19 March
In a speech to the Labour Party's Spring conference, Tony Blair announced that the government is developing plans that will effectively outlaw leaving school at age 16.
Mr Blair argued that the government wanted the school leaving age to become "irrelevant". Under the proposals, which will affect up to 600,000 children a year, young people will be required to either stay at school or take another form of job training or apprenticeship. He said: "We do not want a culture of dropping out, but a culture of getting on."
Kamal Ahmed, political editor, The Observer 14 March
The provision of education and training across the Wakefield area is satisfactory in meeting the needs of learners, employers and the local community, according to a report published by the Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) today (15 March). The quality of 14-19 education and training, guidance and support available to young people, and leadership and management are all satisfactory. However, the strategy for 14-19 education and training, the academic achievements of 14-19 year olds, and access to and participation in education and training are all unsatisfactory.
The report is at www.ofsted.gov.uk
Brief details are in the OfSTED press release NR 2004 - 20 15 March
The effectiveness and efficiency of education and training across the Isle of Wight in meeting the needs of learners, employers and the community are satisfactory overall, says a report published by the Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) today (15 March). The plans of the main education and training stakeholders demonstrate a clear commitment to improve levels of participation and achievement, but a more explicit strategy for 14-19 education and training is now needed.
The report is at www.ofsted.gov.uk
Brief details are in the OfSTED press release NR 2004 - 21 15 March
The overwhelming majority of childminders and daycare providers are very positive about their Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) inspections. They welcome the new approach to inspection OfSTED provides according to the report Early Years: Progress in developing high quality childcare and early education accessible to all, published by the National Audit Office (NAO). The NAO report concludes that childcare providers found their inspection was efficient and caused minimal disruption. Nine out of ten were satisfied with the inspection process overall and an even higher proportion of providers found inspectors to be professional, courteous and clear in their explanations of what improvements they, as providers, should make following their inspections.
The report Early Years: Progress in developing high
quality childcare and early education accessible to all, is
available, (ISBN: 0-10292-733-2 price £10.75) from
The Stationery
Office tel: 0845 702 3474. It is also online (PDF 54pp) at
http://tinyurl.com/yrgl9
OfSTED press release 27 February
Leaked correspondence from the cabinet shows that four senior Labour ministers have warned the home secretary against accelerating the introduction of compulsory ID cards. According to the Sunday Times, the letters reveal that foreign secretary Jack Straw, transport secretary Alistair Darling, chief secretary to the treasury Paul Boateng, and trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt, have stressed a second bill should be passed before the scheme is made compulsory. The cabinet opponents believe that David Blunkett has reneged on a promise to introduce the cards "by incremental steps". The draft legislation, due to be published during April, appears to allow a compulsory scheme to be introduced after a simple vote of MPs and peers without the need for fresh legislation.
Alan Travis, home affairs editor, The Guardian 22 March
The National Science Foundation's (NSF) workshop on the future of digital library research has just published its final report. The workshop brought together a team of educators, researchers, librarians and technologists to consider the future research agenda for digital libraries. The report recommends that, in order to maintain national expertise and achieve necessary gains in research and education, the NSF should provide $20 million per year for innovative and exploratory research to address challenges in the creation, collection, organisation, use and long-term availability of digital resources of all sorts in a rapidly evolving global information infrastructure. The report also suggests that $40 million per year be budgeted for transformative change to infrastructure and practice. The danger facing digital libraries is an abundance of information and insufficient information management. As a result, individuals and communities risk losing the ability to control and manage their own data.
Knowledge Lost in Information: Report of the NSF Workshop on Research Directions for Digital Libraries, June 2003 www.sis.pitt.edu/~dlwkshop/report.pdf
ShelfLife No 149 (25 March 2004) www.rlg.org
Pieter van Brakel, Rands Afrikaans university, Johannesburg
Intranets and portals are supposed to provide an infrastructure through which end-users can gain effective access to information sources needed to assist in daily tasks such as effective decision making, planning and research. This paper discusses the current lack of clarity on how to address the external information issue in conjunction with the current popularity of portals and their multiplicity, emphasising in particular the confusion in regards to what constitutes each portal type.
The Electronic Library: the international journal for the application of technology in information environments
Update comment: I (Hazel) found this absolutely fascinating from the tautology of the phrase "information portal" to the realisation that there is little difference between a website and a portal.
The Law Library of Congress is revamping its Global Legal Information Network – a massive database containing statutes, regulations and related legal materials originating from countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. "This major system re-design will keep in step with 21st century expectations for GLIN performance," says Law Librarian of Congress Dr Rubins Medina. Virginia-based Advanced Technology Systems has been selected to upgrade the system, which will be open to the public except where copyright restrictions or distribution agreements of particular countries preclude this.
Association of Law Libraries Press Release 18 March www.aallnet.org/press/press040318.asp
ShelfLife No 149 (25 March 2004) www.rlg.org
In the case of Durant v Financial Services Authority, heard in the Court of Appeal on 8 December 2003, the Court made a significant decision which "represents a more restrictive approach to the meaning of `personal data' and `relevant filing system' than that adopted by the Information Commissioner to date." Guidance from the Commissioner's Office has been reviewed and amended.
Adviser March/April 2004 Number 102
The important point that is brought out in the article in IDS Brief (Number 749 (January 2004)) is that the Court thought that, in order to constitute a "relevant filing system" a manual filing system had to allow files to be identified without having to make a manual search of them. [Phew! This justifies the advice that Peter Gillman and I have been delivering in connection with this aspect of the DPA.] If you want (need?) to collect personal information about casual callers retain the information in an unstructured file. It is also clear from the Court of Appeal ruling that the fact that an email is to, from or contains mention of a person by name does not mean that the Act applies. The IDS view is that large amounts of electronic information do not need to be disclosed just because a person's name is mentioned – the records or documents in question have to be about that person in some defined way. IDS Forewords concludes: "We may be a step closer to clarity, but there is still a long way to go."
Update comment: Need to understand this, or indeed other aspects of the DPA, better? Book one or both of us to come and do a workshop with you.
The Office of the Information Commissioner has issued a brief guide to data protection for small business.
The 6-page PDF document is at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/eventual.aspx?id=6114
Information Law Newsletter Issue 37 (20 March 2004)
KeepingLegal.com © Paul Pedley
Eurobarometer has done a special survey on data protection. The results are at http://europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion/archives/eb_special.htm#data where there is the full report, highlights and an executive summary.
Information Law Newsletter Issue 37 (20 March 2004)
KeepingLegal.com © Paul Pedley
The E.A.T. upholds an employment tribunal's decision that a probation officer who was dismissed following his employer's discovery of his links to a business involved in sadomasochistic activities had been fairly dismissed.
IDS Brief 747 (December 2004)
The Health and Safety Executive has launched a new interactive consultation system on its website. This is being used for the first time to seek views on how restrictions on HSE disclosing information can be brought into line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Much information HSE holds is provided either in compliance with a legal duty or because inspectors require it during investigations. Currently, Section 28 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (the HSW Act) restricts the circumstances in which HSE can disclose such information to third parties. Essentially, unless the provider gives their consent, information cannot be disclosed except for legal proceedings; in connection with functions conferred by the HSW Act or related to public health or safety; or as otherwise provided in law, e.g. the Data Protection Act. Section 28 does not allow HSE to take account of wider public interest arguments in favour of releasing information. Introducing this pilot exercise, HSE consultation manager Keith Pritchard said: "If you have to provide information to HSE, or you look to HSE to release information, you may want to know what effect the FOI Act will have on section 28. From 1 January 2005, information covered by section 28 will no longer have special protection, and requests for access must be treated in the same way as for other information. That means taking account of the strong presumption in the FOI Act that the public interest requires information to be made available. We would like your views on how section 28 can best be amended to take account of the FOI Act."
The consultation system contains a suite of discussion and background documents, including frequently asked questions. This is at www.hse.gov.uk/consult/live.htm and will be open until 21 May 2004.
Anyone not able to use the online system can obtain
copies of the documents and questionnaire from
Keith Pritchard, Section 28
Consultation Manager, HSE, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS
email: keith.pritchard@hse.gsi.gov.uk
HSE press release E035: 04 22 March
Fretwell-Downing Informatics has responded to the challenge faced by public authorities which need to comply with the Freedom of Information Act with the release of OLIB version 7.4. New features have been included that are designed to meet the demands of the Freedom of Information Act and support developments in corporate governance.
Information Law Newsletter Issue 36 (12 March 2004)
KeepingLegal.com © Paul Pedley
Update comment: Details in the above Newsletter or from Fretwell-Downing
"The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds."
Will Durant
Local authorities must do more to get ready for Freedom of Information the Information Commissioner's Office has announced. The announcement comes in response to a survey investigating how prepared local authorities are to meet their responsibilities under the new Freedom of Information legislation – set to come into force in January 2005. Phil Boyd, assistant commissioner at the Information Commissioner's Office, said: "With ten months to go before Freedom of Information the clock is ticking for many local authorities. While it is clear that local authorities recognise that the new legislation is looming, it is also apparent that many have not woken up to the scale of the challenge."
The full report of the survey findings is at www.information commission.gov.uk
Information Law Newsletter Issue 36 (12 March 2004)
KeepingLegal.com © Paul Pedley
In an effort to raise awareness about issues surrounding the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act – which will come into force in January 2005 – a lecturer in information management at Liverpool John Moore's University has launched a web log dedicated to the subject. Stephen Wood of the university's School of Business Information is a passionate believer in FOI.
www.foia.blogspot.com, also a monthly newsletter
Information World Review Issue 198 (January 2004)
John Wheatley looks (Adviser March/April 2004 Number 102) at the potential for advisers to help in the delivery of e-government services. Government policy for England and Wales is that all departments should involve voluntary sector intermediaries in the delivery of e-government services as part of their overall strategy. Whilst this is a commendable effort by the Office of the e-Envoy to assist the most socially excluded people access e-government services there are considerable difficulties with making the idea work on the front line. A large part of the problem, says Mr Wheatley, is chasing the target "all your services should be online by 2005". There is no adequate definition of "all" or "service".
Mr Wheatley argues that making benefit claim forms available in PDF so that people can print them, fill them in with a pen and then find an envelope, a stamp and put this, often bulky, item into the hands of the Royal Mail is not providing an online service. Citizens Advice has the view that government forms should be developed to have a common "look and feel" in order to encourage people to use them.
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chair and founder of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977
Bizarre News 24 March
The Committee for Economic Development (www.ced.org) has published a report, Promoting Innovation and Economic Growth: The Special Problem of Digital Intellectual Property. In the report, CED urges a measured response in addressing digital piracy.
There is a press notice, summary (www.ced.org/docs/summary/summary_dcc.pdf) and full report
Information Law Newsletter Issue 35 (5 March 2004)
KeepingLegal.com © Paul Pedley
In an article for the Observer (7 March), Simon Caulkin argues that software companies must stop selling poor quality products. He suggests that such companies should pay more attention to getting the product right in the first place, rather than releasing programmes which consumers must then continually "fix". He highlights the work of Watts Humphrey, a former director of programming at IBM who is now a fellow at Carnegie Mellon University's software engineering institute (SEI).
Mr Humphrey believes that it is not programmers and software developers that are responsible for the issue of poor products. Rather, it is inefficient management practices, which focus on making the product "good enough" to be saleable. Any problems are fixed later – usually at great cost to the company and the consumer. In contrast, Mr Humphrey's management model has built quality control into development from the outset of a project. Indeed, a recent SEI study of 20 projects run on Humphrey's methods found that they all came in on time, on budget and essentially defect-free. As Mr Humphrey is keen to point out, focusing on creating a good quality product makes sound business sense. However, he believes that the software industry is not listening. He says: "Unfortunately, the software industry has not yet learned the fundamental quality lesson already learned by other industries [such as automobiles, semiconductors and microelectronics]. That is, it takes longer and costs more money to produce poor quality products than it does to do quality work in the first place."
Update comment: This is a really interesting article which draws parallels between software companies – Microsoft in particular – and the US automobile industry. Definitely worth a read if you have the time.
"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it."
Sam Levenson
The Society of Information Technology Management has published its latest survey of e-government roll-out. Better Connected 2004 shows that there has been much improvement. However, the report also highlights the scale of the e-government task still to be achieved. Transactions offered are up by more than 46% compared with 2002; one third of sites have moved up a rank in the Better Connected four-rank system; a user survey of nine sample local authority sites shows that 83% were likely to make the website their first port of call if looking for similar information in future; and technical errors are down. The report reveals that, while there have been tangible improvements to the number of services available, the availability of e-government remains dependent on where you live. Some local authorities have almost all transactions available electronically – Birmingham City Council will become the first British city to make all of its services available online. The most commonly available transaction is paying council tax. Other popular transactions are reporting faulty streetlights and graffiti. The least common were making a housing benefit claim and booking a sports facility.
Better Connected 2004, a survey of local authority websites is available, price £350, from SOCITM. For more details, visit www.socitm.gov.uk
Michael Cross, The Guardian 11 March
Susan Henry, City University
In an effort to increase turnout at elections the UK government has been piloting electronic voting. At the 2002 local elections five councils tested remote Internet voting for the first time. Swindon Borough Council conducted the largest pilot, offering remote Internet voting to all voters. Almost 15,000 voters were surveyed as to their motivation for choosing their voting method. Turnout did increase by 3.5% but it is impossible to state conclusively that this was due to the availability of the Internet voting option, since most Internet voters were already regular voters. Future pilots should allow a more conclusive assessment of the impact on turnout of remote Internet voting.
Aslib Proceedings: new information perspectives
The Electoral Commission has issued new guidelines which should make it easier for disabled people to participate in elections. The guidelines, Equal access to electoral procedures, aim to provide electoral administrators with examples and advice on how best to ensure equal access to polling stations, election literature, poll cards and electoral registration forms. They were developed in response to a study conducted at the last General Election which revealed that as many as one in seven polling stations had access problems.
Equal access to electoral procedures (PDF 35pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/33rdg
Disability Now March 2004
The Disability Now Baywatch campaign, which aims to combat the abuse of parking bays designated for disabled people, reveals that one in five bays are still being used by non-disabled drivers. Indeed, the 2004 Baywatch survey shows that the number of bays which are misused has risen at all of the "Big Four" supermarkets (ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Safeway). Those who complained to stores claim that the response has worsened, with less than a third saying that stores responded well to complaints.
For more information about the Baywatch campaign, visit: www.baywatchcampaign.org/
Disability Now March 2004
According to research from disability charity Leonard Cheshire, within the next three decades, Mars could become a more accessible destination than Margate for disabled travellers. A spokesperson for the charity commented: "There are ambitious plans for people to be travelling to Mars within the next three decades, yet we still may not have accessible trains within this time! Millions of people around the UK won't live long enough to use an accessible system, yet being able to access transport is a basic and essential right, and is the gateway to participating fully in society."
Community Care 5-11 February
The Learning Disability Task Force has criticised the government for its publication of the draft Disability Discrimination Bill. Michelle Chinery, co-chair of the Task Force, complained that the accessible version of the draft bill was not available until almost two months after the non-accessible version. She described the accessible version as "absolutely terrible" and "not very accessible at all". In addition, she pointed out that the tight deadline for responses did not give people with learning difficulties "sufficient time to digest the information and formulate a response".
Community Care 5-11 February
Research into employers' and service providers' knowledge of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has found that there are still too many "myths and misconceptions" about what constitutes disability. The research, which was carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, discovered that a significant number of employers and organisations which do not have disabled people on the payroll have "little idea" how the DDA defines disability. It called on the government to launch a campaign to raise awareness about the breadth of disability.
Community Care 12-18 February
The Prime Minister has been criticised for using "insulting and inappropriate" language at a reception to mark the end of the European Year of the Disabled. Guests were reported to be "appalled" when Mr Blair used the phrase "the disabled" three times in a speech. Disabled campaigners argued that the PM "really ought to know better". Andy Rickell, chief executive of the British Council for Disabled People, commented: "The language was inappropriate. It was the implication that we are a homogeneous group of people whose main or only characteristic is that we have impairments."
Disability Now January 2004
The BBC has announced a series of targets designed to "improve the portrayal of disabled people on its channels". The targets include having at least one regular disabled character in a BBC drama series; and ensuring that key entertainment series such as The Weakest Link and Mastermind, feature a minimum of one disabled contestant in 50. The BBC aims to meet these targets by the end of the year.
Disability Now March 2004
According to a survey by Fuel Group, 69% of HR staff are not aware of the new diversity legislation and only 10% have been trained. The survey found "huge" differences in training and awareness between public and private sectors. While only 15% of the private sector staff had ever received any diversity training, exactly half of the public sector executives had been on courses. 40% of public sector staff were aware of the new regulation, yet only 22% of those in commerce had heard of them. Steve Dineen, chief executive of Fuel Group commented: "This confirms that awareness and training, even among those who ought to be the first to know, is still low."
HRLooK Daily News 24 March
Alfred Loo and Ming-te Lu, Lingnan University, Hong Kong and Chris Bloor, University of Sunderland
The right of blind people to access the Internet is simply ignored in many countries because web pages have been designed for "normal" people. This article describes, in some detail, the development of an HCI which allows people without sight to use the Internet. It also covers existing technological solutions and assesses why none of these is the ultimate answer to the problem of providing visually impaired people with a meaningful experience of the Internet.
The Electronic Library: the international journal for the application of technology in information environments
Update comment: My reaction on reading this was, WOW!
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has published the final four Disability Guides in the series: Guide 9 (Accessible Environments), Guide 10 (Outreach and Partnerships), Guide 11 (Consulting Disabled People), Guide 12 (Employment at Every Level). They are available on the MLA website at www.mla.gov.uk/action/learnacc/00access_03.asp and in hard copy by contacting: Central Books Ltd at email: mo@centralbooks.com. Issues 1-8 are also available on the MLA website and from the above distribution company.
managinginformation.com 17 March
The National Library for the Blind (NLB), the library service for vision-impaired people, has developed a series of free online training courses for support workers and others on the basics of access technology. The Access Technology Primer is funded by The Health Foundation and is free to all users. It is aimed at rehabilitation workers, library staff and educational support staff who are involved with training visually impaired users. However, it may also be of interest to anyone who would like to gain further understanding about working with access technology and supporting those who use it.
URL: http://atp.nlb-online.org/Lessons/p_00.php
E-Access Bulletin Issue 51 (March 2004)
Innovations in Information is a magazine which aims to improve the provision of information relevant to the needs of disabled people, refugees and others who are "severely disadvantaged by lack of information". Subscription (£12 a year for 3 issues) automatically confers membership of the Forum.
For more information, contact the Forum
tel: 0207
402 6681
email: info@nif.org.uk
URL:
www.nif.org.uk
Disability Now March 2004
The Computer Misuse Act 1990, the UK's principle law against hacking and computer crime, is to be investigated by the All Party Parliamentary Internet Group (APIG), on the grounds that it is "outdated". Speaking at the launch of the investigation, Brian White, treasurer of APIG, said that in today's environment of fast-moving Internet and mobile technology – and increasingly sophisticated ways of attacking it – definitions for computer crimes must be more specific and penalties harsher. The inquiry will look at the breadth of the current Computer Misuse Act, consider any loopholes that need plugging and set about making the necessary revisions.
Caroline Berdon, Infoconomy Bulletin 19 March
A study of more than 400 MBA graduates in the UK and Canada has revealed that men are more than twice as likely to gain a high salary and status as a result of their study than their female counterparts. The study revealed that women gain non-tangible benefits, such as an increase in confidence or assertiveness. However, men spend more time learning the "hard skills" which will bring them better salaries. Dr Ruth Simpson of Brunel University, who carried out the research with Dr Jane Sturgess of Kings College London, said that women still encountered career barriers, which were deeply embedded in "the attitudes and culture of an organisation". However, Dr Simpson commented: "Women, you could argue, benefited more. They come out seeing the world, their organisations and their managers differently".
Miranda Green, Education Correspondent,
Financial Times 1 March
In an article for The Guardian (16 March), Elizabeth Cripps argues that, despite increases in the number of women postgraduates in science, the higher up the academic ladder a woman progresses, "the more like an all-boys' club it appears". Ms Cripps highlights a new website which will target women in science, engineering and technology (SET). The website belongs to the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET, which will officially launch on 28 June.
URL: www.setwomenresource.org.uk
The Girl Guide movement is mounting a drive to teach business and industry skills to girls to try to ensure that the head start they get on boys at school and university is not squandered when they move into the world of work. The organisation intends to forge links with the construction, finance and legal industries as well as the Armed Forces, in order to break "the persistence of gender stereotyping, which still leads a disproportionately high number of girls into relatively low-paid and low-status jobs". Research conducted by the organisation revealed that nearly three quarters of parents were more likely to encourage their daughters to become midwives (73%) and childminders (70%) than join the Army or become a plumber (both less than 1%). Denise King, chief executive of Girlguiding UK, said: "We are not about a feminist agenda. I do not subscribe to the idea that girls and women want it all. If you want to have a family and stay at home, then that is fine. But girls should have a choice and at the moment their choices are too limited."
Alexandra Frean, Times Online 13 March
Lady Warwick, the chief executive of Universities UK, has warned that there will be serious repercussions for the UK if nothing is done to address the under-representation of women in higher education. Delivering the Barbara Diamond memorial lecture, held each year on the issue of women and equality, Lady Warwick claimed that women must be given more encouragement to aim for senior positions in academia. She maintained that higher education "feeds into" the wider society. A lack of women in senior positions in HE produces a "spin-off effect", whereby other important and influential bodies suffer gender imbalances. She said: "In this changed environment, standards and expectations of fairness and equality of opportunity have been raised. Academia cannot isolate itself from `the real world' and pursue learning exclusively. It must legitimise itself by reflecting the society it serves."
Rebecca Smithers, education correspondent,
The Guardian 18 March
Do you remember the case of the civil servant who claimed that being required to wear a collar and tie for work amounted to sexual discrimination? The upholding of his claim by an employment tribunal made headlines, as any story of this kind does. What has not made any headlines that I've seen, except the one in IDS Brief (Number 751 (February 2004)), is that the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) has allowed an appeal by the Department for Work and Pensions (the employer in the case) and remitted the case to a fresh tribunal.
A police officer has embarked on a legal challenge against his employers, accusing them of sex discrimination. The constable is claiming that senior officers adopt employment practices that favour single working mothers over single fathers. Although the divorced constable is the primary carer of his children, he claims that bosses at his force refused to accommodate his home responsibilities. Instead, his employers transferred him to a post that made it more difficult for him to look after his children.
Robert Verkaik, Legal Affairs Correspondent,
The Independent 17 March
Research conducted on behalf of financial and business advice firm Grant Thornton suggests that women are more likely to succeed in Scotland than England. The study revealed that more than one in five (21%) senior managers in Scotland are female, compared with just 12% in England. The researchers claim that the glass ceiling is thinner in Scotland because of greater equality and less discrimination.
Alan MacDermid, The Scottish Herald 1 March
In an article for the Sunday Times (7 March) Senay Boztas argues that there is a rising tide of unrest in the workplace. The tension arises from what is perceived to be family-friendly discrimination. Child-free employees are reported to be increasingly frustrated that "breeders" are given preferential treatment when it comes to working hours, holidays and flexible arrangements. Many also feel resentful that they are called upon to provide cover for colleagues if they are unable to work because of "family commitments". These babyless boomers believe that having made a conscious decision not to have children, they are often treated like second-class citizens, with fewer rights and benefits compared to parents with young families. In a particularly vociferous attack, feminist campaigner Julie Bindel says: "You are massively rewarded for having children, financially and socially. Parents might pretend they are performing a social function by producing children to support me in my old age, but their smugness and self-indulgence are unbearable. You only have children for selfish reasons and it is a hole you choose to dig; as a result, my flights cost a fortune in August, I share the burden of filling in (at work) when you are off, and then I'm told it's only fair that I cover in the office over Christmas."
Update comment: This is an extremely readable article, not least because of the DINKIE's (Dual Income, No Kids) manifesto, which outlines the demands of the UK's child-free population. The manifesto states that, having chosen to remain child free, DINKIEs refuse to be inconvenienced by anyone else's. Demands include:
The Forewords section of IDS Brief (Number 750 (February 2004)) starts by telling us that the law regarding equal pay is notoriously difficult. This issue contains details of three equal pay cases that would "test even the brightest employment lawyer's grey matter".
Margaret Curran, Communities Minister, today (24 March) urged private business, the public sector and even her own colleagues to do more to give women equal status to men. She was responding to a report, sponsored by the Executive and published at the end of last year, which shows that inequality remains a widespread and persistent feature of contemporary Scottish society. A team of prominent Scottish women, including Joan Stringer the Principal at Napier University and Susan Rice CEO of Lloyds TSB Scotland, took a strategic look at the issues facing women in Scotland and made over 80 recommendations for action. Ms Curran, as minister responsible for equalities, responded by accepting and agreeing to consider all of the recommendations directed to the Executive, which relate to areas such as employment, childcare, poverty and exclusion. She urged all organisations to read the report and work together to create opportunities and give greater recognition to the contribution that women make to Scotland's economic and social well-being.
The report Improving The Position of Women In Scotland: An Agenda For Action can be accessed at www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/social/ipwsaa-00.asp
The response is available on the Executive website www.scotland.gov.uk/about/FCSD/MCG-NW/00018500/Strategicgroup.aspx
Scottish Executive News Release SEc434/2004 24 March
According to a report from research group Mintel, the strain of achieving a balance between work and life is felt much more by women than men. Women who work full-time are more likely to feel that they are neglecting their children and over-compensate for this by buying them expensive gifts. 28% of those questioned said that they found it hard to balance the demands of work with the demands of family life, compared to just one in five (21%) working men.
HRLooK Daily News 5 March
Half all workers aged 50 and above intend to work on past retirement age, according to a survey conducted by Reed Consulting and Age Concern. This is despite 80% of respondents claiming that they had experienced ageist rejection by employers. 48% of those questioned said they intend to work on past the State Pension Age (SPA), a major shift from the 9.2% of people over SPA age currently in work. The majority said that they planned to retire aged between 60 and 70. However, a resilient 23% claim that they will work for as long as they possible can.
HRLooK Daily News 22 March
Children's charities warned the government today (11 March) that it would not achieve its aim of halving child poverty by 2010 without injecting at least £6.8 billion a year more "into the pockets of poorer families". End Child Poverty, a coalition of organisations from the voluntary, private and public sectors argue that current policies would slow down the rate at which the gap between the rich and the poor widens, but would not eradicate child poverty. According to a report from the group, 3.8 million children live in poverty in households surviving on less than £200 a week. Poverty in a Land of Plenty also revealed that:
The group claims that, if all the children who are living in poverty were to join hands, the line would stretch from London to Glasgow and back again, creating "an 800-mile line of children condemned to struggle against poor education, poor job prospects, poor housing and poor health."
Poverty in a land of Plenty is available from End
Child Poverty, 8 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7QE
tel: 0202 7843 1913
URL: www.ecpc.org.uk
It is also online (PDF 9pp) at
http://tinyurl.com/2suqg
John Carvel, The Guardian 11 March
Plans that could see up to one million children in poverty wiped off official statistics should be scrapped, argues End Child Poverty, a coalition of organisations from the voluntary, private and public sectors. The group believes that the DWP's plan to ignore housing costs when calculating figures for children living in poverty – which the DWP plans to introduce in 2005 – will make it easier for the government to hit its target to halve child poverty by 2010 and end it by 2020. The group maintains that the latest figures reveal 3.8 million (1 in 3) children are living in poverty in Britain but the number drops to 2.7 million if housing costs are ignored.
Community Care 12-18 February
Update comment: Yet another instance of the goalposts moving nearer to the ball?
What real voice do people with direct experience of poverty have in research into poverty? This study gives an overview of "participatory" approaches in the UK. These approaches respect the expertise of people with direct experience and give them more control over the research process and more influence over how findings are used. The researchers examine the issues involved when principle turns into practice. Findings include:
The researchers conclude that social research funders should allow for the realistic resource requirements of participatory approaches. Organisations working to strengthen the "voice" of people living in poverty also need adequate long-term support.
An overview of the research is at http://tinyurl.com/2eagk
The full report, From input to influence:
Participatory approaches to research and inquiry into poverty by
Fran Bennett with Moraene Roberts, is published by the Joseph Rowntree
Foundation (ISBN: 1-85935-177-8, price £15.95)
It is also available
free of charge (PDF 82pp) at http://tinyurl.com/2uzft
JRF Mailing List 26 March
The government's anti-poverty programme is having "only a patchy impact on long-term inequalities", according to research published by the Social Exclusion Unit. The inequalities are particularly marked among racial minorities. The research found that there remain areas in the UK where people are 23 times more likely to be unemployed or economically inactive than elsewhere in Britain. The research concluded: "The groups who seem to benefit least from policies also seem to be those who suffer persistent disadvantage."
Patrick Wintour, chief political correspondent, The Guardian 22 March
Author: Tony Uden
ISBN: 1-86201-207-5
A previous NIACE policy discussion paper (Education and Training for Offenders) argued for changes in the organisation and delivery of education and training for those who are in prison. Many of its recommendations are now being put into effect. This paper takes those arguments forward into the education and training that offenders and ex-offenders can be offered outside the prison walls. It analyses the current, rapidly developing, state of affairs; locates the offender cohort firmly within the social inclusion and widening participation strategies of the Learning and Skills Council and the government; and argues the case for continuity and consistency in the advice, curriculum and progression opportunities offered to offenders and ex-offenders. Its recommendations for greater integration of the arrangements for offenders and ex-offenders into the mainstream of further and adult education and for a coming-together of the efforts of education and training providers with those of Jobcentre Plus are already under serious consideration. Planners, funders and providers are likely to find themselves called upon more and more to include these potential learners in their provision. This paper is thus likely to be of interest to those working in local Learning and Skills Councils, colleges, Local Education Authorities, training providers, Advice, Information and Guidance services, and in community regeneration and crime reduction strategies.
Price £8.95 from Publication Sales, NIACE, 21 De
Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GE
tel: 0116 204 4216
email:
orders@niace.org.uk
David Turner and Steve Martin
The government-funded Neighbourhood Support Fund (NSF) programme … sought to tackle exclusion among disaffected young people in the most disadvantaged areas of England. NSF reflected a decisive policy shift – rejecting state-centric youth service provision in favour of direct funding of community-led initiatives. This article highlights important tensions between the government's aim of promoting innovative, community-based solutions and its emphasis on the rapid "delivery" of tangible improvements. It raises questions about the capacity of local authorities and community-based groups to champion such initiatives. Early evidence suggests that implementing such a "joined-up" approach requires a framework which is more conducive to collaboration between the statutory, voluntary and community sectors than that which currently exists.
Policy & Politics Volume 32 Number 1 (January 2004)
Hard to reach groups are failing to benefit from the government's progress in tackling disadvantage, according to a discussion paper from the Social Exclusion Unit. The paper examines the impact of government policies to reduce inequality since it was formed in 1997. It reveals that, while the government has halted and even begun to reverse some deep-rooted trends in social exclusion, some of the most vulnerable groups, including some ethnic minority communities, have not benefited. The paper calls for the government to acknowledge that some groups are harder to reach than others, and to take steps to adopt more flexible approaches to outreach initiatives.
The paper, Tackling social exclusion: taking stock and looking to the future – emerging findings (PDF 36pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/32fmk
Rosie Niven, New Start Hot News 24 March
More should be done to raise awareness of the circumstances and challenges faced by young people in care, according to a report published by The Prince's Trust. Look Beyond the Label finds that while 80% believe those in care have as much potential as their peers, there is still misunderstanding about the care system and the barriers these young people face. Findings include:
The report calls for more to be done to raise awareness of the circumstances and challenges faced by young people in care, and to explore new ways of translating sympathy into support.
A full copy of the report (Word document 14pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/3dsrn
Community Care 19-25 February
The Institute for Public Policy Research is to recommend that the government set up "one-stop-shop" welfare centres in the most deprived areas of Britain. The IPPR says that such "connected care-centres" will help to provide joined-up support to people with complex needs.
John Carvel, The Guardian 9 March
"For all the advances in medicine, there is still no cure for the common birthday."
John Glenn
A new drive to end social exclusion was launched today (22 March) by Minister Yvette Cooper, in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, with the publication of the discussion paper Tackling Social Exclusion – Taking Stock and Looking to the Future, from the Social Exclusion Unit. The paper shows that, in the six-and-half years since the Social Exclusion Unit was formed, the government has halted, and even begun to reverse, some deep rooted and powerful trends in social exclusion. It also points to the trends that will shape future policy and highlights particular areas where sustained effort is needed to reduce the scale of current problems.
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister www.odpm.gov.uk
ODPM press release ODPM-065 22 March
Action on Aftercare, a coalition of organisations which focus on children and young people, claims that the most disadvantaged groups of care leavers are not receiving adequate support because of gaps in planning. According to a research report, the help offered to some of the most vulnerable 16- to 21-year-olds, such as disabled people, single parents, young offenders and asylum seekers, falls short of that provided to other young care leavers.
Hard copies of the report, Setting the agenda: what's
left to do in leaving care? are available free of charge from
the NCH
Supporter Helpline
tel: 08457 626579
It is also (PDF 13pp) at
http://tinyurl.com/3xwrx
Community Care 26 February-3 March
Kieran Gordon, chief executive of a Merseyside Connexions partnership, warns that young people from low income families are ignoring Modern Apprenticeships because their families are better off if they receive Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMAs). While EMAs do not have an impact on state benefits, the training allowance given to apprentices is counted as income for the purpose of benefit calculations. Consequently, it can reduce the amount of income support, housing and council tax benefit and child benefit that a family receives. Mr Gordon says that, for benefit-dependent families, this discrepancy places young people in a trap which prevents them from accessing the full range of educational and training opportunities available.
Joe Clancy, The TES FE Focus 26 March
"There are no foolish questions and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions."
Charles Steinmetz
Commenting on the announcement that the National Minimum Wage is set to rise from £4.50 to £4.85 in October, and that from the Autumn there is to be a £3 National Minimum Wage for 16 and 17 year olds, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Unions will be pleased that their campaign for a minimum hourly rate for young people is going to pay-off for 50,000 low paid teenagers. This will cut out the worst examples of wage exploitation, and the £3 introductory rate should mean that more significant increases can take place in future years."
TUC press release 15 March
Reacting to the announcement that the minimum wage will increase to £4.85 in October, CBI Deputy Director-General John Cridland said: "The CBI understands why this has been done, but the jury is out on whether it will do more harm than good." The CBI said that the sectors most affected would be hospitality, retail, business services, social care, textiles, agriculture, leisure and hairdressing. Nonetheless, the confederation said firms accepted the idea of a minimum wage for 16 and 17 year olds. It praised the Low Pay Commission for introducing the wage at a cautious rate of £3 an hour.
Gill Norris, Steve Williams & Derek Adam-Smith, University of Portsmouth
Two key issues thrown up by the 1999 introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the United Kingdom are its likely impact on employers' training practices in low paying sectors of the economy and the implications for skills. Based on a study of the hospitality industry, this article assesses the limited significance of the differential, "subminimum" NMW rates as devices for promoting skills development and considers the absence of any direct impact on training practices of the statutory floor of wages in general. The weaknesses of a policy framework dominated by a supply-side ethos in which the importance of incentives for employers to provide training and employment opportunities is prioritised, rather than one in which an opportunity is taken to use the NMW as part of a wider strategy to generate greater demand for skills in low-paying industries are attested.
Journal of Vocational Education and Training, Volume 55 Number 3 (2003)
Former Cabinet minister Steven Byers claims that Britain's "compensation culture" is crippling health and education. Mr Byers said that claims against schools have reached £200 million a year – an amount that would pay for an additional 8,000 teachers. The figures for the NHS are similar. Medical negligence payments have risen from £1 million in 1974 to £477 million – or 22,700 extra nurses. Mr Byers said "something is badly wrong" when legal action so badly hits "good quality schools and decent healthcare".
Edinburgh Evening News 10 March
Former cabinet minister Stephen Byers has hit out at the "blame, claim and gain culture" that is sweeping across the UK. Mr Byers believes that litigation is costing the country, and in particular the education and health sectors, money that it cannot afford. He called for tight controls on compensation claims, greater regulation of advertising which offers "no win, no fee" representation and more effective action taken against claims companies which mislead viewers. Mr Byers, who is a lawyer by profession, said: "Money is being taken away from saving lives and educating our children to pay for a compensation system in which the real beneficiaries are the lawyers and accident management companies."
Michael White, The Guardian 10 March
According to a study from the Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (Oxcheps), universities are spending "at least" £15 million a year on lawyers fees, fighting an increasing number of legal challenges from students. Oxcheps, which has launched a mediation service for academic disputes, argues that litigation should be the last resort, not the first response to a student complaint. It argues that universities should "think hard about legal risk management before incurring `blank-cheque' legal costs".
Phil Baty, The THES 12 March
The runners-up in this year's Stella Awards for the most frivolous, yet successful, lawsuits filed in the United States are:
And the overall winner is:
The Outstanding Advisor March 2004
Doing nothing is not the smart option when elections are looming. The deadline for registering to vote in the 10 June elections is 13 April. Martin Gould, President the regional TUC for London, the South East and the East of England said: "There is a real and present danger of a racist or fascist being elected, not because there will have been anything other than a tiny level of support for them, but because too many decent people chose not to vote at all." Mr Gould urged the UK public to ensure that they are registered to vote and to exercise their right to do so.
TUC press release 19 March
The European Commission has announced that it will devote 50 million euros to fund a four year programme to make the Internet safer for children (IP/04/333). The programme which runs from 2005-2008 will build upon EU work under way since 1996 to combat illegal and harmful Internet content. It intends to tackle these problems by fighting illegal content; tackling unwanted and harmful content including spam; promoting a safer environment; and awareness raising.
Information Law Newsletter Issue 37 (20 March 2004)
KeepingLegal.com © Paul Pedley
The University of Leeds is considering closing its "internationally respected" school of continuing education (SCE) because of "serious" funding concerns, writes Polly Curtis (The Guardian 5 March). Ms Curtis tells us that the school is at the heart of the university's widening participation agenda, and caters for many students from non-traditional backgrounds. Dr Malcolm Chase, chair of the SCE, argued that a vital part of the university was at risk. He said: "I do appreciate and understand the difficulty for the university, which is that for all of the government's talk about widening participation, the agenda is so clearly focused on young learners that the university doesn't get adequate funding in order to fund its mission for adult learners."
According to research published in the Journal of Access Policy and Practice, Scotland's "much-vaunted" 50% participation rate for higher education "disguises deep and entrenched educational inequalities". The research, from John Field, director of Stirling University's division of academic innovation and continuing education, showed that for the 2001-02 academic year, almost a quarter of higher education students were in colleges. However, the study found that those who went into higher education in colleges were "disproportionately likely to leave without qualifications" and very few progressed to degree courses. Professor Field said: "The higher education system is creating opportunities for half of young people to enter, but far too many young people are going in by a revolving door and shooting right back out again with little or nothing to show for it."
Olga Wojtas, The THES 26 March
Seonag MacKinnon, The Scotsman 19 March
Napier University in Edinburgh is to offer taster courses to ex-offenders, in a bid to raise participation in further education for this group. The courses will cover a wide range of subjects, from business to nursing, and it is hoped that they will go some way to addressing the recent statistic which revealed that one in four people under 24 in Edinburgh and the Lothians has at least one criminal offence. The course co-ordinators also hope that the programme, called Think Again, will enable employers to "tap into alternative pools of potential workers".
For more information, visit: http://tinyurl.com/25hxq
Edinburgh Evening News 1 March
The Scottish Executive has announced plans to develop a new Individual Learning Account. ILA Scotland will be a "virtual personal account", which will allow the user to access up to £200 per year to take a course of their choice. The user will be required to contribute £10 for each course undertaken. The new scheme will be available from Summer 2004, and will initially be offered to people on incomes of less than £15,000 per year. A universal scheme, focused initially on basic ICT skills and formal qualifications, will be rolled out from April 2005.
t magazine March 2004
The number of students applying for Assembly Learning Grants (ALGs) has risen by 18% in the second year of the scheme. Figures show that 22,440 students applied for ALGs as at February 2004. The number of successful applications was 20,200 (90% of applications). 72% of successful applications were from higher education students and 28% from further education students. 72% of the successful applicants were studying at institutions in Wales and 22% in England.
The Statistical First Release – SDR 19/2004 Assembly Learning Grants Awarded in Wales 2003/04 (provisional) is at www.wales.gov.uk/keypubstatisticsforwales/content/latest.htm
Welsh Assembly press release 24 March
Support for students in full-time higher education in 2004-2005 will be 2.4% higher than in 2003-2004, maintaining current levels in real terms, it was announced today (12 March). In addition to the new rates, the Review of Funding for Learners has resulted in a number of technical changes to student support which will be implemented in 2004-2005.
Scottish Executive News Release SEEL289/2004 12 March
New figures from the Scottish Executive reveal that the number of students declaring themselves bankrupt has risen dramatically since the introduction of student loans. The number of bankruptcies recorded by the Student Loans Company rose from none at all in 1990 to 429 in 2003. The total number of bankruptcies now stands at 1,377.
Andrew Denholm, The Scotsman 4 March
The average student loan taken out by Scottish undergraduates has risen by 73% in the last five years, new figures reveal. According to statistics released by the Student Loans Company, Scottish students accumulate an average of £4,974 in government loans by the end of their degree, compared with just £2,863 in 1999. The sum has increased despite the fact students in Scotland do not pay up-front tuition fees.
Eddie Barnes, political editor, Scotland on Sunday 14 March
The Institute for Employment Studies is working on a DfES-funded project to identify examples of good practice in the Assess-Train-Assess (ATA) approach to development. The assess-train-assess approach involves an initial assessment of an individual's competence against a specified standard; provides them with inputs (off-the-job or through their job) to fill any skills gaps; then makes a further assessment to ensure the required competence has been gained. The Institute for Employment Studies are looking for employers, colleges and private training providers that have developed effective ways of using the "ATA" approach to address skills gaps.
Further information about the project is available from
Dr Linda Miller of the Institute for Employment Studies
tel: 01273
873114
email: linda.miller@employment-studies.co.uk
SSDA Intelligence Issue 50 (20 March)
Update comment: Am I missing the point? Surely all training is done as a result of a sensible analysis of need and is reviewed afterwards.
The Department for Education and Skills has commissioned the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) to develop an assessment scheme that will enable people of all ages, from seven-year-olds to adults, to get credit for their language skills. People who choose to take part will be assessed on listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in their chosen language. They will get recognition at a number of stages depending on their ability, ranging from "breakthrough" to "mastery". Pilot schemes will operate in a range of locations, yet to be decided. They will take place across all stages of education – primary, secondary, further, higher, and adult education – from September 2004 in French, German and Spanish. The scheme will then become available nationally in 2005. Following the pilot schemes, the Language Ladder will be extended to cover a further five languages: Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Punjabi and Urdu. The following year, a further 13 languages will be added: Arabic, Bengali, Gaelic/Irish, Gujerati, Hindi, Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Swedish, Turkish and Welsh.
Tony Attwood, Educational Marketing Newsgroup
The Learning and Skills Research Council has undertaken a substantial research programme in learning and teaching, reviewing what is known about informal learning, learning styles, thinking skills and mixed age learning. Electronic and hard copies of the full reports are now available, in addition to short summaries of research projects.
More information is at www.lsrc.ac.uk/publications/index.asp
LSDA Briefing February 2004
The Learning and Skills Council is launching a £12 million advertising campaign to try to overcome employers' reluctance to take on Modern Apprentices (MAs). Previous campaigns had focused their attention on young people, and tried to persuade them to enrol on the courses. However, employer reluctance has become so severe that there are insufficient places for MA applicants. The new campaign will target employers and industry in the hope that this imbalance will be reversed. In addition, the government has relaxed some of the rules associated with MAs. From August, colleges and independent training providers will be encouraged to enrol trainees who are judged to be unready for employment on a "programme-led" MA programme. The recruits will not be partnered with an employer but will study the theoretical components of MA programmes, alongside key skills. Despite the fact that these students are not "employed" in the same sense as those who are on traditional MAs, they will be categorised as apprentices and will count towards the government's target to enrol 28% of 16- to 21-year-olds on MAs by July 2005.
Peter Kingston, The Guardian 2 March
Update comment: Beginning to get a bit tired of the moving goalposts?
Changes will be made to improve the expanding Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme following new research, Lewis Macdonald, Deputy Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Minister, pledged today (24 March). A study carried out by Glasgow Caledonian University's Centre for Research and Lifelong Learning (CRLL) is recommending:
Scottish Executive News Release SEETL293/2004 24 March
Ken Boston, chief executive of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, has called for the number of A2 and AS-level exams to be cut by a third, from the current six to four examinations. His recommendations follow widespread complaints from teachers, parents and pupils over the workload of AS and A2-level students since the introduction of the new exam structure in 2000. Dr Boston would like to see this change implemented by 2008.
Warwick Mansell, The TES 5 March
"God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference."
Unknown
A crop of new technologies is challenging Google's market leader position. Eurekster, the brainchild of Grant Ryan, offers users "personalized" responses based on how long they perused various websites the last time they performed a similar search. The idea is, if someone finds a particular result valuable, it floats up to the top of the list on the next search. Ryan's next plan is to market a more specialised product – search engines designed for particular topics. "You'll be able to have different views of the Internet," says Ryan. Other challengers are targeting geographically localised searches in their efforts to personalise results. A recent survey by Kelsey Group and BizRate found that 25% of online buyers were seeking merchants near their home or work. And Groxis Inc. is taking a different tack by adding value to the Google's search results through its Grokker search organisation software. Grokker takes Google's results and categorizes them into groups displayed on the screen as bubbles. Click on a bubble and it expands to reveal the next layer of relationships between search terms. The search market is "going to evolve away from search engines to answer engines," says SearchDay editor Chris Sherman.
Dow Jones/AP 24 February 2004
www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/8031055.htm
ShelfLife No. 146 (March 4 2004) ISSN 1538-4284 www.rlg.org
Search engines have become so efficient, it's not uncommon for a single search to return hundreds of thousands of hits. Wouldn't it be nice if someone would flag the most relevant ones for you? Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have developed software that gives existing search engines that ability. The software, dubbed ScentTrails, increases the point size of links that have more connections to pages relevant to your search. Like conventional search engines, ScentTrails uses content cues on a page to determine how useful that page is, compared to your query. But ScentTrails takes searching a step further by indicating how many other relevant pages a given link is connected to. "A very strongly highlighted hyperlink indicates that many nearby pages match the query closely," says assistant computer science professor Christopher Olston. While the current prototype is very slow and works only within a single site, Olston believes that eventually the concept could be refined and used in web-wide searches. "We (also) need to find good methods for highlighting hyperlinks that can be applied across a diverse variety of web-pages, and do not unduly impact content readability," he said. "If link highlighting is too annoying or obtrusive, people will turn it off."
Technology Research News 10-17 March 2004
www.trnmag.com/Stories/2004/031004/Search_tool_aids_browsing_031004.html
ShelfLife No 149 (25 March 2004) www.rlg.org
Google's PageRank technology is getting stale, says one search consultant, and there are plenty of rivals out there waiting for the market leader to stumble. One is AskJeeves' Teoma, which ranks results according to their standing among recognised authorities on a topic. Before Teoma presents its search results, it scours associated communities, looking for "authorities" within them – that is, the pages that the community members' websites most often point to. It attempts to verify these authorities by double-checking whether they're listed on resource pages created by the subject experts or enthusiasts, and then ranks its search results accordingly. Meanwhile, Australian startup Mooter studies the behaviour of the user to better intuit exactly what he or she is looking for. Mooter founder and CEO Liesl Capper says her search engine doesn't rely on popularity alone to rank results: "Just because the rest of the planet thinks that this is the number one travel site doesn't mean it is the number one travel site for you." Mooter clusters results into "themes" and then "learns" the user's intent by noting which clusters and pages are clicked on. It then reranks the results to conform with user's interests. "Two clicks and we already have a very good idea of where you're heading," says Capper. And Chicago-based Dipsie is designed for mining the Deep Web, allowing users to skip over extraneous pages like forms and database interfaces to quickly get down to the page they're looking for. Dipsie founder Jason Wiener says by the time Dipsie's search site goes live this Summer its index will include 10 billion documents – triple the current size of Google's index. Technology Review Mar 2004
www.technologyreview.com/articles/roush0304.asp
ShelfLife No. 146 (March 4 2004) ISSN 1538-4284 www.rlg.org
Long considered a dry area of academic research, search technology exploded into the business mainstream about two years ago, when it was realized that search results had the power to influence transactions. Search-engine advertising is now one of the hottest segments of the rebounding Internet marketing sector. The flip side of this new-found respect for search technology is a mad bloom of patents by players in the search market. Companies are racing to amass search patent arsenals as they prepare for a high-stakes war over the profitable technology that could one day control how most people get information. In addition, search is fast becoming an R&D priority at some of the biggest technology companies. "They file patents like they're going out of style," said Jason Weiner, who plans to launch a new search engine called Dipsie later this year.
CNet News.com 25 February 2004
news.com.com/2100-1024-5165272.html
ShelfLife No. 146 (March 4 2004) ISSN 1538-4284 www.rlg.org
One in three of the UK's larger companies suffered hacking attempts on their websites in the last year, a new survey shows. Although businesses are confident their security defences are adequate, there are concerns that such comfort is misplaced. Key findings include:
HRLooK Daily News 22 March
Internet service providers in the US are beginning to follow the example set by a Scandinavian ISP by sending warning letters to customers whose "virus-ridden" equipment is being exploited by spammers. The ISPs say that if users fail to clean up and secure their PCs from hackers, they will cut off their connection. This move follows the news that up to one-third of all spam is now being sent via compromised broadband-connected home PCs. Service providers argue that ignorance is no defence, especially where there are tools available free of charge that can help to prevent such attacks.
Infoconomy Bulletin 19 March
The fifth of March 2004 marked the tenth anniversary of what is believed to be the first ever spam message. A US law firm posted a message advertising its services to a number of Usenet newsgroups. While the average PC user is almost hardened to the appearance of spam on their machine, 10 years ago this little message was considered to be "an appalling breach of netiquette".
John Leyden: The Register
TheITportal News Roundup 8 March
The DTI's 2004 Information Security Breaches Survey reveals that around half of all UK businesses suffered from virus infection or denial of service attacks during the last year. This has risen from 41% in 2002 and just 16% in 2000. Other findings include:
To help organisations protect themselves from security breaches, the DTI has published a series of factsheets on the subject of information security, including Viruses and Malicious Code.
The factsheets are at www.dti.gov.uk/industries/information_security/downloads.html
managinginformation.com 5 March
Spammers beware! There is a new Gang of Four in town. Microsoft, AOL, Earthlink and Yahoo have joined forces to take legal action against hundreds of people that they suspect of sending unsolicited mail. The companies say that they have shared information, resources and investigative information to identify and find the culprits. They are confident that it is only a matter of time before they bring charges against the suspects.
Ted Bridis, AP Technology Writer, The Independent 11 March
A report based on a survey by the Aziz Corporation says that modern technology has "destroyed" communication skills in the work environment, with email and text messaging being the worst culprits. From 100 directors questioned, 3 in 5 said email was detrimental to spoken communication skills, and 7 in 10 believe that written English skills were falling due to text messaging. Chair Khalid Aziz said: "While many of these new innovations can enhance a clever, well thought-out and articulate presentation, they cannot replace the ability to speak and write passionately and with absolute clarity."
Shortnews.com 8 March
ACAS, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, has updated its advice leaflet, Internet and e-mail policies. It covers topics such as why have a policy, how the policy should be drawn up, policy content, management issues and responsibility for the policy.
The leaflet is at www.acas.org.uk/publications/AL06.html
Information Law Newsletter Issue 37 (20 March 2004)
KeepingLegal.com © Paul Pedley
Research from the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) tells us that people who work part-time or flexible hours face hostility in the workplace from their full-time colleagues. According to a "comprehensive" survey, part-time workers are seen as lazy. Full-timers feel that they are forced to work harder to make up for a co-worker who works reduced hours. One in four feels that part-timers are less committed to their work and admits to feeling resentment about reduced work patterns. The research also showed that part-timers are passed over for promotion and do not receive pay increases comparable to full-timers. The PCS believes that this is due to the simple fact that the majority of part-time workers are women. Britain has 10% more women working part-time than any other European country.
Amelia Hill, The Observer 7 March
According to the City and Guilds "Happiness Index", Britain's vocational workers are the ones with the biggest smiles on their faces. The index, compiled to measure the satisfaction of the nation's workforce, found that more than a fifth of trade professionals are "extremely happy" with their job. This number is more than twice the 9% of white collar workers. Other findings include:
Chris Humphries, director general at City & Guilds, said: "It's a misconception that white-collar professionals have the best jobs and are therefore the happiest. As our research proves, it's often people in vocational careers who are the most content and fulfilled. … A lot of employees are starting to realise that job satisfaction is more important than any other consideration, including money. You spend such a lot of time at work, it's vital to enjoy what you do."
HRLooK Daily News 19 March
According to the City and Guilds Happiness Index, you should avoid working in IT – unless being miserable is your favourite state of mine. The Index revealed that just 14% of IT workers are very happy in their job, compared to 40% of care assistants.
Tim Richardson: The Register
TheITportal News Roundup 22 March
"A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking."
Arthur McBride Bloch
In the first of two articles on employment status (IDS Brief Number 751 (February 2004)) looks at the terms "employee", "worker" and "employment" as defined by legislation and in case law. There are important distinctions between the rights of those who satisfy the "employee" definition and those who do not. For many years the crucial line was drawn between an employee and someone who was self-employed. However, more recent developments, heavily influenced by European law, have led to the recognition of two more employment types: "workers" and those who are "in employment".
Update comment: Having read, not skimmed, the whole article I (Hazel) am little wiser but now I know where to find the answers! And, (may be poor grammar but makes my point) I now know where to find answers to those vexed questions about the employment status of "agency workers", "casual workers" and "home workers" should you ever decide you need to ask me. Of course, you won't ask – you'll go straight to IDS Brief Number 752 (March 2004).
Leading payroll recruitment firm Portfolio Payroll has released figures showing that 78% employees have considered giving up smoking due to stricter controls being administered on working premises by under-fire employers. 84% of employees said they wanted to see a complete ban on smoking in the workplace. Other findings include:
HRLooK 18 March
Update comment: I thought all offices were smoke-free. Dawn.
The TUC is calling for tobacco smoke to be classified as a "hazardous chemical" under European law and restricted in workplaces, including bars and restaurants, like other dangerous substances. The TUC says that the evidence clearly shows that failure to treat tobacco smoke in a similar way to other dangerous chemicals leads to the death or incapacity of many thousands of workers across the EU from lung cancer, emphysema, bronchitis and asthma. Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary, said: "Tobacco smoke is a killer and should be treated as such in the workplace. Making work smoke-free would save thousands of lives and do absolutely no harm to the economy."
TUC press release 9 March
Stop snooping, a report in the latest edition of the TUC-backed Hazards magazine, says that new technologies and the lack of privacy rights at work mean bosses can monitor employees constantly and secretly, which is bad for their productivity and health. Stop snooping reports companies in the UK and abroad eavesdropping on telephone calls; measuring toilet breaks; monitoring emails, Internet use and computer work; and using CCTV, hidden cameras, smart cards and tracking devices to keep an eye on other work activities. It also examines the largely unregulated rise in drug, alcohol and health testing of employees, and the real threat of genetic screening being used to "weed-out" unsuitable staff or applicants. Hazards editor, Rory O'Neil, said: "Snooping isn't just taking liberties, it's pure folly. Productivity goes down, accidents, ill-health and sick leave go up and the workforce feel more like felons than valued employees. If employers want to know what their staff are doing they should ask them. Consultation and participation are not dirty words, they are the key to a productive workplace."
TUC press release 11 March
The full report is at www.hazards.org/privacy
According to a survey conducted by Croner Consulting, British workers' position at the bottom of the EU table for statutory holidays "could be having a negative effect on their productivity". UK workers have eight bank holidays a year, one of the lowest numbers in Europe, and the holidays are not a statutory entitlement, which means employers can count them as part of an employee's annual leave. In addition, the minimum of 20 days paid annual leave lags behind most other European countries. Richard Smith, HR expert at Croner Consulting, said: "Workers have seen their peers catching up with UK standards in other fields and might feel it is unfair that they're still falling behind in terms of both paid and public holidays. UK workers tend to feel `hard done by' compared to other European countries due to this discrepancy, which could also be a demotivating factor affecting performance at work."
HRLooK Daily News 9 March
An interesting article on labour turnover which indicates that the majority of employers collect data on who leaves their employ and very few do anything with these data. In particular it seems that employers, even those with positive equal opportunities policies in place, rarely look at the ethnic origin, gender or disability (if any) of their leavers.
IRS Employment Review No 793 (6 February 2004)
The average employee has three different full-time jobs before s/he is 30, according to research by financial recruiter Portfolio Payroll. Researchers questioned more than 2,000 employees from a variety of industries across the UK and found that just 4% had changed jobs once. 12% had changed jobs twice, and more than a third (37%) had changed three times. Danny Done, managing director of Portfolio Payroll, said: "It is in the interests of a company to have high staff retention rates. Recruitment is a costly investment, and much time and effort is spent on the commencement of an employee's employment. The way to get good value for money from your staff is to keep them at the company for as long as possible, thus justifying training and induction expenses. It is only after roughly five months of employment that an employee becomes profitable and an asset to the company."
HRLooK Daily News 4 March
According to a survey conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), a quarter of small businesses think employment tribunals are unfair, and a further 39% of firms consider the system very unsatisfactory. 44% of small business bosses said that they would settle out of court rather than go through "complex and costly" proceedings. This is in spite of figures which reveal that most small employers who go to tribunal win their case. Small employers argue that, while they may well be more likely to leave the tribunal without charge, it is very rare for a tribunal to make the litigant pay costs. This means that businesses are often left out of pocket. FSB employment affairs chairman Alan Tyrell said: "We are extremely concerned about the lack of confidence that small employers have in the tribunal system. … We are asking ministers to consider a range of measures to tackle the lack of confidence in the employment tribunal system. Most importantly costs need to be awarded much more often against vexatious applicants, and should take into account the huge increase in the legal fees faced by both sides."
HRLooK Daily News 1 March
A "rising tide" of litigation has led to a 50% rise in employment tribunal cases in five years, according to a survey published today (15 March). The survey, published by manufacturer's organisation EEF, revealed that awards for almost a quarter of all successful discrimination claims were for sums in excess of £20,000. However, just 8% of successful claims of unfair dismissal received such high sums. For the majority of all claims, awards were in the region of £5,500. Nonetheless, discrimination cases were less likely to receive such a small payout.
Bob Sherwood, Legal Correspondent, Financial Times 15 March
The European Commission is to take the UK government to the European Court of Justice for failing to enforce a directive that entitles employees to tea breaks. It claims that the UK government has not supported the conditions of the Working Time Directive which stipulate "rest periods" for employees. The law states employees should have breaks during the day as well as between each week or fortnight and longer breaks over the course of the year. Manufacturing union AMICUS, which formally complained to the EC more than four years ago, argues that the move is not before time. A spokesperson said: "Because of the climate of fear and downsizing in many workplaces, workers fail to take their legal entitlements to a tea break. … While we welcome the legal action we would have rather the UK government had chosen to apply the Working Time Directive by agreement. However, we have waited too long and there is now clearly no alternative."
BBC Online 7 March
Selected issues of IDS Brief contain lists of legislation which is due to be enacted in the next six to nine months or so which are going to impact upon employment. In Number 750 (February 2004) the list contains items ranging from an increase of compensation limits in certain tribunal claims (under regulatory order) through the National Minimum Wage to major changes in the law on disability discrimination: thirteen separate pieces of legislation between February and October 2004.
Author: Adrian Furnham
ISBN: 1-86156-370-1
A surprisingly large number of people claim to have worked for a manager who was clearly incompetent. Some people even believe that, in certain sectors, the incompetent outnumber the competent. This book looks at when, why and how managers become incompetent and what to do about it. It does so with both science and humour by reviewing what we know about competences, about personality theory and about various salient psychiatric disorders. … The book is both serious and funny. The incompetent manager is no laughing matter for those managed by them. But the sort of thing some incompetent managers believe and do can be, at least for the onlooker, very funny indeed.
Price £17; published by Whurr Publishers Ltd, 19b
Compton Terrace LONDON N1 2UN
www.whurr.co.uk/
Professional Manager Volume 13 Issue 2 (March 2004)
"The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you're the pilot."
Michael Althsuler
According to a study from payfinder.com, a website that allows people to compare their salaries, there are just three occupations that pay the over-fifties more than their younger colleagues. They are education, broadcasting and transport. The research revealed that, in almost all professions, salaries rise with age until staff turn 50. After this, their rate of pay begins to shrink. Commenting on the findings, Catherine Brough, a spokesperson for the website said: "It's as if those in the 50-plus category drop off the career ladder as their average salaries are consistently lower than their younger colleagues. … They say you can't put a price on experience, so why are these industries turning their back on this resource and rewarding youth?"
Jamie Doward, social affairs editor, The Observer 21 March
"I team therefore I am" writes Richard Reeves (Management Today March 2004). Teamworking is not a word that enriches the English language nor is it, Mr Reeves argues, a concept that, for all its ubiquity, is enriching the lives of those in British business. Apparently Tom Peters has said that "the real trick in building a team is to have 25 individual stars on it" which is a contradiction in terms. The team scores the goals (tell that one to the goal scorer), the author only writes the book because of the support of his/her spouse, children, editor, etc – of course any errors are the author's not the team's. Mr Reeves concludes that a world of non-team-playing egomaniacs is not appealing but is better than those same egomaniacs pretending to be team players.
Digby Jones, Director General of the CBI, called for an enterprise economy at the launch of The 200 Club – a diverse leadership group of senior decision makers in the knowledge and information arena. The 200 Club was established as "a peer network to explore trends, issues and ideas in a collaborative cross-sectoral environment and to promote and communicate the opportunities and benefits of creating, sharing and using knowledge and information". Making the keynote address at the launch of The 200 Club, Mr Jones argued that the UK must learn to recognise and exploit its knowledge and information assets. He said: "The UK economy is the most stable economy in the world and we have great opportunities to build on that – if only we can create a vibrant enterprise economy."
More information about The 200 Club is at
www.the200club.org or
from the Club Secretary, Nigel Oxbrow
tel: 020 7251 5522
email:
nigel.oxbrow@tfpl.com
managinginformation.com 5 March
CBI Scotland has challenged the Scottish Executive to rethink its policy on small businesses so that it can offer better support to the growth firms which drive the economy. In a report submitted to enterprise minister Jim Wallace, CBI Scotland urges the executive to take "a new and proactive role in enterprise support". It calls on the Executive to simplify regulation for SMEs and to offer tax benefits to small companies which move to larger premises as they grow. The report also calls on the executive to make a clear distinction between "lifestyle" businesses and those which have the capacity to expand. It claims that around 70% of small businesses are set up as a lifestyle choice by people who want to be their own boss, but rarely have the motivation to grow. Categorising businesses purely on the basis of size, the report claims, penalises growth companies by increasing the burdens they face as they get bigger. They are often caught in the position of being "too big to warrant special attention or support from government but not large enough to have the resources to deal easily with the increased regulation they attract".
Simon Bain, The Scottish Herald 8 March
The cost to businesses of regulations introduced since 1997 has rocketed to £30 billion, a rise of 46%, according to the British Chambers of Commerce's Burdens Barometer. Figures released by the BCC reveal that in 2003 alone, British business was faced with a bill for an extra £9 billion. European regulations accounted for 40% of all regulations affecting British businesses, including the Working Time Regulations – the single most expensive burden to be placed on business, costing over £11 billion since its introduction five years ago. Other costly pieces of red tape include the Data Protection Act (£4.6 billion), Vehicle Excise Duty (Reduced Pollution) Regulations 2000 (£4.2 billion), and the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 (£1.4 billion).
Clear outlook on JoHRLooK Daily News 8 March
Job Outlooks are online, research-based summaries of labour market information commissioned by the Future Skills Wales Partnership. They cover 125 occupations, and are aimed at helping individuals make informed decisions about jobs in Wales and the learning choices linked to pursuing these jobs. Each Outlook provides labour market information at both an all-Wales and, where available, regional level.
Job Outlooks can be found on the Futureskills Wales website at www.futureskillswales.com
Newscheck February-May 2004
Andrew Smith, Work and Pensions Secretary, today (25 March) welcomed a new report which makes recommendations on how to improve employment rates in Europe. The report, Policies for Full Employment, shows that only two-thirds of people between the ages of 15 and 64 in the 15 European Union Member States are in work. Europe is at risk of missing its target of 70% employment by 2010 unless changes are made to the employment policies of Member States.
Policies for Full Employment is at www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2004/pol_full_emp/
DWP press release EMP2503-RELM 25 March
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that, at 28.16 million, the total level of employment is the highest since the LFS measure was introduced in 1984. Most of the gains have been in part-time employment, although there has been a further increase in the number of people choosing to take the self-employment option. In addition, the claimant count is at its lowest level since 1975, and now stands at 892,100.
IDS Report Issue 900 March 2004
The answer to the earlier conundrum comes in a statement from TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber: "… the increase in total employment is welcome … but the number of full-time and permanent employee jobs went down."
Labour Research Vol 93 No 3 (March 2004)
More than 12,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector have been lost so far this year, according to the latest survey produced for the GMB union. The figures, compiled by the independent Labour Research Department, reveal that there were 5,563 job losses in February, with Eastern England being hit the hardest.
HRLooK Daily News 5 March
Employment Zones were introduced in April 2000 to 15 areas with consistently high levels of long term unemployment. This Statistical First Release presents information on the number of Employment Zone starters and participants; the characteristics of entrants and those returning to Employment Zones for a repeat spell; together with information on numbers into employment using data to end-December 2003.
DWP press release 5 March
The UK economy needs a clear strategy to maintain full employment while developing economies take a bigger share of global service sector trade, according to the TUC's submission to the DTI's consultation on offshoring. The TUC opposes a crude protectionist "British jobs for British workers" approach but believes that, with the right policies, UK service sector employment can continue to grow. While recognising that UK economic growth and employment depend on expanding global trade, the TUC Global offshoring report says there are steps that can be taken now to maximise the benefits of international competition and minimise costs to individuals who could be affected. The report calls for:
The DTI-led strategy should produce and promote best practice guidance on offshoring that requires companies to present a thorough business case justifying plans to move jobs, fully consult staff and unions on any plans and guarantee no compulsory redundancies and the retraining and redeployment of any staff affected. The guidance should also stipulate the responsibility of companies in the UK to ensure decent pay and conditions for workers they employ in developing economies.
Global offshoring is at www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-7732-f0.cfm
TUC press release 8 March
Like the UK, Germany is facing educational challenges over information technology. Hilary Steedman, Karin Wagner and Jim Foreman look at the two countries' contrasting responses. Britain has more ICT practioners, in actual and proportional terms, than Germany. The latter has far fewer graduates and suffers from problems in recruitment. English is the working language of ICT but employees still need to communicate in a work and social environment. By contrast some two thirds of young Germans expect to go into an apprenticeship with 20,000 completing an ICT apprenticeship in 2001. The comparable figure for young Britons completing an ICT Modern Apprenticeship is fewer than 1,000.
The article is based on the authors' study for the Anglo-German Foundation, ICT skills in the UK and Germany: how companies adapt and react, published in September 2003, which can be downloaded from www.agf.org.uk/pubs/publications.shtml
CentrePiece Vol 9 Issue 1 (Spring 2004)
According to a report published by communications thinktank, The European Media Forum (EMF), the UK government should be making a more strenuous effort to ensure that the whole of Britain is connected to broadband. The report, Always On, Changing Britain, examines the social and economic potential of broadband in the UK and consists of a collection of essays from the likes of e-minister Stephen Timms, information commissioner Richard Thomas and sociologist Professor Frank Furedi. In his contribution to the report, Professor Furedi said that email, instant messaging and chatrooms have "brought about ways of maintaining social relationships, which already has had profound effects". He wrote: "While Internet communication has partially displaced some existing forms of social contact – letter writing, phone calls – the more important effect has been to create many more linkages between people, leading to new social practices."
Tim Richardson: The Register
The ITPortal Midweek Roundup 3 March
Always On, Changing Britain is available from the
European Policy Forum, price £20
For more information contact EMF,
125 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5EA
tel: 020 7839 7565
URL:
www.epflltd.org
A pilot project to introduce free wireless Internet into rural libraries – so anyone can bring in a laptop or portable computer and connect at high speed – could "pave the way for all libraries in England to offer the service", according to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. The first phase of the project will see the installation of WiFi equipment in 10 rural libraries, and will test public demand for connectivity, record usage patterns and examine the impact on library staff of providing the services.
E-Government Bulletin Issue 157 (19 March)
The European Commission has welcomed Member States' renewed political commitment to the electronic communications industry and has set an ambitious agenda for the Union during the first half of the year which includes:
Source: IP/04/311 of 8th March 2004
Information Law Newsletter Issue 36 (12 March 2004)
KeepingLegal.com © Paul Pedley
Bill Bailey, University of Greenwich
In recent years, in both Australia and England, research centres and research policies with regard to vocational education and training (VET) have been introduced. In Australia the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has had responsibility since 1996 for the national VET research and evaluation programme, while in England the Learning and Skills Research Centre (LSRC) was established in 2001 as an independent centre for research into post-compulsory learning. This article aims to compare the origins and aims, and the working so far, of these initiatives.
Research in Post-Compulsory Education, Volume 8 Number 3 (2003)
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) launched a pioneering programme to make museums, libraries and archives central to the development of modern education. "The Inspiring Learning for All programme adds a whole new dimension to educational methods and enables schools to make use of these vast resources in a way that has not been possible before," said Mark Wood, Chair of the MLA.
More information at www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk
MLA press release 2 March
Centrepoint, the charity which works with young homeless people, is calling on the government to allow 19-year-olds in full-time education or training to continue claiming benefit for the duration of their courses. Under current legislation young people are being forced to quit their studies when they reach 19 because they loose the right to claim certain state benefits. They are required to become "jobseekers", which means that they must be actively seeking or available for work. Centrepoint argues that many young people have the ambition and desire to pursue higher education, but they are penalised if they take longer than the standard two years.
Peter Kingston, The Guardian 9 March
The Centrepoint research report, Income and Outcome: Simplifying financial support for 16-19 year olds (PDF 28pp) by Balbir Chatrik is at http://tinyurl.com/2x6y9
A new independent website has been launched which will give users instant access to briefings by the Prime Minister. DowningStreetSays.com presents a summary of the daily lobby briefings conducted by the Prime Minister's Official Spokesperson.
URL: www.downingstreetsays.com
Info@UK Issue 36 (March 2003)
Skilled construction and metal trades are among the five occupations with the highest proportions of skill-shortage vacancies, according to an article in Labour Market Trends (March 2004). In all, 48% of vacancies in skilled construction and building trades were skill-shortage vacancies, as were 36% of vacancies in skilled metal and electrical trades. Data on earnings show that although pay in both skilled metal trades and skilled construction trades is below the average for all occupations, the current rate of increase in both is higher than in the economy as a whole. This may be an indication of employers taking steps to attract and retain people in an area of skills shortage. The article also found other possible signs of skills shortages. The average duration of unemployment among those two trades has decreased by more than for those in other trades in the past three years. The article concludes that there is no clear evidence of whether skills shortages in these occupations may be long-term and linked to structural changes in the economy, or short-term and linked to economic business cycles.
Labour Market Trends (PDF 127pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/yuqkh
ONS press release 4 March
In an article for The Guardian (9 March), Tom Wilson, head of the TUC's organisation and services department, argues that employers must spend more on training. He points out that, while most business surveys claim that the UK shells out around £23 billion every year on training its employees, other sources find the total to be considerably less. The recent employer skills survey from the LSC quoted a figure of only £4.5 billion and the government's expenditure on post-16 learning and skills, excluding the higher education sector, is around £9 billion. Mr Wilson believes that employers are not contributing enough to the "pot", although they are certainly reaping the benefits of a more highly skilled workforce. Mr Wilson also argues that too many employers concentrate the money they make available for training on a "chosen few", while neglecting the needs of the many. He believes that this uneven spread has left those employees who need training the most are also the least likely to receive any. He further suggests that the "training divide" is exacerbated by the prevalence of subcontracting, since agencies or contractors "have little incentive to train or encourage career progression".
Jane Davidson, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, has announced that 17 new projects are to receive nearly £1.2 million in the latest round of the Wales Union Learning Fund.
Welsh Assembly press release 24 March 2004
According to a report from the National Audit Office, the increase in childcare places created since the launch of the National Childcare Strategy may not be sustainable. The report found that, while more than 600,000 places have been created since 1998, 300,000 places have closed over the same period. Moreover, the report claimed that around half of the providers of new places did not know whether they would be able to continue after government start-up funding runs out.
An executive summary of Early Years: Progress in Developing High Quality Childcare and Early Education Accessible to All (PDF 10pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/287pk
Community Care 4-10 March
Matt Barnes et al, Centre for Research in Social Policy
DWP research report 206, February 2004
ISBN: 1-84123-655-1 price £60
The report is based on analysis of the 2002 Families and Children Study (FACS). The aim of FACS is to provide a robust evidence base on families and children in Great Britain. The report consists of a series of chapters that present the circumstances, conditions and behaviour of families and children. The chapters deal with a wide range of subjects, including family characteristics, health, schooling, work, child behaviour, education, local and childcare services, income and benefits, and housing.
Published for the Department for Work and Pensions by
Corporate Document Services, 7 Eastgate Leeds LS2 7LY
tel: 0113 399
4040
email: cds@corpdocs.co.uk
A 4-page summary (PDF) is at http://tinyurl.com/2s7st
A children's charity is calling for schools to stay open longer so that they can provide childcare "to cope with the changing nature of family life". 4Children, formerly known as the Kids' Clubs Network, argues that schools should form the backbone of childcare provision, opening from 8am to 6pm. It wants the government to spend an extra £10 billion a year on creating and maintaining 10,000 children's centres in or around schools in Britain. However, a teachers' union in Wales has reacted strongly to the suggestion, saying the proposals would increase the burden on teachers' workloads. A spokesperson for NASUWT said that schools were rapidly becoming "the panacea of all ills in society". He said that it was time people remembered that the role of a school is to provide education, not childcare.
Daniel Davies, The Western Mail 1 March
Reacting to the lack of improvement in the proportion of pupils gaining level 4 in English at age 11, Stephen Twigg, the minister responsible for primary education, has admitted that there was "legitimate criticism" of the literacy policy in that the concentration on literacy has meant "lack of emphasis" on the broader curriculum.
Helen Ward, The TES 12 March
Stephen Machin and Sandra McNally look (CentrePiece Vol 9 Issue 1 (Spring 2004)) at the evidence from the National Literacy Strategy pilot project. They conclude that "whichever way one looks at it, the benefits of the literacy hour seem to be large and the costs small".
Standard Attainment Tests (SATs) for pupils at 4,000 schools will be dropped this summer. The tests, which have been criticised for stifling creativity and raising pupils' stress levels will be replaced with a less rigid system. Teachers will choose from a range of tests on the three Rs and science, and will examine their pupils at a time of their choosing. If a teacher believes that the test score does not reflect the true ability of a child, they may award a higher mark. The mark will count towards an end-of-year assessment, rather than constituting the entire assessment by itself. A spokesperson for the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) said that this was the most radical overhaul of curriculum testing since it was introduced 13 years ago. The QCA has introduced a comprehensive training exercise to prepare teachers for the change. The spokesperson said that this was necessary to boost confidence in making assessments for the many teachers who have come to rely on the tests.
Richard Garner, Education Editor, The Independent 8 March
The private company running Islington's schools has been set lower exam targets, after being fined for failing to meet them in previous years. The move, approved by councillors, makes it more likely that consultants CEA@Islington will be able to keep its management fee without being penalised. Of the 11 targets set for 2002-03, just four were met – the percentage getting at least five good grades at GCSE level, the proportion of
14-year-olds getting the required maths level, and reduced exclusions and truancy.
BBC Online 22 March
Update comment: If you can't reach the goal post – move it!
The government is purported to be considering "radical proposals to break up large secondary schools into more manageable, smaller learning communities". Large state schools are to be encouraged to revive the "house system" and moves are to be made to create a smoother transition from primary to secondary schools in an attempt to break down the "anonymous nature of a large school". Education secretary, Charles Clarke, said that this was among the "newest and most exciting" ideas being put forward for consideration for the next stage of Labour's programme of educational reform.
Rebecca Smithers, education correspondent, The Guardian 19 March
Update comment: New?! Exciting?! The only way the government could make these proposals seem exciting would be to actually invent time travel and transport the education system to the time when we had small schools. What's next – slates? Hold on. We've already gone back to the days of the slate – except now it's called a tablet PC. Dawn.
The Scottish Executive is rumoured to be considering plans to amend the way children receive feedback about the quality of their work. Instead of teachers using their trusty red pen to hand out traditional A+ to C- grades, complete with comments in the margins, they will offer a "constructive written critique". Supporters argue that the comments-only system encourages pupils to think more carefully about their work. They are unable to see at a glance whether they have passed or failed a task by targeting their grade. Instead, they must read the critique to find out. Indeed, research from King's College, London, which looked at teaching methods, found pupils performed better after teachers gave expanded critiques of their performance. Detractors say that it is political correctness gone mad. Tory education spokesman Lord James Douglas Hamilton said giving clear grades to pupils was essential to measure their performance. He said: "If you were a passenger on an aircraft in the midst of an electrical storm you wouldn't want a pilot selected for politically correct reasons but somebody who actually knew how to navigate. The purpose of grades must not be undervalued. While there is a place for different assessment, it has to be how people will react under pressure that is the legitimate test."
Yakub Qureshi, Scotland on Sunday 14 March
Glasgow is to offer free use of the city's municipal outdoor tennis courts and bowling greens to all its residents in a new fitness drive. The scheme, entitled Freeplay, will see under-used and neglected facilities modernised, and is part of a series of initiatives introduced to "halt the rise of the couch-potato mentality among Scots".
Neil Drysdale, The Scottish Herald 3 March
In an article for Professional Manager (Volume 13 Issue 2 (March 2004)), Martyn Cheesbrough argues that businesses must take responsibility for the environmental impact of their activities. Mr Cheesbrough suggests four steps to measure and minimise environmental impact.
NETREGS: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/netregs
A United Nations research group has called for computer manufacturers to make their products "greener". A report from the UN University in Tokyo claims that manufacturing a 24kg PC with monitor needs at least 240kg of fossil fuels to provide the energy, 22kg of chemicals and 1.5 tonnes of water. This means that making a desktop PC requires the weight of a sports utility vehicle in materials before it even leaves the factory. The authors said that both manufacturers and computer users across the world should be given greater incentives to upgrade or re-use computer hardware instead of discarding it. Rector of the UN University Hans van Ginkel, said: "This study clearly shows that our current understanding of the health and environmental impacts of computers is inadequate. We can no longer ignore the potential for serious long-term problems."
Tim Hirsch: BBC Online
TheITportal News Roundup 8 March
Hundreds of Edinburgh pupils are to lose out on after-school activities when lottery funding runs out. The classes were funded through a one-off £1.8 million New Opportunities Fund (NOF) grant. However, the funding will finish at the end of March, and the activities, which include computing, sculpting, badminton, basketball, swimming and modern dance will be scrapped. Director of Education at Edinburgh City Council Roy Jobson said that schools have "always been aware that this money would cease from March 2004". He said that the council is trying to find new funding avenues for the projects.
Fiona Macgregor, Education Reporter, Edinburgh Evening News 15 March
Barrie Gunter, Chris Russell, Richard Withey, David Nicholas
The British Life and Internet Project was launched in 2002 to explore the way people use the Internet in Britain. It will survey people online throughout each year on a range of topics linked to the use of the Internet. In the first survey that was conducted, just before Christmas 2002, respondents were asked a series of questions about their history of involvement with the Internet and the nature of their online behaviour. The findings indicated that online technology was used overwhelmingly for sending and receiving emails and for obtaining news and information linked to work and hobbies. Such is the demand of the Internet on the time of users that many acknowledged reducing the amount of time they spend on other activities such as watching television, reading newspapers, and even going out to do the shopping. The Internet is, for most of its users, an important interpersonal communications medium, used to stay in touch and gossip with family and friends.
Aslib Proceedings: new information perspectives
Update comment: An extremely interesting article although some of the findings are predictable once you learn that many of those responding were drawn from an email database held by The Independent [Newspaper] Group.
The CBI has called for a clampdown on local authority waste after publishing estimates suggesting efficiency savings could be worth some £3 billion a year, 15% of the council tax bill. John Cridland, CBI Deputy Director-General, used the release of a new CBI report, Delivering for Local Government, to highlight the connection between council tax rises and town hall inefficiency. The report says that many local councillors and council officials continue to be ideologically opposed to using competition to improve service quality and reduce costs. It recommends:
CBI press release 11 March
Delivering for Local Government (PDF 39pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/2h2qv
In an article for t magazine (March 2004), Peter McLaren-Kennedy, head of communication at Skillsmart, outlines a new plan to change the low skill, low training reputation of the UK retail sector. Mr McLaren-Kennedy tells us that retail is one of the mainstays of the UK economy, and is second only to the public sector in terms of employee numbers. However, development in the sector has been dogged by a lack of investment in formally recognised qualification. Training has been largely in-house and ad hoc and this has "contributed to the view that retail is low skilled, ideal for those with limited educational attainment and/or few career options". In order to address this issue, Skillsmart, the sector skills council for retail, has produced a skills and qualifications strategy. The strategy aims to be as flexible as possible, recognising that there is no "one size fits all solution". It will concentrate in particular on:
A Skills And Qualifications Strategy For The Retail Industry (PDF 26pp) is at www.skillsmart.com/uploads/SSMARSQS.pdf
For more information about Skillsmart, or a hard copy of
the strategy document, contact Peter McLaren-Kennedy
tel: 020 7854
8991
Update comment: Incidentally, the Skillsmart website has to be one of the worst I've seen in a very long time. You cannot access the content unless you "inform" it of where you live and what you do for a living. It also asks for an email address – although you can enter a false one if you choose. Once you're in the site, you can access only what is deemed relevant within your criteria. Dawn.
If Dawn says it's bad then IT'S BAD! Few of the links would appear in Members' Update if Dawn didn't go and look for them so she knows whereof she speaks. Hazel.
The updated website of conciliation service ACAS includes an A-Z of work. The alphabetical listing provides information on a wide range of employment issues, and details of the services and information ACAS has on each.
Changing Times News Issue 37 (23 March 2004)
B Hamilton
Over the years Encylopaedia Britannica has undergone a number of revisions and has been provided in a number of formats other than print. This article looks at the results of a small-scale survey of these different formats. The study compared results obtained from each and the satisfaction level of users. www.britannica.com was preferred by most as being easy to use, answered searches sufficiently and, the feature which raised this version above the others – a variety of information sources.
The Electronic Library: the international journal for the application of technology in information environments
The Department for Education and skills is to launch the Cybrarian project, which will aim to encourage use of the Internet among the estimated 25 million UK citizens who currently rarely or never use it. This is to be achieved through the development of a simple interface that can be easily adjusted to meet the varying needs of users with literacy problems or cognitive or physical disabilities, and offer assistance in navigating and searching online. The DfES expects to launch Cybrarian at the end of 2005.
More information is at www.dfes.gov.uk/cybrarianproject/
The Guardian 24 March
According to a survey conducted by Experian, the British public have very little idea of the potential for having their identity stolen. Respondents to the survey say that they have given out identity fraudsters' "most-wanted data" – their date of birth and mother's maiden name – to cold callers. Moreover, a significant number of respondents said that they were still throwing away documents containing sensitive personal data without shredding them.
Jo Best: Silicon.com
TheITportal News Roundup 22 March
A survey published to coincide with World Book Day reveals that accountants are the keenest readers in the UK. According to the survey, they spend an average of just over five hours a week reading fictional works. Secretaries came second in the survey with just under five hours reading time per week, followed by MPs. Journalists came fourth, taxi drivers were fifth, lawyers sixth, and teachers and chefs joint seventh. Interestingly, accountants also read more humorous books than anyone else.
Terry Kirby, Chief Reporter, The Independent 4 March
Update comment: Five hours? Is that all?!
City and Guilds has announced that it is to scrap its level 1 certificate in plumbing, despite a continuing shortage of trained plumbers. C&G decided on this course of action after receiving complaints from the Institute of Plumbers (IoP) that the course is "encouraging cowboys and putting public health at risk". While the course offers no more than a basic introduction to plumbing, the IoP said that it has received a "worrying" number of reports that some holders of the level 1 certificate have been setting themselves up as plumbers and advertising their services to an unsuspecting public. C&G, together with SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building services engineering, and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, decided not to renew the certificate as it has come up for its five-year review. Last September's was the last intake allowed to register for the qualification.
Peter Kingston, The Guardian 23 March
In its evidence to the Education and Skills Select Committee inquiry into skills, the LSDA argues that the launch of the inquiry is evidence in itself of the increasing importance of skills and training on government thinking around education. The LSDA submission argues that:
The full response (PDF 22pp) is at www.lsda.org.uk/files/pdf/Respedskselcomnatstr.pdf
SSDA Intelligence Issue 50 (20 March)
The European Information Association has published a new website to guide us all through the quagmire that is European Union jargon. The new service covers over 5,200 terms. Euro-jargon defines acronyms, abbreviations and terminology and also lists addresses, URLs and bibliographic references.
URL: www.eurojargon.info
Info@UK Issue 36 (March 2003)
Not only the "funnies" that Dawn so assiduously collects for you but also some general interest items that we thought you might enjoy.
This was the leading article in The Independent on 4 March. That head teachers are to be given powers to fine parents who take their children out of school during term time is nothing new. However, the conversation among parents outside the school my children attend was a bit of an eye-opener. Rather than putting parents off booking term-time holidays, the consensus seems to be that £100 is not that much to fork out when you can save £500 on the cost of your holiday.
A new book published this month argues that the "commonly asserted view" that most parents are uninterested in their children's education is "unfair". In Parents First: Parents and Children Learning Together, the authors argue that if a parent appears to be disengaged from their child's education, this is more usually because they are grappling with their own educational demons. Bad memories of their own education, coupled with poor or out-of-date skills, can leave a parent feeling intimidated and without the confidence to take an active role in school life. The authors also believe that many teachers are keen to tell parents where they are going wrong, which feels rather like "a telling-off", rather than "working from a starting point of mutual respect".
Polly Curtis, The Guardian 2 March
A US man has been charged with extortion after allegedly making demands for $100,000 from search giant Google. According to court papers, he threatened to release a piece of software to spammers that would generate fake advertising hits so costing the company millions. He was so sure that Google would meet his demands, he arranged a meeting at their offices to "sell" them his software. Unfortunately for him, Google had informed US Law enforcement agencies, who videotaped the alleged extortion attempt.
Jo Best: Silicon.com
TheITportal Midweek Roundup 24 March
A survey in a teenage "lads mag" claims that most teenage boys would not care if their parents were fined for their truancy. Sorted magazine questioned 500 boys aged 11 to 16, and found that 72% said they "would not care" if headteachers fined their parents for unauthorised absences.
The TES 5 March
A teenager is to sue Stoke Council for its alleged failure to meet his needs while he was in its care. Lawyers acting for the young man say the council failed in its duty to secure him long-term accommodation, or prepare him "an adequate pathway plan" for his transition to independent living.
Community Care 12-18 February
More than two-fifths of office workers admit to having accidentally sent an email to the wrong person, according to research from independent recruitment group Pertemps. Some of the more disastrous outcomes reported include:
Tim Jones, of Pertemps, said: "There's no doubt that email has made business communications quicker and easier, but carelessness can turn it into an office worker's worst nightmare. While most errors aren't as damaging as the Liberal Democrats, there is still ample scope to cause a lot of embarrassment and even damage your reputation – it pays to think before you send."
HRLooK Daily News 2 March
It's official – shopping is good for you! According to research from Woolworths, British women walk an estimated 133 miles a year by going to the shops. Over the course of a two hour spree, the average woman will clock up 2.77 miles, burn 193 calories and take 4,059 steps. The British Heart Foundation maintains that walking is an ideal way to help avoid coronary heart disease. A spokesperson said that people take between 3,000 and 4,000 steps per day, whilst 10,000 steps is a "healthy ideal".
Rebecca Allison, The Guardian 18 March
Chiefs at the London Borough of Havering Council have been forced to resort to employing security guards in a number of branch libraries. This move follows growing concerns among chief librarians who say that the gangs' "increasingly intimidating attitude around the premises is getting out of control and could lead to violence". The staff believe that free access to the Internet may be what is attracting the gangs.
Havering Yellow Advertiser (via Cilip Daily News) 3 March
A teenage joyrider is attempting to sue social services for not putting him into secure accommodation. According to the boy and his mother, the unnamed council was both negligent and in breach of its duty of care because it refused to lock the boy up. Consequently, the boy was severely injured in "a foreseeable crash" while driving a stolen car.
Community Care 19-25 February
Update comment: And how Dawn managed to let this one go by without a comment is beyond me – as is the report! Hazel.
According to government figures, young women are "gaining bad habits as fast as young men are losing them". Figures produced by the Office for National Statistics reveal that drinking and smoking are on the rise among women under 25. Young women aged 16-24 drank an average of 14.1 units of alcohol a week in 2002, compared with 11 units in 1998. Young men of the same age still drank more than women but their alcohol intake was on a downward trend, averaging 21.5 units a week in 2002, compared with 25.5 in 1998. Binge drinking among young men fell, but has risen among young women. Regarding smoking, 34% of women aged 16 to 24 were smokers, compared with 31% of men in that age group. Women were also more likely to smoke 10 or more cigarettes per day.
John Carvel, social affairs editor, The Guardian 19 March
The new website www.bl.uk/treasures/gutenberg/homepage.html offers digital images of the entire text of the British Library's two copies of Johann Gutenberg's Bible, the first book to be printed using the technique of printing invented by Gutenberg in the 1450s. Developed through a unique collaboration with Japan's Keio University, NTT Inc., and the interactive consultancy Oyster Partners, the site lets users compare the two digital copies, highlight the differences between them, magnify images contained in their pages, and examine details not visible on the original printed copies. Anil Pillai of Oyster says, "I think we can safely say Gutenberg would be proud of what has been achieved with this resource, using the online medium to `open up' access to amateurs and academics alike."
British Library 18 March 2004 www.bl.uk/cgi-bin/press.cgi?story=1414
ShelfLife No 149 (25 March 2004) www.rlg.org
"One of the sad things about ageing is that one is never sure whether a sense of déja vu is truly another cycle being entered, or merely something you heard yesterday but then forgot because you were too busy looking for your bus pass."
Martin Lewis, Managing Editor
Meetings and Incentive Travel March 2004
A list of the 100 most often mispronounced English words, which, incidentally, includes the word "pronunciation". Entries include:
Affidavid – even if your lawyer's name is David, he issues affidavits
Duck tape – ducks very rarely need taping; ducts do – to keep air from escaping through the cracks in them
For all intensive purposes – the younger generation is mispronouncing this phrase so intensively that it has become popular both as a mispronunciation and misspelling
Libel – you are liable for the damages if you are successfully sued for libel – but don't confuse these discrete words
URL: www.yourdictionary.com/library/mispron.html
Green Fairy March 2004
Update comment: Dawn added a note that the list includes my two pet hates – Febury and libary. There is, surely, no problem to pronouncing the first "r" in either of these words.
More than 120 Britons have been tricked out of a total of £12.6 million by so-called 419 scams in the past 15 months. Police have recorded 97 incidents of people falling for advance-fee email scams in 2003, with a further 32 cases so far this year. The victims lost an average of £98,000 each.
Gareth Morgan: Computing
TheITportal News Roundup 8 March
Update comment: If I were my mother, I'd say that these people have got more money than sense. Dawn.
My late mother and I agree with you! Hazel.
The Beer Academy, a not-for-profit organisation, seeks to help anyone interested in beer to develop their knowledge. The Academy offers courses, ranging from a two-and-a-half-hour introduction to a three-day advanced course, to both tradespeople and consumers.
More information is at www.beeracademy.org/
Donald MacLeod, The Guardian 18 February
Update comment: The website is actually rather entertaining. It includes lots of fascinating facts about beer in all its guises, like: "Old English drinkers had whistles baked on the rim of ceramic cups, which they blew to order refills, hence the phrase `wet your whistle'". Dawn.
All very well for beer drinking Dawn – where's my whisky? Hazel.
By playing an online game, Warwickshire residents can discover if they could do better than their county council in raising and spending the cash needed to run public services in the county. Players navigate a virtual town to identify services that are needed, before heading for a virtual town hall and worrying about how to pay for it all.
URL: www.corporate-adrenalin.com/wcc
E-Government Bulletin Issue 154 (6 February)
This theme was being persued, wth serious intent, on the UKHRD Forum recently and resulted in the following contribution.
The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from one to the next, says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However, in modern business and government, because of the heavy investment factors to be taken into consideration, often other strategies have to be tried with dead horses, including the following:
My personal preference is for 6 since I've seen it happen – no, not with dead horses but various aspects of government policy! Hazel.
How about sweeping the dead horse under the carpet and hoping that no-one gets a whiff of it until you've moved on?
My friend wanted a boat more than anything. His wife kept refusing, but he bought one anyway. "I'll tell you what," he told her. "In the spirit of compromise, why don't you name the boat?" Being a good sport, she accepted. When her husband went to the dock for his maiden voyage, this is the name he saw painted on the side: "For Sale."
Clean Laffs 26 January
Adult learners in a brave new world – lifelong learning policy and structural changes since 1997
Do adults need distinctive provision?
Forget Postman Pat and get a life
Further Education and Adult Learning – a NIACE policy discussion paper
Cash dries up for illiterate adults
Straight-A students show shaky grasp of the basics
Students "cannot write essays"
Red tape costs spiral to £30 billion
Seniors in knowledge and information arena call for enterprise economy
Think small, CBI tells Holyrood
Study spells out dangers for strategy
Data protection guidance for small business
Subject access request: meaning of "personal data" and "relevant filing system"
Advisers as electronic intermediaries?
Can remote Internet voting increase turnout?
Colleges get £1 million for innovation in e-learning
Distance learning misses the mark
HEFCE pulls the plug on UK e-university
Study finds e-learners "get what they need"
University plans to double e-learning uptake
Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin
Banish the Budget blues with HRLooK
Borrower Brown invests heavily in war on waste
Blair tells pupils: study until you're 18
Brown finds extra cash to fund growth
Brown pours billions into backing Labour pledge on education
Chancellor pledges 10-year cash boost for UK science
Chancellor's cash boost for schools
"Serious lack" of women in academia
Consultation on bill is not user friendly
Divide in business school benefits for men and women
Dress codes – requiring men to wear collar and tie
Employers unaware of Act's definitions
Government needs to raise profile of new diversity legislation, survey reveals
Guide for girls on breaking the glass ceiling
Internet surfing for the blind: a prototype
Minister urges more action on women's equality [in Scotland]
MLA Disability Guides and Website Feature
National Library launches free online guides
Over-50s want to carry on working
Police officer in landmark challenge for single fathers
Scots women break through glass ceiling
The National Information Forum
Woman seeks man (for equal pay claim)
Women struggle to find work-life balance
Blogger to boost FOI awareness
FOI and library management systems
Freedom of information – local authorities
HSE uses interactive website to seek views on information disclosure
College share of £42 million "unfair"
Do adults need distinctive provision?
Further Education and Adult Learning – a NIACE policy discussion paper
Inspectors "not up to the job", MPs told
Lots of good ideas and plenty of good practice – but not a lot of people know about it
Partners in Learning or Monitors for Attendance?
An update on the Guidance Council
Ariadne offers guidelines on web-based guidance service
Ministers step into careers cauldron
"Third-stream" cash to nurture business links
Big cuts punish poor student enrolments
Degree without debt? Germany calling
Even rent-free students should quit costly capital, says report
HEFCE pulls the plug on UK e-university
Jump in numbers of "firsts" awarded by top universities
One university per city would give us edge
Oxford pins fortunes on postgraduates
Record funding package for universities [in Scotland]
Wallace hint of protection from "fee refugees"
Cambridge: 1 in 5 state pupils fails to meet offer
Higher Education review [for Scotland] published
right to private life and freedom of expression
"Outdated" Computer Misuse Act to be investigated
Emails and text messages "destroying" communication skills
European Commission action against child porn, racism and spam
Information portals: a strategy for importing external content
Internet giants launch legal drive against spammers
Internet surfing for the blind: a prototype
ISPs crack down on "stupid" PC users
More Google rivals waiting in the wings
New software flags the most relevant search results
Startups line up to take on Google
Turf fighting in the search engine wars
UK government should do more for broadband
Virus survey shows half of UK businesses hit in 2003
Cabinet leak exposes conflict on ID cards
Global Legal Information Network gets a makeover
Information portals: a strategy for importing external content
Managing information in the digital age
The high cost of not finding information
Inspectors "not up to the job", MPs told
OfSTED inspections found to be fair and professional in National Audit Office report
Clear outlook on Jobs in Wales
Employment zones: statistics to end December 2003
Further jobs blow for manufacturers
Low jobless count belies insecurity
Policies for full employment - reforming European labour markets
Record numbers at work as economy set to expand
UK needs an offshoring strategy
The National Recognition Scheme (aka the Language Ladder)
Libraries to test free wireless Internet
The Assess-Train-Assess (ATA) Approach to Training and Development Project
Everyone for free tennis as a service to health
Families and children in Britain: Findings from the 2002 Families and Children Study
One in five Brits not learning ID theft lessons
Pupils to pay price as lottery funding runs out
The British Life and Internet Project: inaugural survey finding
Unions say, "apathy is the enemy of freedom and democracy"
When it comes to reading, bookkeepers top the league
Curb claims culture, says Byers
Litigation fees top £15 million as academic disputes grow
CBI urges government to curb £3 billion town hall inefficiency bill
Modern Apprenticeships research [in Scotland]
CBI pledges to monitor hike in minimum wage
TUC welcomes Minimum Wage rise and Minimum Wage for young people
Education and training in the Wakefield area are satisfactory
Education and training on the Isle of Wight are satisfactory, but ...
Anti-poverty drive to be stepped up
Billions needed to tackle child poverty, warn charities
Participatory approaches to research on poverty8
Plans to wipe one million children from poverty stats should be scrapped
Flushing out the dodgy plumbers
Break-up of large schools mooted
Minister admits to too much literacy
Schools "should provide childcare"
Schools urged to boost grades by scrapping ABCs
Tests for 7-year-olds to be dropped
Developing a skills and qualifications strategy for retail
Select Committee Skills Inquiry welcomed by LSDA
Hardest to reach manage to elude inclusion policies
Learning's not a crime – education and training for offender
Managerialism meets community development: contracting for social inclusion?
Reverse in powerful social exclusion trends
Specific groups miss out on services
Vocational training offers few benefits
Average student loan up by 73%
Charity calls for benefits extension for students
Concern at rise in student bankruptcies
Increase for student support [in Scotland]
Increase in take up of Assembly Learning Grants
Minister announces next round of successful [Wales] Union Learning projects
Research Strategies for Vocational Education and Training in England and Australia
Continuing education faces axe at Leeds
Scots access initiative conceals inequalities
University offers slots to former offenders
"Idle" part-timers face hostility in the workplace
Big Brother bosses are bad for business
HR calls for standard EU holidays
Measuring and managing labour turnover
Pay rise? Only if you're young
Small employers criticise employment tribunals
Smoking should be classed as killer chemical at work
UK in dock over "tea break" law .
Workers hit hat-trick of jobs by 30
Workers want office smoking ban
Comparison of the different electronic versions of the Encyclopaedia Britannica: a usability study
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council launches groundbreaking new approach to learning