August 2004
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Editorial

After 2½ years as Chair of The ADSET Council, Andy Dean has stepped down to be replaced by Dave Lowry. Andy writes:

Having already been referred to as the "retiring Chair", can I first point out that I am neither shy, nor am I of an age when I can collect my pension! I am merely stepping down as Chair, but I will continue to serve on the ADSET Council.

Having been a member of the Council for more years than I would care to admit, my anonymity was blown when, a couple of years ago, I finally acknowledged that it was "my turn" to accept the Chair! The job involves chairing Council meetings and the AGMs – so I cannot claim a list of achievements as Chair – the achievements belong to the Council as a whole and especially to Hazel, as General Manager, and her staff, who actually do the work. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that, for a variety of reasons, it is healthy to have a new Chair every few years. This also, of course, protects members from having to suffer my jokes at the welcoming session of our conference each year!

After deciding to step down after 2 years, I did in fact stay on longer at the request of the Council, only for events to ensure that I stuck to my original decision! As many of you will know, I have been "doing labour market information" for the Careers Management Group for a number of years (producing labour market analyses for bids etc, writing publications and lecturing). During this time, my contract enabled me to take on "private work" for a wide range of organisations – not just ADSET. This work has mushroomed, both in the UK and abroad, and I have now left Careers Management to concentrate on this. This will give me the opportunity to do more work for ADSET and others. It also means that I can offer advice and help to other ADSET members with a clear conscience!

I look forward to seeing you all at this year's conference and wish Dave Lowry, the new Chair, every success.

Thanks for the compliments but the success is very much a partnership – the Council has the ideas and the secretariat carries them out!

Andy Dean can be contacted at
email: andydean@gmx.net
tel: 07835 946413

I won't put another advert for conference in here – you know if you haven't booked yet and I've enclosed some paper forms.

I'm getting seriously concerned about the email alerts service from the LSC. I received, on 19 August, two notices about new CoVEs – Manchester City College dated 7 July and Wigan and Leigh College dated 12 July. More worrying is that I have not received any information about the major upheaval taking place in the world of adult guidance, nor about the new I&A services which will replace IAG Partnerships from 1 August. The new I&A Service, a more accurate description than IAG, is a national service with local delivery. There is a list of all the new I&A Service providers on the LSC website under the heading "Information, Advice and Guidance Contractors" <www.lsc.gov.uk/National/Partners/News/iagcontractors.htm> which is dated 3 August. A reader told me, after last month's Update, that I was out of touch on this issue. I hold my hands up and admit the fault. In mitigation, if no-one tells me then I don't know – and I will be investigating why, having signed up to receive alerts from the LSC on every possible subject, this has still, apparently, not arrived.

Hazel Edmunds, Editor

Also available as a Word document or in html format – contact ADSET to be added to the circulation list

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Connexions Direct: Mystery Shopping Pilot Evaluation Study

Emma Starling, TNS Mystery Shopping

Brief no: 561

ISBN: 1-84478-287-5 August 2004

Connexions Direct (CDX) has been developed as part of the Connexions Service. It aims to provide information, advice and support on a range of issues via telephone, interactive webchat, email and SMS text messaging. Drawing on recommendations from an earlier evaluation of CDX, this pilot has sought to test and appraise a method of mystery shopping of the service to support its future performance monitoring and quality assurance. Key findings include:

• The mystery shoppers felt a satisfactory response was given to their question in 97% of email contacts, 86% of telephone calls, 83% of webchats and 80% of texts.
• The information received was viewed as "clear and relevant" in all or nearly all email, webchat and telephone contacts, and in 4 out of 5 contacts by text.
• In terms of advice, information and support given by CDX staff, the single most common response across all contact modes was to offer details of national websites or national telephone lines. Shoppers were regularly advised to speak to responsible and relevant adults, such as a teacher, nurse or adult relative. Offers of actual referral to a local Connexions Partnership were made only in a very small number of contacts.

The views expressed in this report are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education and Skills.

The full report (RR561), price £4.95, is available from DfES Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottingham NG15 0DJ. Cheques should be made payable to "DfES Priced Publications"

The Research Brief (RB561) is available free of charge from the above address tel: 0845 60 222 60

Research Briefs and Research Reports can also be accessed at www.dfes.gov.uk/research/

Further information about this research can be obtained from David Betteley, Room W611, DfES, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4PQ
email: david.betteley@dfes.gsi.gov.uk

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Limited Connexions in special schools

Some special schools are hindering young people's use of Connexions support, according to research from the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. The research found that many schools for disabled pupils preferred to offer their own support to the young people on their roll. In schools where Connexions had a presence, access to advisers was restricted by a lack of resources, and advisers often had excessively large caseloads. The research highlighted a failure by some schools and Connexions partnerships "to recognise that young disabled people have similar problems to non-disabled people and need the same range of support".

Community Care 1-7 July

Developing Connexions is at www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/html/content/connexions/

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Connexions to remain independent service within Children's Trusts

Media reports that Connexions is to be phased out as Children's Trusts become active have been "greatly exaggerated", according to a senior civil servant. Speaking at a conference on Connexions and young people with disabilities, Steve Jackson, Divisional Director for Connexions and the Regions at the DfES, reassured delegates that the service would form "a strategic part" of the new Trusts. He acknowledged, however, that Connexions would need to "raise its game" regarding its provision to young people with disabilities. He indicated that training modules in this field, which is currently optional for Personal Advisers, could become a compulsory part of PA training.

Community Care 8-14 July

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The Role of Formative "Low-stakes" Assessment in Supporting Non-traditional Students' Retention and Progression in Higher Education: Student Perspectives

Kay Sambell and Anntain Hubbard, Northumbria University

There is little doubt that strategies to widen participation in UK higher education are having a significant impact on institutions, curricula and staff (Collins & Lim, 2002). Given the current policy emphasis on recruiting students from non-traditional groups, there is an increasing need to find ways of supporting and retaining such students, enabling them to achieve their potential. Whilst formative assessment is often viewed as having an important contribution to make in supporting student progression (Yorke, 2001), it is increasingly under threat of dilution, due to the resource constraints operating in the UK higher education sector. This article explores the action research project of a UK National Teaching Fellowship award holder, which seeks new ways of redesigning assessment methods to enhance formative assessment opportunities for non-traditional students, especially in the first year of undergraduate study. It particularly highlights research into non-traditional students' perspectives of low-stakes assessment strategies introduced into the early stages of their course, as a means of easing their transition to university study.

Widening Participation And Lifelong Learning

Volume 6 Number 2 (August 2004)

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DRC "citizenship" site goes live

The DRC's acclaimed citizenship resources, which meet the critieria set out in the Citizenship scheme of work for Key Stages 3 and 4, have gone live on a new microsite. The site provides lesson plans, worksheets and other resources of disability equality.

View the site at www.drc.org.uk/citizenship/

Disability Rights Commission Email bulletin number 31 (August 2004)

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ODPM sets new e-government performance targets

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has proposed a new system for monitoring and developing the quality of English councils' online services. The new targets will measure the "percentage of e-enabled transactions with the public that are resolved at first point of contact via 24/7 access channels". The move forms part of an ODPM review of the Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs). "First-time resolution" is described as service interactions "concluded at the initial point of contact – without the need for further action or mediation on the part of the person instigating the interaction". These include any contact between citizen or business, and cover websites, digital TV, text messaging services and e-enabled contact centres. Many councils will need to drive forward work on establishing the IT infrastructure to deliver on this indicator. In the last Implementing Electronic Government exercise, local authorities were asked to assess their current and predicted progress in implementing e-government. The new indicators are due to be piloted for two months between October and November this year.

Source: e-government monitor weekly 12 July
www.egovmonitor.com/link?131b

via Info@UK Issue 41 (August 2004)

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Ready, steady ...

The systems are almost in place and the race is now on to get people to use e-government services. In an article for The Guardian (5 August), Michael Cross reports on a national project to persuade citizens to do just that. e-Citizen is the final rung of a £2.5 million national programme, organised by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, to persuade local authorities to establish an online presence. The first stage of the project will focus on what local authorities are already doing to publicise their services, and will consist of a MORI poll to identify what is on offer, how it is marketed and what users think of it.

More information on the e-Citizen programme is at www.e-citizen.gov.uk

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Plans for all-postal voting likely to be dropped

The government is poised to abandon plans for all-postal voting throughout England after criticism from its own election watchdog. In an embarrassing retreat, the local and regional government minister, Nick Raynsford, has acknowledged that a forthcoming devolution referendum in the North-East could be the last all-postal poll. This follows warnings from the Electoral Commission that problems in a widespread pilot exercise in June damaged public confidence and undermined the democratic process. Until then, the government, supported by the commission, was planning to abandon the ballot box in local elections in favour of all-postal voting.

Peter Hetherington, regional affairs editor, The Guardian 28 August

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Computer firm in tax shambles wins £5 million payout

The computer group behind the Inland Revenue's tax credits meltdown last year will be paid more than £5 million of taxpayers' money after the government prematurely cancelled its contract to provide e-mail services for the NHS, it emerged yesterday (16 August). Electronic Data Systems (EDS), until recently the darling of the public sector with a number of high-profile government IT contracts, will receive around £9 million from the Department of Health and its successor at the NHS, Cable & Wireless.

Edmund Conway, Daily Telegraph 17 August

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Spending by NHS on IT under scrutiny

The National Audit Office, the government's spending watchdog, is investigating how the NHS has spent the £6 billion it has been given to revolutionise its computer systems. In October 2002, the Department of Health established a national IT programme designed to improve patient care by ensuring doctors and other NHS staff could communicate more easily. Its main aims were to make patients' records more accessible to staff nationwide, to make it easier for GPs to book hospital appointments for their patients, and to provide a system to store and send prescriptions and x-rays electronically. The new computer network was also designed to give GPs and primary care trusts feedback on the standard of care that patients were getting, and to ensure that the NHS could cope with present and future demands. The inquiry follows a string of bungled IT programmes, introduced in different government agencies, including the Criminal Records Bureau and Passport Service. Although the government has set aside £2.3 billion to fund the programme until 2006, the total value of the contracts that have so far been awarded is £6.2 billion. The NAO, which independently audits government departments, is now checking up on the project. It will investigate how the contracts were awarded, whether they will deliver value for money, and examine the department's progress.

Sam Jones, The Guardian 31 August

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Whitehall plans IT contracts merger

Two of the biggest and most controversial government IT projects are set to be merged into a £4 billion contract in a Whitehall cost-saving programme, writes Clayton Hirst (The Independent 8 August). The Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise departments are to be joined as part of the Treasury cost-cutting programme, and officials from both departments are "exploring the idea of creating a single private-sector contract for the operation of their two sprawling computer systems".

"The problem with clichés is not that they contain false ideas, but rather that they are superficial articulations of very good ones."

Alain de Botton

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Listen to community concerns about migration, government told

Communities voicing fears about the impact of migration should be listened to, rather than simply dismissed as "racist", ministers have been told. A Home Office commissioned report into community cohesion says concerns expressed by disadvantaged communities about inward migration are more often motivated by the increased pressure on public services, than a fear of difference. The report recommends that the government's policy of "managed migration" should be supported by "managed settlement". It also calls for a review of ODPM's sustainable communities policies to ensure developments do not proceed unless they embody community cohesion principles.

The end of parallel lives? The report of the community cohesion panel (PDF 64pp) is at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs3/end_of_parallel_lives_final.pdf

Rosie Niven, New Start Hotnews 11 August

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Government told "e-government is excluding older people"

The latest report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) outlines that the government must take greater care to give consideration to older people in developing accessible e-services. Particular attention, it says, should be paid to involving specific groups, such as pensioners and those with disabilities, at the research and pilot stage. The Committee said: "There is a danger that new technology is designed without consideration of the needs of older people and new initiatives, such as delivering services via digital television, need to be tested with a wide range of potential customers." Many government websites, it added, have created difficulties for older people by failing to apply accessibility standards, pointing out, "It is important that further work is undertaken to ensure that such problems are eliminated". The government also needs to do more, the PAC says, to encourage take-up of ICT by older people, who are one of the major users of public services, but the age group least likely to have access to the Internet.

Full report: www.egovmonitor.com/link?131c

Source: e-government monitor weekly 14 July
www.egovmonitor.com/link?131d

via Info@UK Issue 41 (August 2004)

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Voters may get pin numbers

In a move to eliminate vote thefts, the Electoral Commission has proposed a system whereby voters would need to sign up for a unique identifying pin number before being allowed to vote. The committee called for an end to the practice of registering entire households on the electoral roll, and instead suggested giving individual voters a unique pin number. The number would have to be entered onto a postal ballot paper by the voter and returned with a signature.

Hélène Mulholland and Matthew Tempest, The Guardian 6 August

Update comment: If another number means yet another database I'm agin it!

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Budget cut hits the most deprived

The Learning and Skills Council has been criticised for its refusal to increase the £240 million budget for the Entry to Employment programme (E2E). The Association of Learning Providers (ALP) estimates that this refusal will mean that more than 9,000 young people will be unable to enrol. Connexions Partnerships will be particularly hard hit, as they rely heavily on E2E provision for NEET clients. Graham Hoyle, Chief Executive at the ALP, has written to the government, warning that there will be "adverse social consequences" if E2E does not receive funding for growth. He wrote: "As this programme was designed to be the main weapon in accessing and helping those not in education, employment or training, providers are baffled to know why this priority group are having their opportunities removed."

Steve Hook, Ian Nash and Joe Clance, The TES FE Focus 3 September

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Put young offenders "back on track" says Community Care

Community Care magazine has launched a campaign to help young people at risk of offending to get their lives "back on track". The campaign launch follows the release of "alarming" statistics from the Office for National Statistics which reveal "an explosion in the number of vulnerable young people receiving custodial sentences". The statistics indicate that:

• 80% of jailed young people re-offend;
• 85% have a recognisable mental illness; and
• 60% left school before they were 16 years of age.

Community Care argues: "Too many young people … seem to switch overnight in the eyes of the law from being a child in need who requires help to a child in trouble who must be punished. Our campaign aims to remind people that it is the same child."

Community Care 8-14 July

More at www.communitycare.co.uk/backontrack

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Age of offending falls, survey finds

According to the Mori Youth Survey 2004, the peak age for offending among children is falling, and now stands at 14 years of age. The survey found that the younger a person is when they first offend, the greater the likelihood of them committing more serious offences in the future. However, it also found that if a child has not offended by the age of 14, they will be highly unlikely to do so in the future.

Community Care 29 July-4 August

Full report (PDF 97pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/43dgx

"A problem ignored is a crisis invited."

Henry Kissinger

"When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear."

Mark Twain

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"Pupils' skills getting worse"

A furious war of words has broken out over claims by business leaders that Welsh school-leavers' basic skill levels are getting worse. On one side of the debate, industry figures including the Confederation of British Industry have blamed everything from the education system to one-parent families for a perceived fall in young people's numeracy and literacy. But the head of one of Wales's leading teaching unions was last night "annoyed" by the accusations and said schools were no longer producing "factory fodder" for industry production lines. According to figures released today 37% of UK firms are dissatisfied with the standard of school-leavers' English and maths. This is 3% up on last year's figures. The full CBI-Pertemps employment trends survey, which is not due to be published until next month, will also show that 33% of firms said they needed to give school leavers basic training in these two core skills over the past year.

The Western Mail 23 August

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CBI laments lack of youth literacy

One in three companies provides remedial training for school leavers who have not mastered reading, writing and arithmetic, according to the Confederation of British Industry. Employers "pick up the pieces and the bill" caused by shortcomings in the education system, said Digby Jones, the CBI's Director General. A survey of 500 companies showed that 37% were not satisfied with the numeracy and literacy standards of 16-year-olds, compared with 34% last year. In some firms literacy and numeracy help is being provided through computing courses. "Some people don't want to admit publicly that they have problems and so the lessons are incorporated in ICT training to avoid any stigma," a CBI spokesman said.

Liz Lightfoot, Education Correspondent, Daily Telegraph 23 August

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Basic Skills Screening Guidance

ELWa has issued its guidance for basic skills screening and assessment for providers. The guidance confirms that screening for all new entrants following full-time and substantive programmes will be a minimum requirement by September 2004. FE institutions offering dedicated basic skills courses within the college or community will be expected to undertake initial assessment of all learners on entry and deliver a programme of learning that meets the identified needs.

More information (PDF 6pp) at http://tinyurl.com/5zyjt

FFORWM e-News Issue 76/6 August

We recently received a memo from senior management saying: "This is to inform you that a memo will be issued today regarding the subject mentioned above."

Microsoft, Legal Affairs Division

via Bizarre News

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Skills classes fail freed offenders

A government drive to teach offenders to read, write and add up is being undermined by serious failings in the Probation Service, according to a report published yesterday (16 August). The Service is criticised for not getting to grips with establishing and providing successful basic skills training for criminals in the community. Lessons with an overreliance on paper-based information were inappropriate for offenders with poor reading and writing abilities, the adult learning inspection report said. "Much of the basic skills provision is inflexible and fails to meet individual needs. While many examples of good practice were found, much of the training fails to adequately address the needs of offenders," according to the report.

Richard Ford, Home Correspondent, Times Online 17 August

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NRDC Annual Report

Young adults are not resistant to learning as such, but to the manner of delivery. This is one of the conclusions drawn by the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy's (NRDC) research, as described in its annual report. It goes on to say that it is important to identify and develop a range of options, including short, sharp bursts of activity and embedding basic skills. Other findings defy expectation: many adults learn numeracy not to cope better with their daily lives, but in order to get the better of a subject that once defeated them.

The NRDC Annual Report 2003/04 (PDF 59pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/5knc8

Skills and Education Network Newsletter August 2004

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Scots shun opportunities for lifelong learning

According to a survey carried out by NIACE (the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education), two-thirds of Scottish adults have no plans to take part in any post-compulsory education. The survey revealed that, despite a recent drive by the Scottish Executive to promote lifelong learning, 42% of Scottish people have undertaken no formal learning since leaving school, and 64% say that they have no intention of ever doing so. Opposition MSPs criticised the Executive for failing to "provide enough opportunities for adults to access further education". They also blamed the Executive's mishandling of the individual learning account (ILA) project for the lack of interest.

Kevin Schofield, Education Correspondent, The Scotsman 3 August

"What is the difference between unethical and ethical advertising? Unethical advertising uses falsehoods to deceive the public; ethical advertising uses truth to deceive the public."

Vilhjalmur Stefansson

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Pathways in Adult Learning Survey (PALS) 2003

Dawn Snape, Alice Bell and Abigail Jones

National Centre for Social Research

Brief no: 559 ISBN: 1-84478-283-2 July 2004

The Pathways in Adult Learning Survey (PALS) 2003 is a follow up sample survey of respondents to the National Adult Learning Survey. The survey was conducted between February and May 2003, and asked about a variety of learning experiences in the previous two years since the respondent was last interviewed. Key findings include:

• 84% of those who were learning at NALS did some learning in the two years following NALS (so only 16% stopped learning).
• By contrast, just 31% of those who were not learning at NALS did some learning in the two years following NALS (69% continued not to learn).
• About 15% of vocational learners said that their learning had led to a major change in their work, such as a new job, a move to a different type of work or setting up a new business.
• Most learners (90%) who received information, advice and/or guidance at NALS continued to learn at PALS, whereas only 75% of those who didn't receive IAG at NALS continues to learn.

The views expressed in this report are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education and Skills

The full report (RR559), price £4.95, is available from DfES Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottingham NG15 0DJ. Cheques should be made payable to "DfES Priced Publications"

The Research Brief (RB559) is available free of charge from the above address tel: 0845 60 222 60

Research Briefs and Research Reports can also be accessed at www.dfes.gov.uk/research/

Further information about this research can be obtained from Peter Vallely, Room N611, DfES, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4PQ email: peter.vallely@dfes.gsi.gov.uk

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Evaluation of Post-16 Learning Arrangements: Final Report

The final report of the Post-16 Learning Arrangements Evaluation project has been published by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). This two-year study assessed key stakeholder and partner views on critical post-16 processes and the contribution to learner performance, quality and standards. Among the main findings are the following:

• The balance between the responsibilities of the DfES and the LSC remains a major issue.
• Three-fifths (58%) of LSC Executive Directors agree that the National LSC has been implementing effective policies and strategies over the past year.
• Some national stakeholders perceive that improvements have been made in the development of the funding methodology.
• Learning provider views on funding have improved significantly over the past year with nearly a half (48%) of those who perceived a change, seeing it as positive. This compares with 37% who perceived a positive change one year ago.
• Partnership and dialogue between LEAs and local LSCs is mixed.
• There is a split between those who see a push for greater regionalisation as bringing the national office and decision-making closer to the locality, and those who see the reverse, that is a reduction in the extent of local focus.
• Over three-quarters of providers perceive a negative change on the issue of bureaucracy.
• The majority of Executive Directors (91%) agreed that "over the past year standards have been raised". This compares with 68% who agreed a year ago.

INtelligence Issue 26: August 2004

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Student numbers soar but graduate pay falls

Record numbers of students claimed places at university yesterday (19 August) as a new study confirmed that the value of a degree is falling sharply for the first time. As students celebrated, ministers suffered a reverse over their arguments in favour of the continued expansion of universities. A study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, conducted by Professors Peter Elias and Kate Purcell, showed that graduates from 1999 were earning 11% less in real terms now compared with those from 1995 four years into their careers. The situation was worse for women, who make up 55% of university students. The 1999 graduates were earning 18.6% less today than men in the 1995 group after four years and 10% less than women then. The study of 4,500 people was the biggest into the career prospects of different groups of graduates. The Higher Education Statistics Agency now plans an urgent further study of graduates from 2001 to see if the decline in salaries is the beginning of a trend. Professor Elias, of Warwick University, told The Times: "It seems to me unfeasible that we can expand from a situation of 60,000 to 70,000 graduates a year to one with nearly 300,000 graduates coming on to the labour market without it having some impact on that market. Maybe now we are beginning to show signs that this is not to be counted on in the future." Professor Purcell, of the University of the West of England in Bristol, said: "The size of the decline lends confidence to our conclusion that there has recently been an overall decline in the graduate premium. The impressive thing, in a way, is how long it has taken for this to appear."

Tony Halpin and Alexandra Blair, Times Online 20 August

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Are there too many graduates in the UK? A literature review and an analysis of graduate employability

Tamsin Bowers-Brown, with Lee Harvey

The recent White Paper, The Future of Higher Education, and the annual increase in the number of young people achieving passes at A-level have fuelled an ongoing debate on whether too many people are now entering higher education in the UK. At the centre of the "too many graduates" argument is the issue of employability: is the nation producing enough graduates to meet the needs of the knowledge economy or is there an abundance of graduates in the workplace who do not need degrees to do their jobs? This article identifies key arguments in the increasing participation and employability debate.

Industry and Higher Education

Volume 18 Number 4 (August 2004)

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Young graduates get the work blues

A substantial minority of graduates in their 20s and 30s are disillusioned and bored with their jobs, and nearly half complain about the lack of intellectual challenge, according to a survey published yesterday. Sixty per cent of the graduates polled said they had been unable to make full use of their degree. This figure rose to 86% among those who had studied maths. Even among those with a degree in modern languages, the proportion who said they were not making full use of their skills was 44%. The most bored were those working in administration (41%) and retail and sales (both 36%). The least bored were in engineering (16%) and health care (17%). Disillusionment was most marked in retail (28%) and least apparent in accountancy (7%). The most common complaint was being unable to make full use of their degrees. This was voiced by 85% of those working in sales, 84% working in administration, 79% in banking and 76% in human resources. Half of those questioned said they had "fallen into" their careers rather than planned them. The survey was carried out for the Teacher Training Agency. One of the findings it highlighted was that 27% of graduates were so disenchanted that they were contemplating a career change. "If graduates have a good degree that they want to use, secondary school teaching offers the opportunity to enjoy the intellectual challenge of their subject and the enjoyment of working with young people," the agency said.

John Clare, Education Editor, Daily Telegraph 13 August

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Grads add £1 billion to the economy

Graduates contribute around £1 billion of added value to the UK economy annually, according to new research from Lancaster University Management School. The research found that graduates bring value to an organisation by: developing faster than other employees; stimulating change; and having the skills to articulate ideas into daily working life, despite limited experience.

People Management Online 29 July

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Destinations of leavers from higher education in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2002/03

This Statistical First Release has been produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, in collaboration with DfES statisticians. It provides details of the destinations of leavers from HE who obtained qualifications in higher education institutions in the UK during the academic year 2002/03. The data presented draws on the new Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) record introduced in 2002/03, which replaced the previous First Destination Supplement. DLHE is a more comprehensive record, expanded to cover leavers from part-time programmes and from additional postgraduate programmes. The new DLHE survey is designed to collect richer information from leavers, particularly regarding work and study. Leavers separately report such activity thereby providing a matrix of circumstances. Consequently the DLHE survey has different definitions for the destination categories reported, e.g. those employed and unemployed. Comparisons should not therefore be made with figures presented in previous years.

Department for Education and Skills Research report published 10 August Ref: HESA SFR 77

Issued by: Higher Education Statistics Agency,
95 Promenade, Cheltenham GL50 1HZ
tel: 01242 255577
email: information.provision@hesa.ac.uk
URL: www.hesa.ac.uk/press

The Statistical First Release, containing a great deal of information and with links to all the tables, is at http://tinyurl.com/6foah

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Why graduates need extra degrees in charisma to survive the job jungle

Employers are staging a "Darwinian war for talent" in which only the business-savvy player makes the first rung on the ladder, writes John Clare, Education Editor (The Daily Telegraph 2 August). According to a new study, it is not knowledge, skills or technical competence that secures a good first job. Rather it is "personal capital", which includes soft skills such as "the ability to communicate, persuade, adapt, solve problems, show good judgment, initiate change, work in teams, be creative, demonstrate business acumen and network with customers and clients". The researchers argued that 21st century job applicants must be able to prove that they possess qualities which "in a previous life may have resulted in canonisation". The study splits graduates into two distinct groups. The Purists believe that "if they are good enough, they will get a good job, and that it is simply a question of finding one that matches their knowledge, personality and aspirations". In contrast, the Players "understand the rules of the game and make sure they are properly prepared. They deliberately build up their curriculum vitae by undertaking voluntary work and extra-curricular activities … as a way of sending appropriate messages to employers".

The Mismanagement of Talent by Phillip Brown and Anthony Hesketh is published by Oxford University Press ISBN: 0-19926-954-8 price £16.99

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Graduate fairs lose out to Web

The traditional "milk round" of presentation evenings at which major companies woo final-year students is in its death throes as businesses turn to the Internet, it was claimed this week. Gordon Chesterman, Director of Cambridge University's Careers Service, said that in the past year some universities had seen a 40% fall in bookings from companies seeking to host presentation and recruitment events. Mr Chesterman's comments about the "milk round" were echoed by the Association of Graduate Recruiters, which agreed that companies were changing their approach, partly because of the cost of events compared with Internet recruitment. But Terry Jones of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services said the "milk round" was as strong as ever in parts of the UK, although some major City corporations or consultancy firms varied their recruitment year on year in line with the general economic climate.

Paul Hill, The THES 27 August

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BCC slams government university target

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has criticised the government for focusing on getting 50% of students into higher education at the expense of supporting vocational schemes. BCC president Bill Midgley said: "The drive to get more and more students into university is having a damaging impact on both business and students. The government must immediately scrap the 50% university target. We wish A-Level students the best of luck with their results but it is important that students, including the brightest, consider all options available to them and not simply head straight to university. Young people should consider the excellent opportunities available to them through pursuing vocational routes of learning." The latest BCC economic survey of over 6,000 businesses found that over the last ten years the number of employers having difficulty finding people with the right skills has doubled. The BCC believes that students looking at their career options need to know that they can earn high salaries by getting vocational qualifications and not going to university. It says the current careers advice system is failing many young people by pushing increasing numbers into university. With university drop-out rates increasing and many graduates entering non-graduate-level employment, the BCC believes the system needs to be questioned.

HRLooK Daily News 18 August

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Job cuts

The TUC General Council has expressed deep concern at the proposed 104,000 job cuts in the civil service and the impact that these will have on the quality and accessibility of public services. A statement issued after the Council's July meeting said: "Such losses are neither necessary nor acceptable. They would result in cuts to public services and public access."

In ToUCh 6 August

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A post-Blair generation?

The typical early 21st-century undergraduate is likely to be a Liberal Democrat-voting, Sun-reading, party animal who works part-time in a shop and aspires to a career in advertising or the media, according to a survey from Opinionpanel Research. The survey sought the opinions of undergraduates from more than 171 universities in search of "insights into their attitudes and lifestyle". Key findings include:

• on average, students go to three open days before making their university choices but 17% of students don't attend any;
• 27% of students work during the week earning £67.80;
• students with term-time jobs at new universities earn more than their counterparts at old universities (£77.60 compared with £58.70);
• a quarter of students aspired to a career in advertising or the media – just 2% said they wanted to work in construction or manufacturing;
• on average, students expect to earn £18,520 after graduation;
• students go to the pub twice a week and eat fast-food meals three times a fortnight;
• 67% of students said they were likely to vote in a general election – one in three said the top-up fee debate had changed the way they would vote; and
• 49% felt that it was time for Tony Blair to step down.

Paul Hill, The THES 6 August

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Professional Education and Skills: liberalising higher education for the professions in the United Kingdom

Catriona Paisey, Glasgow Caledonian University, and Nicholas J Paisey, Heriot-Watt University

Higher education for the professions of accountancy, law and medicine faces multi-faceted roles as it attempts to be simultaneously an education, with the additional incorporation of training aspects, and a preparation for later professional study and work. As this article shows, these three professions are facing a knowledge explosion and it is becoming increasingly difficult for new graduates to have covered, even if only briefly, all possible aspects of the knowledge-based curriculum. Additionally, this article shows that the skills possessed by new graduates in these disciplines have been criticised. Thus, there have been calls to broaden the curriculum within higher education in these professional disciplines to cover hitherto under-explored areas. This article aims to compare trends in the higher education of three professional disciplines in order to identify areas of commonality.

Research in Post Compulsory Education Volume 9 Number 2 (2004)

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Three in five new graduates owe more than £10K

Twice as many students will graduate this year owing more than £10,000 compared with last year, a survey by NatWest bank reveals. The number rose from just 31% last year to 59%. Average graduate debt leapt from £4,055 to £12,180. The survey also found that some 34% of the graduates surveyed did not receive any help from their parents at all this year, compared with 25% last year.

Polly Curtis, The Guardian 10 August

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Students' fear over debt on increase, says poll

The government has challenged the findings of the NatWest survey which found that graduates are now starting work with an average £12,180 of debt. A spokesperson for the DfES highlighted independent research which had shown average graduate debt to be around £8,000, and that projected debt levels, even when higher tuition fees are introduced in 2006, were likely to be about £15,000.

Miranda Green, The Financial Times 11 August

Update comment: So, now the DfES knows more about how much students owe than the students themselves?

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Website helps students

A website is being launched which claims it could save the average student £1,000 a year. The Student Finance Vigilante has been set up by a group of graduates from Southampton and Nottingham Universities to help students handle their finances better. The group decided to launch the venture after becoming aware that many of their friends, who had racked up large student debts, had little idea about basic financial skills such as budgeting, and the impact compound interest would have on their debts while they repaid them. Average student debt has soared by around 500% during the past decade, from £2,212 in 1994 to more than £12,000 this year. The guide aims to help students reduce the amount of debt they graduate with by offering advice on budgeting and student discounts, as well as providing tools to help them keep track of how much they are spending and calculate how much they will owe when they start work-based on their current expenditure. It also has tools which enable people to calculate how long it is likely to take for them to clear their debt, as well as how much £200 borrowed now will end up costing them in the long run once compound interest has been added.

The ebook costs £5 and will be available on www.studentfinancevigilante.co.uk from 24 September

The Western Mail, 25 August

"My grandfather always said, `Don't watch your money; watch your health.' So one day while I was watching my health, someone stole my money. It was my grandfather."

Jackie Mason

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Take legal action to earn money, students told

A direct claims firm has been set up to encourage students to sue their universities, landlords and even other students. Student Claims assures students they can make "easy money" from insurance claims. The website states that claimants can make "life-changing amounts" which can be used "to buy that dream car" or first flat. The website reads: "Every day, students in your position are constantly exposed to unnecessary risk from rogue employers, unscrupulous landlords, careless retailers, over-tired doctors and nurses, dangerous motorists and even tour operators cutting corners. You could well be entitled to a £1,000 minimum, tax-free cash payment and not know anything about it."

Yakub Qureshi, Scotland on Sunday 8 August

Update comment: With this sort of encouragement around it's no wonder that Britain is becoming a litigious society.

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Plans to attract foreign students "unsustainable"

A leading university body has slated the Scottish Executive's Fresh Talent policy, in which overseas students are encouraged to settle in Scotland on completion of their studies. The Association of Graduate Careers Advice Services (AGCAS), which represents all Scottish universities, warned that, with the exception of a few "niche" areas such as nursing and social work, there are currently not enough jobs to sustain domestic graduates. Audrey McCulloch, convener of AGCAS, said: "There seems to be a huge amount of confusion. At the moment the Executive does not have operational answers. We are worried because our understanding of the graduate labour market would lead us to be concerned whether there are significant graduate opportunities at the moment for our own graduates or for international students."

Yakub Qureshi, Scotland on Sunday 1 August

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Log on turn off for women

Recruiters are losing female candidates because of poorly designed and managed online recruitment systems, according to new research into gender bias in Internet recruitment. The study found that 25% of graduate recruiters reported a significant drop in female applications after moving to online recruitment. Results showed that, overall, females were more uncomfortable about all aspects of the online application process than their male counterparts and were thus less likely to apply for the jobs advertised.

A Boy/Girl Thing: Gender Issues in Online Selection is available from the Association of Graduate Recruiters at www.agr.org.uk

People Management Online 29 July

"Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway."

Emory Austin

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OfSTED'S first self-evaluation finds that inspection has contributed to the improvement of education and many value the opportunity to develop

The Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) today (30 July) published, Improvement through inspection: an evaluation of the impact of OfSTED's work. The report assesses how inspection contributes to the improvement of the education system as a whole, but focuses in particular on school inspection. All the main aspects of OfSTED's remit are considered and the findings are based on internal evaluation, external surveys and research evidence. The work was conducted in partnership with The Institute of Education, University of London. The report concludes that OfSTED has met its statutory duties well and provided an important source of independent evidence on the quality of the education service.

The report was written and researched by Peter Matthews HMI and Professor Pam Sammons, Coordinating Director of the International School Effectiveness and Improvement Centre at the Institute of Education

OfSTED press release GNN ref 99250P 30 July

Update comment: No indication of availability.

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OfSTED gives itself a glowing report

The self-evaluation report finds that OfSTED provides value for money. In addition, the standards body has made a "good" contribution to school improvement, and its focus on outcomes is also "good". David Hart, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, commented: "This does not square with the concerns expressed by our members."

Jon Slater, The TES 6 August

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College may close after QAA and OfSTED criticism

A scathing report from OfSTED and the Adult Learning Inspectorate regarding The People's College, Nottingham, has been echoed by a report from the Quality Assurance Agency. The QAA report, which found "no confidence" in the academic standards of a higher national diploma course at People's and questioned the standards of its FE provision, looks likely to be the final straw for the troubled college. The college has been a feature of Nottingham's educational culture for almost 160 years, and played a key role in the creation of Nottingham University by helping to set up its 1880s predecessor, University College Nottingham. However, in an area where the local LSC has already declared that there are "too many general further education colleges" and has warned that formal proposals will soon be made to address the situation, the future does not look too promising for People's.

Phil Baty, The THES 3 September

Update comment: It may well have a rubbish reputation with officials, but it's well-known and well-loved by Nottingham people. Presumably, it's also rated quite highly by the 10,000 students currently on its roll. It will be a sad day if People's closes. Dawn (who just happens to live in Nottingham).

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Numbers and Narratives: what can schoolteachers tell us about college drop-out?

Mich Page

Student drop-out is a complex phenomenon; this paper addresses some dysfunctional precursors, which may predispose college students to drop out of FE. These precursors are seen in the light of institutional failure to transmit appropriate, positive values to children in schools, in respect of vocational education and training. Two methods of investigation have been employed: a correlation study between school performance and college drop-out, and a narrative analysis, which "imaginatively" exploits the practical wisdom of teachers to determine why this correlation exists. The proposed solution suggested by this research is one of vertical integration, incorporating a life-long learning approach, connecting schools with FE colleges and the world of work. The dualistic method itself is also spotlighted to evaluate the policy and practice challenges it suggests.

Research in Post Compulsory Education

Volume 9 Number 2 (2004)

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Looking further afield

Kat Fletcher, NUS president, explains (The Guardian 27 August) why the National Union of Students has chosen to focus its attention on the further education sector this year. She says that the student population is diverse and reality is quite different from common perception. The overwhelming majority of the National Union of Students' 5 million members study in the further education system; students of all ages and backgrounds, working towards qualifications that could fundamentally change their lives for the better. The FE sector is diverse and dynamic … But it is a chronically underfunded sector, where courses are often forced to close, lecturers are still underpaid and many students are forced to live on or close to the breadline. In the NUS itself, education debates tend to be centred around that of higher education funding. We too easily forget that FE students have been paying fees for years. With expected changes to the 14 to 19 curriculum and the impact this could have on colleges, strong and active student unions are needed within the sector.

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Premium funding for 73 "excellent" colleges

Seventy-three further education colleges and other FE institutions will receive extra funding in the academic year 2004/05 in recognition of their excellent performance. FE performance-related funding forms part of the Success for All programme of reform, which established an accountability framework to "identify and reward excellent performance and drive up standards". Each of the colleges will receive a premium rate of 3.5% above inflation.

LSC Update Issue 2 (July-August 04)

The full list is available on the LSC website under Documents/Subject Listing/Funding Learning/Further Education

Update comment: Sorry – couldn't find it to create "a Tiny". Hazel.

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Opening up a legal debate

The Freedom of Information Act is intended to open a secret world to the ordinary citizen. But the reality is likely to be disappointing writes Alex Wade Times Online (24 August). The phrase "damning with faint praise" comes to mind whilst reading this long article. For example, "The Freedom of Information Act will become law on January 1 next year, and advocates of the new law proclaim its importance in consolidating Labour's `bond' with the citizenry. At last, the argument runs, we will have legislation that is integral to accountable democratic government. It may have taken some time, and other Western democracies may have had similar legislation for the past 20 years, but better late than never. Labour has fulfilled a manifesto pledge, and Whitehall's culture of secrecy will vanish." We are told, however, that the Act is unlikely to benefit "the ordinary person". The main difficulty is the large number of exemptions from the requirements of the law – both institutions and types of information. Some of the categories of information that are exempted from a duty to disclose are classed as "absolute" exemptions. If an absolute exemption applies, a public authority does not even have to tell you whether it holds the information requested, let alone provide it. And, the cost is likely to be prohibitive for the ordinary person with suggestions as high as £500 plus.

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£3 million National Framework for UK research information announced

A new national initiative, the Research Libraries Network (RLN), is set to transform the way research information is collected, organised, preserved and accessed across the UK. The RLN will bring together the UK's four higher education funding bodies, the British Library, the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales and the eight members of Research Councils UK, to develop the UK's first national framework aimed at addressing the information needs of researchers. Set up following the recommendations of the Research Support Libraries Group (RSLG), and endorsed by the House of Commons Select Committee on Education and Skills, the RLN will:

• provide strategic leadership for collaboration between publicly-funded research information providers and their users;
• co-ordinate action to propose and specify solutions to meet researchers' changing needs; and
• act as a high-level advocate for research information, across the UK and internationally.

managinginformation.com 2 August

For more information, contact Philip Walker at HEFCE
tel: 0117 931 7363
email: p.walker@hefce.ac.uk
Or Val McBurney at the British Library
tel: 020 7412 7112
email: val.mcburney@bl.uk

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Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information publishes first annual report

The APPSI has published its first annual report. It discusses the need to align freedom of information and public sector information initiatives. The report also flags up the need for a clear and united message on public sector information which can be readily understood by citizens – mentioning at least four perspectives that exist within government:

• the Cabinet Office promotes the re-use of PSI to enhance the knowledge economy and the quality and range of government services;
• HM Treasury is particularly keen on leveraging PSI to generate revenue or reduce the costs of government;
• the DCA is seeking to create more transparent government through freedom of information legislation; and
• the DTI wishes to enhance the competitive positioning of the UK information industry.

URL: www.hmso.gov.uk/appsi/meetings.htm#annualreport

Information Law Newsletter

Issue Number 52 (August 2004)

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Digital Information will never survive by accident

In an interview with SAP INFO Online (2 August), Neil Beagrie, British Library and Joint Information Systems Committee Partnership Manager, explains the issue of how the knowledge of the 21st century can be preserved for future generations. Mr Beagrie says that, unlike information that is stored physically, digital information requires "active management". He argues that paper can survive for thousands of years, and languages would take many hundreds of years to become unintelligible. In contrast, digital information can be lost within a matter of months.

The full interview is online at http://tinyurl.com/5m8ar

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Legal admissibility of electronic records: revised BSI Code of Practice

Alan Shipman

Looks at the benefits to an organisation of compliance with the British Standards Institution (BSI) Code of Practice on the legal admissibility of electronic records. The original code was published in 1996 and updated in 1999. Sets out and discusses the reasons why a further updating was thought necessary and gives further details of the revised version.

Records Management Bulletin (117) Dec 2003 pp 7-10

Original abstract in Library and Information Science Abstracts Issue 4 (April 2004)

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Inspire

View the website of the Inspire England Initiative, the aim of which is to "create seamless access across over 4,000 public, 3 national, almost 700 higher education libraries, as well as special libraries and those in further education colleges and schools, and to build an effective interface to resources for learning with museums, galleries and archives".

URL: www.inspire.gov.uk/

Internet resources newsletter, September 2004

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Information Commissioner publishes concerns on identity cards

The Information Commissioner's Office has outlined its concerns regarding the proposed national identity card scheme, including the establishment of a national register of citizens' personal details. The ICO's concerns are published in its submission to the Home Office's consultation on identity cards, which coincides with the publication of the Home Affairs Select Committee report. Richard Thomas, Information Commissioner said: "The Home Affairs Select Committee shares many of the concerns I have expressed about the government's proposals. It recognises that the current proposals are far wider than necessary to implement a simple identity scheme and that there are many problems that need addressing before any scheme could proceed. "I want to make it very clear to the public that this draft Bill is not just about an ID card, but an extensive national identity register and the creation of a national identity registration number. Each of these raise substantial data protection and personal privacy concerns in their own right. The introduction of a national identity register will lead to the creation of the most detailed population register in the UK. The lack of a clearly defined purpose for ID cards, including the continuing changes in focus, causes concern. Further clarification is also needed regarding the nature and extent of the personal information which will be collected and retained, plus the reasons why such a large amount of information needs to be recorded as part of establishing an individual's identity. I also have concerns in relation to the wide range of bodies who can view the record of what services individuals have used. This will enable the government and others to build up a comprehensive picture of how we live our lives. However, individuals will not know which bodies have been accessing their personal information because the draft Bill removes the right to see their own information. I have asked the government to reinstate this fundamental data protection right."

Other areas the ICO has asked to be addressed include:

• uncertainties and risks relating to administrative and technical arrangements;
• the need for stronger independent oversight;
• the absence of a "voluntary" option for driving licence and passport holders – those individuals who renew or apply for a driving licence or passport will have their information automatically added to the National Identity Register, thereby losing the option of not registering;
• the extent to which secondary legislation can be used to extend the scheme, thus fuelling anxieties about "function creep"; and
• further clarity is also needed regarding the amount of information that will be recorded on ID cards so as to determine what information is visible on the card and what is available on the chip – it is also important to establish strong security so as to restrict unauthorised access to this information.

Richard Thomas concluded: "Whilst I am not fundamentally opposed to the introduction of ID cards I do have significant concerns about the current proposals. The privacy implications of an extensive national identity register are, in many ways, of far greater concern for individuals. This aspect needs more of a public debate. I remain committed to working with the Home Office to ensure that if the government continues with proposals for an ID card scheme and identity register the necessary safeguards are put in place to ensure people's privacy is protected."

Source: Information Commissioner press release, 30 July 2004

via Information Law Newsletter KeepingLegal.com

© Paul Pedley Issue Number 51 (2 August)

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Whither HTML?

Judith Wusteman

HTML has reinvented itself as an XML application. The working draft of the latest version, XHTML2.0, is causing controversy due to its lack of backward compatibility and the deprecation – and in some cases disappearance – of some popular tags. But is this commotion distracting us from the big picture of what XHTML has to offer? Where is HTML going? And is it taking the Web community with it?

Library Hi Tech 22(1) 2004 pp99-105

Original abstract in Library and Information Science Abstracts Issue 6 (June 2004)

Update comment: Will one of our more technically-minded readers please explain this in words I can understand? Hazel.

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Copyright Clearance Center launches online educational resource

The Copyright Clearance Center has launched a Web-based resource for business professionals, The Guide to Copyright Compliance. The interactive guide assists companies in implementing corporate best practices for achieving compliance with copyright law and also helps organisations educate employees on how lawfully to use the content required to do their jobs.

The educational resource guide is at www.copyright.com/Services/CorporateGuide

Information Law Newsletter KeepingLegal.com

© Paul Pedley Issue Number 51 (2 August)

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MPs attack Blunkett ID card plan

The Home Affairs select committee has condemned David Blunkett's plan to introduce compulsory identity cards, stating that it is improperly costed, poorly thought out, secretive and lacking in clarity both over the scheme's scope and practical operation. The committee said that it was not opposed to identity cards "in principle". However, it found that there is an alarming potential for "function creep" in the current proposals. Areas of concern include:

• There is nothing in the current plans which will prevent private companies from accessing detailed information on a card holder, if the company is providing a service to government.
• The plans appear to give security and intelligence services "nearly unfettered access to information on the database without the knowledge of the ID card holder".
• There is no proof that biometric testing, which will be used to establish identity, is reliable.

In conclusion, the report calls for parliament to be given powers to oversee the development of ID cards, in order to prevent them encroaching into new areas.

Patrick Wintour, The Guardian 29 July

The full report is online (PDF 130pp) at http://tinyurl.com/5kcfs

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ID scheme concerns business

Business fears the government's ID card scheme will not guarantee people are who they say they are, and companies will carry the can when the system fails. Following a major consultation with member companies, the CBI says employers are ready to back an ID scheme in principle, but the organisation regards the current plan as "vague and insufficiently thought out". The CBI says that if the scheme is to have value, businesses and individuals must have certainty over the accuracy of information on the ID registry. It believes there is too little detail on how the government will achieve this, a view exacerbated by the uncertainty surrounding use of biometric technology, which includes facial images, iris scans and fingerprints. The employers' organisation is particularly concerned that the government will not accept liability when companies use information on the ID registry that turns out to be wrong. It says this could expose firms to time-consuming court cases and damaging legal bills for errors that are no fault of their own.

HRLooK Daily News 20 August

"You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far."

Uncle Remus

Quote from the Boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say."

Marketing Executive, Citrix Corporation

Bizarre News

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Young people and benefits

Alaster Calder, Surrey County Council, writes on this topic in Benefits (No 140 June 2004 Volume 12 Issue 2). Not being currently, nor for many years, an adviser on employment or benefits I (Hazel) am well out of touch with practice on the front line. My knowledge all comes from reading. I was appalled, therefore, to discover, from Mr Calder's article, that: "There are now over 30 different sets of circumstances under which young people may or may not get Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, some of them so obscure that it is likely nobody has ever qualified under them since their introduction." The article goes on to look at the major problem areas and what action, if any, is being taken to address these.

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Making reading SEXY for Socially EXcluded Youth

Beverley Ward

Describes some of the projects undertaken by libraries in Sheffield in working with youths, especially socially excluded youth, through the YouthBOOX and Book Off reader development schemes. The findings from the projects indicate that young people: enjoy arts activities and books that support them; love shopping and make great book selection teams; will read shiny, colourful non-fiction; enjoy talking about fiction; like their own space; like to be seen as individuals and do not like to be judged; and are demanding consumers who want things immediately.

Public Library Journal 19(1) Spring 2004 pp4-6

Library and Information Science Abstracts

Issue 6 (June 2004)

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Youth unemployment at all-time high

Youth unemployment has increased worldwide over the past decade to some 88 million, according to a new study by the International Labour Office (ILO), reaching an all time high with young people aged 15 to 24 now representing nearly half the world's jobless. Global Employment Trends for Youth 2004, a new analysis prepared by the ILO's Employment Strategy Department, found that while youth represent 25% of the working-age population between the ages of 15 and 64, they made up as much as 47% of the total 186 million people out of work worldwide in 2003.

INtelligence Issue 26: August 2004

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Voluntary and community sector funding

Proof that funding for the voluntary and community sector to deliver social regeneration services has "significantly diminished" over the past 2 years has emerged in a study by the National Council for Voluntary Service. The study, Will the Single Pot tackle social regeneration?, concludes that there is little evidence to suggest that the merging of 10 funding streams in 2002 has resulted in improved funding opportunities for organisations in this sector.

Community Care 5-11 August

Full report (PDF 11pp) is at www.nacvs.org.uk/resources/research/docs/singlepot.pdf

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Groups urged to be wary of politicians

Contracts and relationships with the statutory sector could destroy voluntary groups, a public policy think tank has warned. Robert Whelan, Deputy Director of Civitas, said: "Voluntary organisations should take no money from government and have as little to do with politicians as possible." Speaking at a seminar organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs, Mr Whelan argued that the new "partnership approach" simply meant that the government wanted voluntary groups to do its bidding "on the cheap".

Community Care 1-7 July

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"Don't get too cosy with government"

Voluntary and community groups run the risk of being "colonised" by the government if the links between them become too close, warns Bernard Greaves, chair of the Leicester Local Strategic Partnership. Mr Greaves said that there has been "an increase in micro-management from central government" which threatens to undermine the independence of this sector. Speaking at the Urban Forum annual conference, he argued that voluntary and community schemes were being coerced into "signing up to a centralist corporate approach" in return for financial hand-outs.

Community Care 22-28 July

Update comment: It's been said before but not quite so forcibly.

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Volunteering and employability: exploring the link for incapacity benefits recipients

Anne Corden, Social Policy Research Unit, University of York, and Angela Ellis, The Institute for Volunteering Research

The current Labour government has been keen to stress the role of volunteering and active citizenship as a means of escaping social exclusion. At the same time the government emphasises unemployment as a root cause of social exclusion, and encourages people to volunteer as a route into paid work. This article discusses the evidence for links between volunteering and employability for incapacity benefits recipients. There is mixed evidence as to whether voluntary work acts as a direct route to paid work. For some people volunteering can increase personal assets to offer employers – such as confidence, social skills and experience gained in a work environment. However, cultural stereotypes of people who do voluntary work may limit identification of such opportunities. Disabled people may face a number of other barriers to taking part. The authors argue that focusing too much on the role of volunteering, as a route to paid work for incapacity benefits recipients, fails to recognise the potential value of volunteering in enhancing quality of life and human capital.

Benefits (a journal of social security research, policy and practice) No 140 June 2004 Volume 12 Issue 2

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A decade of tackling poverty, but Britain's far from a fair society

Ten years after its groundbreaking Commission on Social Justice, set up at the request of the late John Smith, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has published an audit of social injustice. It forms the first part of IPPR's work on Rethinking Social Justice, a project which assesses how Britain has changed since the 1994 Commission and sets out new policy directions for the decade ahead. IPPR's State of the Nation assessment says the government has:

• been good on poverty but not so good on inequality;
• been better on income inequality than on wealth inequality;
• helped working parents but done less for poor people without children; and
• cut crime but the poorest are still more likely to suffer crime and the fear of crime.

The report says that Britain has become fairer in the last ten years, with increased employment rates and the commitment to reducing child poverty having so far been successful. The nation is healthier, living longer and experiencing far less crime than a decade ago. But, the report says, Britain is still far from being a fair and just society. Parental social class and ethnicity still heavily influence life-chances, whilst democratic participation is falling and political influence is polarising according to class and wealth. Women continue to be more likely to live in poverty while the percentage of wealth held by the wealthiest 10% of the population has increased from 47% to 54% over the last ten years.

IPPR press release 2 August

The State of the Nation: An Audit of Injustice in the UK (PDF 68pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/4or2b

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Entrepreneurship and social inclusion

S L Fielden and A Dawe

Women in the UK frequently do not consider business ownership as an alternative to other forms of employment or as a means to gain economic benefits. The number of women currently entering into businesses in the North of England is decreasing and is less than half of that in the South. This paper examines the preliminary findings from a longitudinal study exploring the socially created barriers to business start-up that inhibit the growth of women entrepreneurs and how they may be removed. The study employed an action research approach to investigate the experiences of UK women entering into micro and small business ownership, emphasising the social construction of many of the barriers faced by women in the pursuit of business ownership. In doing so it examined personal and motivational factors surrounding the start-up process, the economic and physical barriers encountered, as well as the perceived and actual support and advice available to women.

Women in Management Review

Volume 19 Number 3 (March 2004)

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Disability pay "was incentive to leave jobs"

The Bank of England said yesterday (17 August) that generous disability benefits encouraged more than half a million men of working age to leave their jobs during the 1990s. The news came after a survey by Sheffield Hallam University found that Britain's unemployment rate of 4.8% (1.43 million people) would rise by nearly 80% to 2.5 million people if the government included those claiming disability benefits. Yesterday, the Bank said: "The generosity of the disability insurance system … appears to have encouraged such workers to exit the labour market." It added: "The decline in participation [in the jobs market] is almost exactly matched by a rise in disability benefit rolls. There has been no change in the number of inactive males who do not claim disability benefit." Between 1992 and 2001, 540,000 males aged between 16 and 64 stopped looking for jobs.

Malcolm Moore, Economics Correspondent,

Daily Telegraph 18 August

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Working Tax Credit: employers estimate what it will cost them

New independent estimates of how much the government's new Working Tax Credit is costing employers to implement show some companies expect payroll costs to go up by 10% and more, but on average the estimated payroll cost is between 4 and 5%. Tax credits have been a major plank in the government's campaign to get more people into work, but the system has met criticism from business on the costs of implementation. The research puts the annual cost to employers of payroll administration, including administering tax credits, from as low as £20 per employee to as high as £100 plus. Costs tended to fall as the size of the payroll increased.

ESRC press release 12 August

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UK faces worst prosperity divide in Europe

Britain has one of the most divided economies in Europe, with the prosperous South far outpacing the North and Midlands, both in terms of GDP and employment growth, according to latest EU regional economic estimates by Experian. The growth difference between the best performing and worst performing UK regions is now more pronounced than in almost all other European countries and the north-south divide is forecast to deepen further over the next five years. Findings include:

• Berks, Bucks and Oxon was the fastest-growing region in the UK for GDP between 1998 and 2003, with annual average growth topping 4.4%.
• Other strong GDP performers included Kent (3.8%), Surrey, East and West Sussex (3.4%) and Hampshire and Isle of Wight (3.4%).
• Poorest UK regions for GDP during the period were Tees Valley and Durham (1.1%), West Wales and the Valleys (1.4%) and Cumbria (1.5%).

Austin Macauley, New Start Hotnews 11 August

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"43% of companies waste money on IT," says report

According to a survey by business applications vendor Sage, more than two-fifths of companies are squandering their IT budgets. The survey found that 39% of CEOs have wasted money on IT because they cannot accurately define their business requirements. It also revealed that IT vendors are "not in tune with business needs" and consequently sell companies the wrong product. While technology was considered to be the third most important issue on which companies seek advice – after legal and financial issues – CEOs said that they would be unlikely to turn to an IT vendor for advice: instead, half choose to confer with while one-third rely on the recommendations of family and friends.

Diana Walker, Infoconomy Bulletin 30 July

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Recycling of IT equipment deadline passes

Of the 25 Member States in the EU only Greece has managed to implement two Directives requiring businesses to recycle their old IT and telecoms equipment by the deadline of 13 August, the Commission announced. The UK government is still consulting on its proposals for implementation. Each European citizen now produces, on average, 14 kg of waste electrical and electronic equipment per year. At the same time these products are often made up of hazardous materials such as heavy metals, and a large proportion of the various pollutants found in municipal waste comes from them.

OUT-LAW News 17 August ® Masons 2000 - 2004

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Technically in need of a woman's touch

In an article for The Guardian (5 August), Liz Bacon, Director of Learning and Quality at the University of Greenwich, argues that encouraging more women into computing could be the answer to lowering the number of IT projects that fail. Ms Bacon argues that women often possess the "soft" skills required to manage projects successfully. She says: "For 25 years the University of Greenwich has recognised and nurtured the natural project management skills of its women IT students. … Our experiences have shown that the students in our first year project teams, which comprise at least 25% women, recognise the skills that girls bring to project team working. Students recognise that the handicap of competitive attitudes, frequently exhibited by men, has to be overcome to create the cooperative working environment which is so vital for a team to deliver."

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."

George Bernard Shaw

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HP to ship pre-loaded Linux laptops

In a sign that Linux is rapidly gaining traction in the desktop/laptop world, Hewlett-Packard announced plans to ship a business notebook computer with the Linux operating system pre-installed. The HP Compaq nx5000 will come loaded with Novell's SUSE Linux OS and prices will start at about $1,140 – about $60 less than the basic model running Microsoft Windows XP. HP is touting its move as the first major PC maker to ship a Linux laptop, but California-based Tadpole Computer Inc. also markets a line of Linux notebooks. HP VP for Linux Martin Fink says the company's foray into Linux laptops will test whether "we can see the take-up we get for this particular product."

AP 3 August http://apnews.excite.com/article/20040803/D847VOV81.html

NewsScan Daily 4 August

Update comment: No sign of them here yet – but it won't be long.

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Logitech's built a better mouse

Logitech International is taking the wraps off its Logitech MX1000, the first mouse to use a sensor based on a laser. The company says its new device works on more surfaces and is 20 times more sensitive than LED-based optical mice. "It's the pinnacle of performance. This product will make optical mice obsolete," says Logitech global product marketing manager Justin Boitano. Both laser and optical mice follow the user's hand movement by taking thousands of photographs per second, but experts say the steady, narrow laser takes a more microscopic measurement than the LED light source. Logitech notes that the cordless laser mouse is safe for the eyes and includes a scroll wheel that tilts side-to-side for skimming through spreadsheets or Web pages. It's priced at $80 and comes with a lithium-ion battery that recharges when it's docked in its cradle.

AP 1 September http://apnews.excite.com/article/20040901/D84QQEOO0.html

via NewsScan Daily 1 September

Update comment: That's an extraordinary amount to spend on a mouse!

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Computer Misuse

The All Party Internet Group <www.apig.org.uk> published Revision of the Computer Misuse Act in June 2004. The report contains six main recommendations:

• increase sentences for hacking from six months to two years;
• Director of Public Prosecutions to set out a permissive policy for private prosecutions under the CMA;
• educational material about the CMA to be placed on the Home Office website;
• improve statistical information on cyber-crime;
• introduce a new fraud bill; and
• add a denial-of-service offence to the CMA.

Information Law Newsletter KeepingLegal.com

© Paul Pedley Issue Number 51 (2 August)

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"User testing – the ultimate reality check"

Usability expert Jakob Nielsen says "survival of the easiest" will weed out overly complicated websites, leaving us with the sites that are simply designed and straightforward to navigate. He says sites like Google (which displays a simple box to type a search term into) and Amazon (whose one-click purchase technology makes buying easy) are good examples of what he's talking about. If you're looking to improve your own website, Nielsen says nothing beats human testing: "Just get ahold of about five of your customers and sit them down in front of a computer, one person at a time and give them a task to do, ask them to find some information or buy a product on your website. And you sit back and you watch them, and you will suffer, because I guarantee when your customers try out your website, they will fail again and again, they will complain bitterly about many design elements that you never even thought to question, and that's why user testing is the ultimate reality check. Any website should do that – it should be a crime to release anything on the Internet that has not been tested with real people, so go and do that."

CNN.com 23 August

www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/08/09/jakob.nielsen/index.html

via NewsScan Daily 23 August

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Should web developers wear an accessibility badge?

Organisations increasingly demand accessibility when instructing web developers. But confusion over accessibility standards is making procurement a challenge. A working group, supported by Microsoft, KPMG and others, plans to change that. The Usability & Accessibility Working Group (UA-WG) was founded by the British Web Design and Marketing Association (BWDMA) and counts scientists, academics and industry professionals among its members. The organisation exists to remedy social exclusion from the Internet through practical initiatives. But its first such initiative is no mean feat: to promote what it says will be the UK's first ever accessibility accreditation scheme for suppliers of web design services. The best-known standards for accessibility, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium, were published in 1999. There is a problem, however: many of the 65 check points in the Guidelines require subjective testing, making it hard at times to say whether they have been met by a particular site. WCAG Version 2.0 is expected early next year, although the accompanying recommendations may seem rather long and detailed.

out-law.com (requires free registration)

12 August ® Masons 2000 - 2004

Update comment: OUT-LAW's editor noted that their own site was in process of being re-designed to meet the requirements.

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Vote for "the best" and "the worst" in the Open 4 All accessibility poll

The DRC has launched its online access poll to give disabled people the chance to have their say about which organisations they think are really open for all and which have failed to put out the welcome mat for disabled people by not making their services accessible. Whilst this is not a "scientific" poll, it does provide a chance for disabled people to have their say, and to help the campaign by telling the DRC about their experiences, both good and bad.

Cast your vote at www.drc.org.uk/open4all/newsroom/sppoll.asp

Disability Rights Commission

Email bulletin number 32 September 2004

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Flagship website faces further delay

The website that the government hailed as "the essential tool to help would-be students find the right university course" faces a second postponement to its launch. The Teaching Quality Information (TQI) website will eventually offer a detailed breakdown of information on all UK universities. The information will include a subject-by-subject breakdown of "everything an applicant might need to know", including student drop-out rates and job prospects. However, university officials claim that the information it is due to publish "bears no resemblance to their own figures". They claim that they are unable to reconcile the information that is to appear on the website, even though it is based on the information they routinely send to the Higher Education Statistics Agency every year. The site was due to launch in June 2004, with full data being available from December 2004. A spokesperson for the HEFCE said: "This Autumn, the TQI website will publish data that institutions provided to HESA in Autumn 2003."

Phil Baty, The THES 6 August

Update comment: If there's one word I am sick of it's "flagship" and when the word is applied to a website that isn't yet launched ... well, really. Hazel.

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New guides from the Skills and Education Network

The following additions to the Your Guide 2 series have been added to the Skills and Education Network website:

• Widening adult participation: Engaging hard to reach learners
  • http://tinyurl.com/4p7yv
• Widening adult participation: Motivating adults to learn
  • http://tinyurl.com/68eua
• Widening adult participation: Overcoming the barriers to engaging adult learners
  • http://tinyurl.com/54wah
• Widening adult participation: Policy and strategy
  • http://tinyurl.com/5n73u

Skills and Education Network Newsletter August 2004

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Copyright and Commerce: The DMCA, Trusted Systems, and the Stabilization of Distribution

Tarleton Gillespie, Science and Technology Studies, Cornell University, New York

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) has been criticised for granting too much power to copyright holders, offering them new technological controls that may harm the public interest. But by considering this exclusively as a copyright issue, we overlook how the DMCA anticipates a technological and commercial infrastructure for regulating not only copying but every facet of the purchase and use of cultural goods. In upholding the law in Universal v. Reimerdes, the courts not only stabilized these market-friendly arrangements in cultural distribution but also extended these arrangements into realms as diverse as encryption research and journalism, with consequences for the very production of knowledge.

The Information Society Volume 20 Number 4 (2004)

Update comment: Worth reading in full if you can get hold of a copy, even though the DMCA is a US Act.

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New legal website

Legal Insight (www.legalinsight.net) is a new US legal website which carries interviews with leading lawyers. In the section on intellectual property, for example, there are items on:

• IP litigation challenges for in-house counsel;
• building the emerging technology company;
• the inevitable disclosure doctrine;
• reducing the risk of liability for patent infringement;
• music and copyright;
• legal protection of music on the Internet;
• rights and ownership options in technology development agreements;
• software infringement; and
• federal issues in trade secret law.

Information Law Newsletter Issue Number 54 (31 August)

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Country search engines and regional search engines

A wonderfully useful collection of links for those who only want to search within a specific country's or region's web resources.

URL: www.philb.com/countryse.htm

Neat New Stuff I Found This Week, 6 August

© Marylaine Block, 1999-2004

Update comment: Dawn picks this up from the weekly newsletter from an American librarian who refers us back to a renowned British guru – Phil Bradley. Such is life on the Internet.

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New WebWise Online Course

BBC WebWise has just launched a ten-hour, online Internet course which teaches the basics of using the Internet. Learners are taught about web pages, email and the other things they will use on the Internet. The course has been created to encourage learners not to fear computers!

More information at www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/course

Skillswise newsletter Issue 135 (4 August)

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EU made simple

A new website entitled Troubled Waters explains the workings of the European Parliament through a fictional adventure story, as an evil chemical company threatens to derail environmental friendly legislation. Troubled Waters (created by Dominique David, Rudi Miel and Cristina Cuadra García) is a comic strip issued "to bring the European Parliament to life". It explains the role and the workings of the European Parliament and provides "an interesting insight into the lives of Euro-parliamentarians". This fictional story also deals with the specific powers of the European Parliament, as well as its role as co-legislator. In it, we are told, "Young Irina Vega is a Member of the European Parliament legislating her way through the difficult issue of water rights and setting Europe-wide water pollution standards. She whizzes between hearings, meetings and night-time events while unravelling a plot to sabotage her legislation by a nefarious chemical company dumping toxic waste in rivers."

EU article: http://europa.eu.int/youth/news/index_512_en.html

Troubled Waters: www.elections2004.eu.int/system/galleries/download/comic/en_full.pdf

Source: EU Europa website 29 July 2004

via Info@UK Issue 41 (August 2004)

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The Scannery

"an investor-focused search engine that covers the websites of more than 24,000 public companies in over 90 countries, and growing." You can search by company name or by keyword (product, industry, service, etc). You can also "create a watchlist of keywords and search phrases and the Scannery will monitor them for you, analyzed by country, for free!"

URL: www.thescannery.com/

Neat New Stuff I Found This Week 13 August

© Marylaine Block 1999-2004

Update comment: I have not been to look at this yet but Ms Block "don't give us rubbish". Dawn.

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Commendable Broadband Initiative

With effect from early August 2004, a group of leading ISPs have finally agreed to be more co-operative and apply a code of practice to customer migration requests. ISPs that have agreed to become more customer friendly in future represent 70% of the market and include AOL, BT, Nildram (Accent UK), Thus (Demon), Virgin.net and Wanadoo UK. The initiative will minimise the delays and disruption broadband customers currently face when moving from one service provider to another, by issuing migration authority codes promptly, and without prejudice.

NFP TECHNO Number 63 (September 2004)

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UK ratifies commitment to Global Internet Standards

The UK is at the forefront of the development of common global standards for the Internet and has played a pivotal role in the development and adoption of the Dublin Core – the most widely used international standard for metadata description. Now, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the further and higher education funding bodies have signed a joint agreement with the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) enabling the UK to become formally involved in the standard's continued development. Named after the location of its initial development, Dublin, Ohio, the Core has been adopted by seven national governments, including the UK, has participants in 25 countries and has been translated in 25 languages. Chris Batt, Chief Executive of MLA, said: "Signing this joint agreement to become affiliates of the DCMI is important for several reasons. First of all, it enables those organisations at the cutting edge of Internet developments to influence the development of the important Dublin Core standard and to ensure the needs of the UK's rich creative knowledge economy is well served globally. Second, the fact that MLA and JISC have agreed to share this programme recognises the convergence that is increasingly possible in a networked world. The collections of museums, libraries and archives have always been crucial to higher and further education, but once digitised, knowledge can flow in many directions at the touch of a button, so long as the underlying standards are common. Hence the importance of this new alliance."

managinginformation.com 24 August

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IBM turns database code over to open source group

IBM announced it's giving the source code for Cloudscape, a database written in Java, to the Apache Software Foundation, an open source group that plans to rename the database Derby and make it available to software developers. The Apache group is best known as the steward of the Apache Web server, which is the software that powers most websites. Apache will hold the licensing and intellectual property rights to the Cloudscape code. Analysts say the move is geared toward boosting software applications development in the Java programming language while at the same time underscoring its support of the open source software movement.

New York Times 3 August

www.nytimes.com/2004/08/03/technology/03java.html

NewsScan Daily 3 August

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."

Buddha

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Scottish colleges increase their recruitment from deprived areas

Scotland's colleges have once again managed to increase the number of students they recruit from poor neighbourhoods, according to the latest performance indicators from the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. The figures show that 27.9% of college students in 2002-03 came from the most deprived postcodes. This is an increase from 26.8% in 2001-02. Scottish colleges also make a significant contribution to lifelong learning, providing 38% of all courses taken by students over the age of 25.

Olga Wojtas, The THES 3 September

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Falling population could harm Scottish education

The future of some Scottish schools, colleges and universities could be put at risk unless the Scottish Executive does more to tackle the country's "population time-bomb", an education expert has warned. Scotland's population is expected to dip below five million by the end of the decade, with the number of 17-year-olds set to drop by 10%. Professor John Field, Director of Stirling University's Division of Academic Innovation and Continuing Education, said that the decline of Scotland's population could lead to increased competition between universities and colleges and employers to attract the falling number of school-leavers. Professor Field called on the Scottish Executive to "rethink its higher-education policies", to encourage young people to combine employment with part-time studies.

Kevin Schofield, Education Correspondent,

The Scotsman 4 August

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Scottish Corporate Sector Statistics

In November 2003 some 262,545 private sector enterprises operated in Scotland, providing employment in 1.858 million jobs, according to the latest Scottish Corporate Sector Statistics published today (12 August). Compared to the same point in 2002, the number of enterprises in 2003 has increased by 8,760, that is 3.5%. This estimate takes account of revisions to the Labour Force Survey between 2002 and 2003. The revisions showed that the figures published last year had in fact underestimated the number of enterprises in 2002 by 1,700. All of the increase from 2002 to 2003 is due to small enterprises which are not registered for VAT or PAYE; the basis of the rise is the increase in the number of self-employed people, particularly in sectors where entrepreneurs tend to work on their own rather than in partnerships.

A full set of tables is at www.scotland.gov.uk/about/ETLLD/EI/00018389/page1346731326.aspx

Scottish Executive press release 12 August

Update comment: The full press release makes fascinating reading.

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The London differential

IDS HR Studies (Number 780 August 2004) provides a review of the allowances in the three key areas of the London economy – financial services, the public sector and retail – and a summary of developments in other sectors. There is also a sector-by-sector guide to London, the South East and other location allowances based on entries from 163 named organisations. Over recent years the "London allowance" has evolved and is now seen by employers as providing a response to localised recruitment and retention difficulties, particularly in the tight labour markets of London and the South East. There are several independent or complementary approaches that employers can take to boost the pay of staff in these and other regions, including:

• free-standing, flat-rate London allowances;
• free-standing allowances expressed as a proportion of salary;
• separate, higher, pay scales for London;
• nationwide broad-banded structures with scope for varying pay levels according to location;
• zonal pay systems, with locations allocated to a series of zones on the basis of labour market pressures;
• various forms of "market" or "recruitment and retention" supplements; and
• the use of grading flexibilities within existing pay spines.

Update comment: I would suggest that this is near essential reading for anyone advising on the London labour market. Hazel.

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Labour Market Statistics August 2004

Labour market statistics published this month show a fall in the employment rate and a fall in the number of people in employment, although job vacancies are up compared with a year ago. There is a rise in the unemployment rate but there is another fall in claimants of the Jobseeker's Allowance. Growth in average earnings, both excluding and including bonuses, is unchanged. In the latest reference period the working age employment rate was 74.6%, down 0.3 percentage points from the previous quarter. The number of people in employment fell by 53,000 over the quarter.

National Statistics press release GNN ref 100364P

11 August contains a great deal of information with links to the data tables

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Employment up by 181,000 on the year

Figures published today (11 August) by the Office for National Statistics show employment up and unemployment down on the year but with fluctuations from quarter to quarter. Welcoming these figures Jane Kennedy, Minister for Work, said: "With employment up by 181,000 on the year I believe that the labour market is continuing to improve."

Client ref STAT160604-LMS

DWP press release GNN ref 100365P 11 August

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Bonuses up £1.5 billion on last year's levels

Bonuses increased by approximately £1.5 billion between 2003 and 2004, according to an article in August's Labour Market Trends. This increase follows two years of decline in bonus payments. The article gives an analysis of payments in the latest bonus round, between December 2003 and April 2004.

Other articles this month include:

• The demand for labour in the UK

The principal concepts and measures of labour demand are described, illustrated by a comparison of two regions with very different labour markets - London and the North East.

• Local area jobs densities 2002

In 2002 there were 0.83 jobs per person of working age in the UK, unchanged from 2001, latest estimates show. The