January 2005
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Editorial

End to End was the name given to the government's review of careers education and guidance in England. "End" was indeed an appropriate word for the process. Early signs are that the Youth Green Paper, now expected in late February or early March, will spell the end of the Connexions service. The problem is, as some of us have been saying for four years, that the service lacks the capacity to deliver both targeted support and universal careers education and guidance to young people at one and the same time. The service is "caught up in the social exclusion model while failing to meet wider needs". Sorry, isn't this exactly what the government, the Department for Education and Skills, and many other people and organisations should have been listening to practitioners saying? And that it hasn't worked is not for want of trying, even from those who have been most disillusioned about their role in the new provision. Carolyn Caldwell, Executive Director of the National Association of Connexions Partnerships, is quoted on the Young People Now website as saying that the DfES-commissioned report, Understanding the impact of Connexions on young people at risk, "lists all the essentials". She added: "The study is key to a lot of priorities of the Green Paper." The report (ref RR607) is available at www.dfes.gov.uk/research – search for the reference number. The report highlights a number of barriers the service faces in meeting the needs of young people. "Researchers said that measurable results such as reductions in the number of 13-to-19-year-olds not in employment, education or training were often put ahead of outcomes such as personal development." The ability of partnerships to respond to local needs was also compromised by demand to achieve national targets.

The TES of 28 January tells us that "Another big idea from New Labour's early years is in trouble. Ministers plan to wind up Connexions, the careers advice and guidance service created in 2000 by David Blunkett as a one-stop-shop for all 13-to-19-year-olds in England. Now it is to be broken up and returned to the control of Local Education Authorities, schools and colleges." Connexions was a flagship (how I dislike that word unless it really is a ship) of cultural change.

Yet another month goes by and yet another month I have to read "Jane Kennedy, Minister for Work, is delighted with the labour market statistics this month". I often wonder whether government ministers get as tired of telling us how wonderful the government is and how well their policies are working as we do having to listen to it.

Work and occupations are both topics which are generally of interest to readers of this Update. So, a journal called Work and Occupations should have a number of items of interest in it, yes? No. At least not Volume 31 Number 4 (November 2004) which is a special issue on incorporating immigrants into labour markets in the USA. I did read it, at least in a cursory fashion, but nah, I was right in the first place.

Late News Extra!

The Guardian of Thursday 3 February has the "demise of Connexions" story in more detail than the TES of last week and, as many of you know, www.guardian.co.uk is freely available so you can read it for yourselves.

Apologies

The only reason for the "late news extra" is that our main printer has been playing up and throwing odd pale patches and we were waiting for the maintenance man. It now seems to be fixed so, keeping fingers crossed, here we go.

Hazel Edmunds, Editor

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Are careers professionals contributing to their own demise?

In an article for Newscheck (December 2004-January 2005), Duncan Bolam suggests that practitioners in the career guidance community should spend less time on "in-fighting" and more on identifying common goals and principles. He warns that, without established core principles, guidance in the UK may well follow the Netherlands where there are no state-funded career guidance practitioners.

Mr Bolam believes that the wrangling between the various branches of career guidance over "semantics, snobbery and sovereignty issues" undermines the profession. He argues that, if those with a vested interest in guidance cannot unite under a common definition and vision, there is little chance that the wider society will recognise the social, economic and psychological value of impartial career guidance. His vision for the future includes:

• a debate to cover the definitions and phrasing used by the profession;
• a parity to be established between the academic and vocational routes into the profession leading to a formal route to qualification; and
• increasing membership of professional bodies leading to compulsory membership via certification and ultimately chartered status.

Mr Bolam invites practitioners to contribute to The Great Career Guidance Debate, a symposium to be held in March 2005.

For more details, contact him by email on: duncanbolam@thecareerconsultancy.co.uk.

Duncan Bolam is the Chief Executive of The Career Consultancy, Chair of The Federation of Professional Associations in Guidance and President of the Career Strategy Association. The Association meets on the last Friday of each month at Champagne Charlie's, under Charing Cross Station, London. More information is at http://tinyurl.com/3la5u

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Careers service to be disbanded

Ministers are preparing to wind up Connexions and hand substantial control back to local authorities. The decision follows criticism from heads over the quality of Connexions, created in 2000 as a one-stop-shop for teenagers. Plans to dismantle it and hand control to Children's Trusts will be spelled out in the Youth Green Paper next month. The Trusts, in which LEAs have majority control, were created under the 2004 Children's Act to integrate the education and support services for all young people.

Ian Nash, The TES 28 January

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Contract "Clics" with young people

Careers Wales Association has won a contract from the Welsh Assembly to develop a national information service for young people in Wales. The service, which will be named Clic, will build on the work of the previous provider Canllaw Online, and will provide 11-to-25-year-olds with access to a wide variety of information.

More information: www.cliconline.co.uk

Newscheck December 2004-January 2005

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Warning as advice service faces axe

College leaders say ministers must guarantee that young people receive impartial careers guidance from whatever replaces the Connexions service. It is understood that the forthcoming Green Paper on youth will propose returning control of most of the careers service to Local Education Authorities. Other parts will be managed by schools and colleges. The Association of Colleges warns that unless independent advice is "guaranteed", both the NEET population and the wider Connexions client base will suffer. Judith Norrington, AoC Director of Curriculum and Quality, said: "There is a world of difference between the advice given about what young people should do to progress in a school or a college and where they should go if they are uncertain what is best for them. Impartial advice is vital."

Ian Nash, The TES FE Focus 28 January

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Working together: Connexions and adult Information, Advice and Guidance services

This publication provides guidance on ensuring an effective transition from Connexions services to adult information and advice services when young people reach the age of 20 (25 for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities). It also offers examples that show how Connexions partnerships and adult information and advice services can work together on a range of issues. Working together helps to avoid duplication and ensure value for money from available resources.

SEN Newsletter January 2005

Full report (PDF 28pp) http://tinyurl.com/4j2xd

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Welfare Future

Alan Markey writing in Adviser (Number 107 January and February 2005) gives a brief history of the Labour Party's attitude to "common ownership" leading to the present administration's rejection of old-style re-distribution, primarily through high taxation rates. The current means for ensuring a more equitable society is through "progressive universalism" – all get help but those whose need is greatest get more. Initiatives which have been set up to achieve this include Tax Credits, ISAs, Stakeholder Pensions, Connexions and Sure Start. The latest development is the Child Trust Fund. Not only does Ms Markey provide a "what it is and what it does" list for the Child Trust Fund but also for the Savings Gateway, which was piloted in five areas of the country until November 2004. A frightening statistic – estimated – is that 25% of all households nationally would be able to apply for the scheme. That means that one quarter of all households have income which is low enough to trigger working tax credit or derive income from JSA, income support or incapacity benefit.

Update comment: Not only worth reading in full but also reading the references.

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National Evaluation of The Connexions Card – final report

John Roger and Georgina Cowen

York Consulting Ltd

Brief number: 614

ISBN: 1-84478-392-8

January 2005

The national Connexions Card project is a seven-year initiative that began in September 2001, with the core aims of encouraging more young people to remain in learning, motivating them to fulfil their potential, reducing some of the financial barriers to learning, and improving the career and life choices that young people make. This is the Final Report of the National Evaluation of The Connexions Card. It pulls together findings from Phase Four of the research to provide an overview of progress made at the end of three years of implementation. Key findings include:

• The Connexions Card started from a zero base and has, over the last three years, become established in small but significant strands of the learning market. However, the initial ambitions of the card in terms of functionality and scale of activity have not been realised for a variety of reasons, and expectations have been modified over the past two years.
• There are around 900 Learning Centres (a third of the target post-16 centres) providing information about attendance, and 19% of cardholders have points to redeem for awards. However, numbers are small compared to original expectations.
• Access and usage tends to be from the more highly-qualified and easier to reach young people.
• There is no evidence that the original intended impact is being achieved, though there is indicative evidence that the Card may be having a positive effect on some cardholders.

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 (RR614), 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 (RB614) 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/

Annexes and sub-reports to inform the full report can be accessed at the evaluation centre at www.yorkconsulting.co.uk

Further information about this research can be obtained from Janette King, Room W611, DfES, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4PQ
email: janette.king@dfes.gsi.gov.uk

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of."

"The best way that you can help the troubled is by not being one of them."

Author unknown

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Understanding the impact of Connexions on young people at risk

Liz Hoggarth and Douglas Smith et al, De Montfort University, with the University of Bristol and The Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby

ISBN: 1-84478-377-4

December 2004

The Connexions Service was launched in April 2001, with the aim of helping young people make informed choices and so aid a successful transition to adult life. It does this through improved partnership working and a network of personal advisers (PAs) – the key instrument in creating impact in young people's lives. A primary target of the Connexions Service is to reduce the proportion of 16-to-18-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and this also contributes to other crosscutting targets. This study aims to enhance understanding of the impact of the Connexions Service on young people, particularly those at risk of underachievement and disaffection. The report contains a wealth of information on how Connexions works well with young people at risk and why, and conversely the factors that inhibit its impact. It has wide-ranging relevance to current debates about the configuration of services for children and young people. It also has messages about how alignment of services is created in social programmes and about methodological approaches to the evaluation of complex programmes. The analysis and illustrative examples are highly relevant for training purposes.

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 (RR607), 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 (RB607) 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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Government drops plans for child protection database

The Home Office has announced that it has abandoned plans to set up a national register for people working with children and vulnerable adults. The register was recommended by the Bichard Report, and was under serious consideration. However, a spokesperson for the Home Office confirmed that the plans had been dropped because it would be "prohibitively costly and impractical to implement". Rather than set up an entirely new database, the government proposes to amalgamate existing safety registers into a single list.

David Batty, The Guardian 14 January

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Poll supports call for better adult education

Four out of five people think it is never too late to learn, and that pensioners should receive free education, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the Association of Colleges. John Brennan, Chief Executive of the AoC, argued that the results, published to mark the start of a campaign for cheaper adult learning, showed that the government was out of touch with the wishes of the electorate. "The government should be playing Santa, not Scrooge, when it comes to pensioners' education," he said.

Polly Curtis, Education Correspondent, The Guardian 29 December

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LSC launches consultation on sustainable development for the learning and skills sector

The LSC has launched a consultation on its strategy for sustainable development in the learning and skills sector. The LSC's recommendations include identifying and training champions for sustainable development so that every college, training provider and LSC office in England has at least one "champion" who will promote the protection of the environment, prudent use of natural resources and the maintenance of high, stable levels of economic growth.

SSDA Intelligence Number 30 (10 January)

More information: http://tinyurl.com/6fykr

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Think-tank calls for new commission on learning

Think-tank Demos has published a report, commissioned by the DfES, on ways to improve schools' ability to personalise education. The report, About Learning, calls for the establishment of a Commission on Learning to "drive excellence in education and promote greater collaboration between schools and researchers". David Hargreaves, chair of the Demos Learning Working Group, said: "A Commission on Learning is needed to ensure that the development of new ideas and their practical application in the classroom is accelerated. This would benefit the daily lives of teachers and learners, and the government's own agenda of raising standards."

The TES 14 January

About learning: Report of the Learning Working Group (PDF 28pp) is at www.demos.co.uk/catalogue/aboutlearning/

It can be ordered from Central Books (ISBN: 1-84180-140-2, price £5.00) tel: 020 8986 5488

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Introducing Lifelong Learning UK

Lifelong Learning UK has been recommended for licence as the SSC for community-based learning and development, further education, higher education, library and information services, and work-based learning.

Lifelong Learning UK, 4th Floor, 32 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4HJ
tel: 020 7332 9500
URL: www.lifelonglearninguk.org/

SSDA Involve Issue 69 (18 January)

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Personal, social and health education still poor in many secondary schools and non-existent in others, says OfSTED

Too many secondary schools see achievement in personal, social and health education (PSHE) only in terms of pupils' subject knowledge and make no attempt to judge whether there has been any impact on their attitudes and personal development, according to the report Personal, social and health education in secondary schools, published by the Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) today (25 January). Recommendations made in the report include:

• Schools should broaden their coverage and their definition of achievement in PSHE, to include the development of pupils' values and attitudes, broaden factual knowledge and set clear learning objectives.
• All secondary schools should consider the benefits of specialist PSHE teams with a view to raising the quality, consistency and coherence of their teaching of PSHE.
• Where schools involve tutors in teaching PSHE, senior managers should ensure that tutors receive specialist training to improve subject knowledge and use of appropriate teaching approaches.
• Schools should consider drawing on the support of appropriate external agencies if necessary.
• Senior managers should ensure that guidance on confidentiality is properly in place and pupils, staff and parents understand and adhere to it.
• Greater attention should be paid to creating a broad PSHE programme including mental health and well-being, parenting education and financial awareness. Schools should also ensure pupils have opportunities to develop skills to be able to analyse, speculate, discuss and argue constructively about PSHE topics.
• Schools should ensure that their curriculum and teaching time for PSHE are not reduced by the demands of provision of National Curriculum citizenship.
• Schools should be more thorough in their monitoring and evaluation of PSHE, and assessment processes should be improved. Schools should report to parents on pupils' progress.

The report is available on the OfSTED website www.ofsted.gov.uk

OfSTED press release 25 January Client ref NR 2005 - 08

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Teachers "need voice training for the classroom"

Teachers should be trained in the use of their voices before they take to the classroom, in order to stem the growth in voice strain in the profession, according to the Educational Institute of Scotland. Research conducted by the TUC indicates that around one in five teachers takes time off work each year because of voice-related problems.

Douglas Fraser, Scottish Political Editor, The Scottish Herald 5 January

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Dads out of pocket

Paternity leave is now widely available to male employees, but the low level of statutory pay available is deterring fathers from taking it. A survey conducted by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development found that less than half of fathers can afford to take paternity leave at the current rate of £102.80 per week. If paternity leave was paid at full salary, 87% said that they would be interested in taking it.

Flexible working and paternity leave: the full rate for fatherhood (PDF 21pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/6qo2b

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Using lie detectors to identify benefit fraud

Work and Pensions Minister Chris Pond has confirmed that the DWP is in "the early stages of conducting preliminary investigations" into the use of lie detectors by insurance companies. Mr Pond's statement – given in a parliamentary written answer in the Commons – follows the DWP having denied in December 2004 that it was considering using lie detectors to identify fraudulent benefit claimants, despite documents obtained by The Independent newspaper suggesting the opposite.

rightsnet 25 January

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Legitimacy of conditional welfare

Under the name Sanctions and sweeteners, a new report published by the Institute of Public Research and Policy (IPPR) assesses the legitimacy of making welfare benefits conditional on whether claimants behave as the government would like, and examines the effectiveness of such conditions in bringing about specific policy goals.

More information is at www.ippr.org.uk/research/index.php?current=24

Disability Rights Commission Email bulletin number 34 (January 2005)

Update comment: A good deal more serious than "if you don't behave you won't get any sweets" but the principle appears to be the same.

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Tackling deprivation

Unemployment is so bad in some UK areas that in the very worst affected one per cent of streets, more than half of adults are out of work and on benefits, finds a research report from the Social Exclusion Unit. The Jobs and Enterprise in Deprived Areas report shows that:

• more than one-quarter of Britain's benefit claimants live in just 10% of the nation's streets;
• one-third of people living in such areas are served by Jobcentres with more than ten unemployed people for every vacancy; and
• many households have two or three generations out of work in the same family.

SEN Newsletter January 2005

Full report (PDF 159pp) http://tinyurl.com/6fult

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Happy home and social life makes living in a poor neighbourhood more bearable for adolescents

Individual and family attributes may make some adolescents more "resilient" to the effects of living in a disadvantaged community, according to new research sponsored by the ESRC. How inner-city young people feel about their own psychological and social health and the area where they live is influenced by differences in home and social life as well as the physical environment, says a study led by Professor Sarah Curtis, of Queen Mary, University of London. The research also found that other young people may have characteristics making them more susceptible to the impact of area deprivation. Key findings include:

• Those from areas with higher deprivation in education, income and employment had a generally poorer perception of local amenities, whereas those from areas near to parks or major roads were more positive in their views.
• Children from areas of educational deprivation tended to express greater dissatisfaction with their environment.
• Whilst there was some evidence that those who lived in more deprived areas had poorer health, this was not significant in statistical terms. Far more evident were the strong associations between mental health and individuals' home and social situations.
• On average, mental distress was worse for girls than boys and for children with long term illness, special educational needs and reconstituted families. Mental health was better for those whose families offered strong social support, had no financial worries and harmonious relationships.
• Dissatisfaction with the neighbourhood was also greater among girls than boys and older adolescents. Those who were of Asian or Black origin, and from relatively harmonious families with higher levels of social support, were less likely to be unhappy about the area in which they lived.
• Backgrounds of unemployment, and low level of skills and educational attainment, had a much smaller effect on attitudes.

ESRC press release 12 January

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Young adults with troubled lives

The Social Inclusion Unit has launched a new project to investigate the barriers faced by young adults with severe or multiple problems during their transition to adulthood. Despite progress made in targeting this group, 5% of pupils still leave school with no qualifications and the proportion of 16-to-18-year-olds not in education, employment or training remains unchanged. The Young Adults With Troubled Lives project will focus on those aged 16-25, and will pay particular attention to identifying what makes a successful transition to adulthood.

More details: www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk

Newscheck December 2004-January 2005

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Policies towards poverty, inequality and exclusion since 1997

A new study by members and associates of the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the LSE has surveyed the evidence on the impact of policies towards poverty, inequality and social exclusion since the Labour government was elected in 1997. Key findings include:

• Poverty and social exclusion have been the subject of some of the government's most high-profile targets, particularly to cut and eventually "eradicate" child poverty, and to ensure that, within 10-20 years, no one is seriously disadvantaged by where they live.
• However, there are no targets for working-age poverty, for poverty of the population as a whole, or for overall inequality. There are vulnerable groups not covered by specific initiatives; and in the case of asylum seekers, government policy has increased exclusion (in the terms applied to other groups).
• Child poverty has been reduced by the Labour government's tax and benefit reforms, and detailed analysis of family spending patterns suggests that the income changes for parents with children are having clear benefits.
• Overall, the impact of tax-benefit reform has been more progressive than an alternative policy without reform would have been. But there are groups that have been left out. While poverty rates fell overall, those for working-age adults without children had reached record levels by 2002-03.

An overview of the research is at www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/0015.asp

A more equal society? New Labour, poverty, inequality and exclusion, edited by John Hills and Kitty Stewart, is published by The Policy Press (ISBN: 1-86134-577-1 price £19.99). It is available from Marston Book Services, PO Box 269, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4YN
tel: 01235 465500
email: direct.orders@marston.co.uk. (Please add £2.75 p&p for first book and 50p per book thereafter)

JRF mailing list 12 January

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Social and psychological exclusion

Mark Meadows and Diane Grant

The New Deal for Lone Parents is one policy in the UK which aims to reduce benefit dependency and enable lone parents to opt into a scheme which offers help and advice on jobs, benefits, training and childcare with the hope of improving job readiness. In tandem with this scheme there exists a myriad of community intervention initiatives whose aim may not be as explicit, but whose value can be equally empowering in raising self-awareness and self-esteem. This study examines the experiences of lone parents who participate in such schemes and contrasts this with the experiences of those who do not. The study shows that community-based schemes may not offer the best option for all lone mothers, but can provide an effective staging post for some towards a position of job readiness.

Community, Work & Family

Volume 8 Number 1 (February 2005)

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Ten Steps to a Society Free of Child Poverty

The Child Poverty Action Group has launched a new manifesto in which it argues that the UK is just ten steps away from eradicating child poverty. They are:

• All political parties to commit to eradicate child poverty.
• Poverty-proof policies – make each consistent with eradicating child poverty.
• Uprate the combined value of Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit at least in line with the fastest-growing prices or earnings. The element of this that is child benefit ought to be maximised.
• Increase the adult payments within income support in line with those for children.
• Reform the administration of tax credits and benefits - ensure they get the right amount, to the right people at the right time.
• Ensure all children have full access to the requirements – meals, uniforms and activities – of their education.
• Provide benefit entitlements to all UK residents equally, irrespective of immigration status.
• Work towards better jobs, not just more jobs.
• Introduce good quality universal childcare, free at the point of delivery.
• Reduce the disproportionate burden of taxation on poorer families.

rightsnet 20 January

Ten Steps to a Society Free of Child Poverty (PDF 36pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/5dr6z

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ACRE

Over a fifth of the population of England lives and works in rural areas. Despite the perceived "rural idyll", 25% of these people live in or on the margins of poverty. Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) aims to "facilitate the development of thriving, diverse and sustainable communities".

More information: www.acre.org.uk

Newscheck December 2004-January 2005

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Community governance and democracy

Peter Somerville, University of Lincoln

This article reviews key issues of governance and democracy and asks what current theory and evidence have to teach us about how local governance should be changed in order to make it more conducive to human emancipation. A distinction is drawn between governance and metagovernance, and the potential is assessed for the democratisation of both at community level. Particular attention is paid to the "persistence of oligarchy" and its manifestations at local level. The article concludes with suggestions on how to build countervailing power in order to achieve the democratisation that is deemed to be desirable.

Policy & Politics Volume 33 Number 1 (January 2005)

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."

Groucho Marx

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The fourth attempt to construct a politics of welfare obligations

Tony Fitzpatrick, University of Nottingham

Since the 1980s there have been three influential attempts to ground citizenship on the principles of duty, obligation and responsibility: conservative, communitarian and Third Way. Each of these is reviewed in the article. The principal task of this article, however, is to examine the emergence of a fourth attempt, which, by relating duty to equality through the principle of reciprocity, represents a synthesis of traditional social democracy with the new politics of obligation.

Policy & Politics Volume 33 Number 1 (January 2005)

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Billions lost through over-50s unemployment according to Audit Office findings

The economy is losing between £19 billion and £31 billion a year in lost output, reduced taxes and increased welfare payments because of low levels of employment among older workers, claims a report from the National Audit Office. The report says that there are around 2.7 million people between the age of 50 and the state retirement age who are not in work. It identifies the barriers that prevent economic activity, including relatively low levels of skill, age discrimination, health problems, low confidence and negative attitudes to employment. It recommends:

• a full evaluation of New Deal 50+ to determine its net economic effect;
• regional development agencies to set targets for the employment of older workers; and
• greater efforts from local LSCs to address the education and training needs of older people.

Equal Opportunities Review Number 134 (October 2004)

Welfare to work: tackling the barriers to the employment of older people (PDF 69pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/5p5pw

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UK Silver Surfers Day

The next UK Silver Surfers Day will be held on 27 May 2005. The aim is to allow older people (anyone over 50) to find out how the Internet and email can enhance their lives. People can be nominated for a Silver Surfer of the Year Award or a Silver Surfer Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The deadline for nominations is 11 March 2005.

More information: www.silversurfersday.org

Info@UK Number 46 (January 2005)

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Numeracy scheme "bad for long-term learning"

The introduction of the numeracy hour into primary schools may have damaged children's long-term understanding of mathematics, according to research from the Mathematics Education Review Group at London University's Institute of Education. Researchers concluded that the mental arithmetic sessions and "whole-class" teaching of the Numeracy Strategy may have taught children "bad learning habits". They suggest that improvements in pupils' test scores may have arisen from pupils being "taught to the test".

Sarah Cassidy, Education Correspondent, The Independent 5 January

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Employers cannot afford to ignore diversity

Organisations which do not take diversity seriously could face difficulties attracting the best candidates to fill vacancies, and risk damaging efforts to achieve their own business objectives. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has produced a report to show employers how diversity can help their organisations achieve word-class results and compete in the war for talent. The report, Driving diversity progress – messages from a showcase of CIPD research, highlights a number of key issues and includes the following:

Organisations need older workers

Employers are starting to benefit from the rewards of having a workforce made up of different age groups. However, they need to start considering offering alternative flexible savings and think about making retirement more flexible to cater for those people who want to work for longer. These arrangements may help organisations engage and retain staff.

Training is key in order to tap into diverse talent pool

The majority of employers now train interviewers in diversity issues and monitor diversity. However, more can be done with only 29% of organisations advertising beyond traditional means to target under-represented groups.

It makes sense to employ ex-offenders

Only 6% of employers who have knowingly employed ex-offenders have had a poor experience, and employment actually reduces reoffending by up to 50%. Employing ex-offenders will help businesses as they face the war for talent, with more than 85% of employers reporting difficulties in filling vacancies and suffering from skills shortages or problems of reduced business growth.

CIPD press release 25 January

The report will be available on the CIPD website (www.cipd.co.uk) from 1 February

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Age bias law sparks graduate jobs fear

The Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) has warned that students completing their studies in 2006 may face stiff competition, as employers get to grips with European legislation on age discrimination. Carl Gilleard, AGR Chief Executive said that the European Union's Anti-discrimination Framework Directive could mean that larger firms will be compelled to offer graduate positions to older candidates. This may mean that they will be forced to scale down or "radically alter" their graduate recruitment programmes. Mr Gilleard said: "In the past, employers have said that their graduate training programmes are particularly successful when taking on people at the beginning of their working lives. They would not normally take on a 40-year-old graduate. We think it would be a tragedy if they were frightened off from continuing with these programmes. Even a drop of 5% in the numbers recruited would be a significant loss."

Tony Tysome and Paul Hill, The THES 14 January

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End of milk round?

According to a report published for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), there are "barely enough" graduate-level jobs for a third of students leaving university. The report said that the number of graduate-level positions has failed to increase to match the number of graduates leaving university. Moreover, firms are expressing their concerns about whether EU legislation on age discrimination will make the traditional "milk round" open to accusations of discriminatory practice. The report argues that students should be warned that they may face difficulties on completion of their studies.

Birmingham Post 24 January

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Age-old view

Most British manufacturers want the government to set the retirement age at 65 when the new discrimination legislation is introduced in 2006. According to research conducted by manufacturing organisation EEF and Aon Consulting, two-thirds want a retirement age of 65. Less than a quarter wanted the retirement age to be set at 70, while a very small proportion called for the removal of a statutory retirement age.

IRS Employment Review Number 813 (10 December)

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Age limit to be scrapped on student loans

The ban on student loans for those aged over 54 is set to be scrapped after it was described as "one of the most blatant pieces of age discrimination in any area of public policy" by a working group set up by the government. The group, which includes representatives from Age Concern, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and the DfES, has called for a clause to be inserted into the Higher Education bill stating, "in determining eligibility for student loans, age may not be taken into account".

Amelia Hill, Education Correspondent, The Observer 16 January

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TUC calls for equal pay to become a reality

In the 35 years since the Equal Pay Act was passed, progress towards achieving equal pay has been painfully slow and more commitment to change is needed if women's pay is to match that of their male colleagues, claims the TUC. The TUC has published an easy-to-understand guide to equality law. The guide explains the context in which discrimination law operates in the UK, and covers all aspects of it including the law as it relates to race, gender, disability, equal pay, sexual orientation, religion and age.

HRLook Daily News 21 January

The TUC Guide to Equality Law is available from TUC publications
tel: 020 7467 1294
price: unions £6, education or not-for-profit organisations £8, commercial organisations £10

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"Shocking" facts on "ethnic pay penalty"

Black and Asian workers are twice as likely to be unemployed as white workers and could earn as much as £7,000 a year less, according to research conducted by the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force. The figures, published in the Task Force's first annual report, show that ethnic minority employment rose by 1.4% last year, and now stands at 59.4%, compared to 74.9% of the population as a whole. However, this rise was primarily due to an increase in the number of ethnic minority women in employment. The proportion of men remains largely unchanged. A spokesperson for the Commission for Racial Equality said: "These figures are very disturbing, but not surprising. We have known for some time that, whatever class you belong to, race is an obstacle all by itself. For example, African Caribbean men and Pakistani men, when compared with white men with similar qualifications will, on average, be earning between £5,000 and £6,500 less each year. We call this the ethnic pay penalty."

Connections Winter 2004/05

Equality. Opportunity. Success: Year 1 Progress Report (PDF 72pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/4lzh9

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New plan to improve "life chances" of disabled

The government has revealed a 20-year plan to ensure that by 2025 disabled people have full opportunities and choices to improve their quality of life and be respected and included as equal members of society. The report – which has been agreed as government policy – makes recommendations across four key areas:

• Employment – early intervention supporting disabled people to stay in touch with the labour market; improving the employment prospects of disabled people through ongoing personalised support, with employers supported in a key role, while providing security for those unable to work.
• Independent living – increasing disabled people's ability to live independently at home, at work and in the community with support based on personal need, choice and empowerment through a major expansion of Direct Payments in the form of individual budgets.
• Early years and family support – family-focused support, childcare and early education that enables families with young disabled children to achieve "ordinary lives" and remain economically and socially included.
• Transition to adulthood – planning focused on the individual needs of disabled young people, based on smooth provision of support and services during transition and leading to appropriate opportunities and choices in adulthood.

Copies of the report can be accessed via www.strategy.gov.uk where there is a summary and "easy-to-read" summary

It is also available in other formats including Braille and Word by contacting the Strategy Unit on 020 7276 1881 or emailing strategy@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk

HRLook Daily News 20 January

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Harnessing the community sector

Colin C Williams

The aim of this paper is to evaluate critically the prevailing policy approach that seeks to cultivate the community sector by the "third sector" route of developing existing community-based groups. Analysing the extent and nature of participation in the community sector, … the finding is that a culture of participation in "third sector" groups is relatively alien to lower-income populations and that such groups are much more used by relatively affluent populations for the purpose of developing their social networks. If the intention of harnessing the community sector is to improve the material circumstances of lower-income populations, a third sector approach of developing existing community-based groups is thus found to be inappropriate. Instead, it is argued that a "fourth sector" approach is required. This seeks to further cultivate the prevailing culture of participation in one-to-one reciprocal exchange that is predominantly used by lower-income populations to improve their material circumstances. The paper concludes by outlining how this might be achieved.

Community, Work & Family

Volume 8 Number 1 (February 2005)

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CSR who?

According to an online survey carried out by recruitment organisation monster.co.uk, very few employees understand the concept of corporate social responsibility. The survey showed that 37% of respondents had no idea what CSR meant, while 31% said that their employers "do little in the way of CSR". Just 16% said that their employers have an active CSR programme.

IRS Employment Review Number 812 (26 November)

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Mandelson puts jobs before social policies

Job creation and economic growth have taken priority over EU social and environmental measures, European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson announced. Mr Mandelson said the traditional priorities of the European Commission had been reordered in a five-year programme designed to focus on regenerating the European economy. Hailing the move as "a significant shift of policy", he said: "Making growth and jobs a hallmark and centrepiece is significant because the [previous] Prodi Commission never put economic reform agenda at the heart of its programme. It is also a challenge to the Brussels consensus where, traditionally, economic goals are put on a par with social and environmental ones."

Stephen Castle, The Independent 27 January

"As long as algebra is taught in school, there will be prayer in school."

Cokie Roberts

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Why women are poor at science, by Harvard President

The President of Harvard University has provoked a furore by arguing that men outperform women in maths and sciences because of biological difference, and that discrimination is no longer a career barrier for female academics. Speaking at a private conference on the position of women and minorities in science and engineering, Dr Lawrence Summers suggested that there are a number of possible explanations for the lack of women in senior scientific posts, not least their "reluctance to work long hours because of childcare responsibilities". Dr Summers also argued that many of the differences in behaviours that are usually attributed to socialisation are more likely to be a result of genetic differences. In addition, he questioned the impact of sex bias in appointments to academic institutions.

Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington, The Guardian 18 January

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Innate differences

In an article for The Guardian (19 January), Lucy Mangan asks why it is so terrible "to theorise that women might be naturally worse than men at science"? Ms Mangan is concerned about the extreme reactions to President of Harvard University Lawrence Summers' speech, in which he asked the same question. She is particularly unimpressed by the women who were so outraged that they walked out of the auditorium, and the one who suggested that she felt "physically sick" at the suggestion that genetic differences may be at play. Ms Mangan comments: "I have an innate aptitude for finding such extreme bodily reactions to somebody's speech highly suspicious. They are frequently a form of self-aggrandising affectation and as such should not be indulged. … It all gives the impression that once the words `innate differences' were uttered, a significant portion of the audience assumed the worst, had the vapours and damned the speaker forthwith. There was no transcript of the conference, so we shall never know exactly what went on, but Summers nevertheless looks to be in danger of losing his job simply for giving voice to an unpopular theory (not advocating it, nor condoning the results if it were true) in front of an audience from whom we might have expected better."

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Men as sexist as ever

An academic, reviewing research dating back to the 1970s on women and management, has asserted that only through anti-discrimination laws have women been able to break into management because men's attitudes to women are still sexist. Virginia Schein, who has spent the past 30 years studying gender stereotyping, said that that the only reason men have been persuaded to employ more than a token proportion of women in senior positions is because they fear being sued.

Lewis Smith, The Times Online 14 January

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British women close business gap

Record numbers of British women are setting up their own businesses, according to a new report from the London Business School. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2004 also indicates that the gap between men and women starting their own ventures is beginning to close. Over the past year, around 177,000 women set up businesses in Britain.

BBC News Online 21 January

Full report (PDF 52pp): http://tinyurl.co.uk/gjn5

Update comment: Men won't let women into their companies so women start their own!

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Pornography downloads found to be discriminatory

Downloading pornographic images at work constitutes sex discrimination, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has concluded. The EAT's decision was made with regard to a female employee whose male colleagues in the same room downloaded pornography onto their computer. Although the images were not sent to her, the woman was aware of what was going on. The EAT ruled that downloading pornographic material could clearly cause affront to a female employee working in the close environment – whether or not it was directed at her. This could be regarded as degrading or offensive, and therefore amounted to less favourable treatment and was discriminatory.

(Moonsar v Fiveways Express Transport UKEAT/0476/04)

Labour Research Volume 94 Number 1 (January 2005)

Update comment: No mention of the legality of downloading the pornography in the first place, nor of any company policy regarding proper use of the Internet at work!

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A British Gender Gap? Gender and Political Participation

Sarah Childs, University of Bristol

The Electoral Commission's recently published report Gender and Political Participation captures in a clear and accessible fashion the ways in which gender determines the nature of women and men's political participation in the UK. Analysing existing academic survey research it establishes that there is an overall gender gap in political activism with men more active than women. However, it also finds that there is no gender gap in voter turnout at national, regional or local elections and that in some political activities, such as signing petitions or boycotting products, women are more likely than men to be active. The report also raises important questions about the consequences – substantive and in terms of legitimacy – of women's lower levels of participation in party politics, and suggests that political parties should ensure that greater numbers of women are elected to our political institutions.

The Political Quarterly

Volume 75 Number 4 (October 2004)

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Men lead the way as more students are awarded firsts

The proportion of students gaining first-class honours degrees increased again last year from 10% to 11%, according to figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The figures show that 29,700 students were awarded the top degree in 2003-04, 1,400 more than the previous year. The statistics also reveal that, despite making up more than half of the student population, women remain less likely to gain a first than men. Some 11% of men gained firsts, compared to 10.3% of women.

Phil Baty, The THES 14 January

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Childcare provision not geared to realities of modern working life

For most of the growing number of women who go out to work, organising childcare for young children is a highly complicated process in which the slightest disruption is likely to cause a crisis, according to new research sponsored by the ESRC. Living and labouring in London and Manchester: young adults' work/life choices found that:

• Among big-city-dwellers, pre-school arrangements – even for the most affluent households – involve careful scheduling in time and travel, typically using three or four different types of regular care.
• For many families, jobs have become increasingly insecure, temporary or casual, and working hours have either increased or become less regular in terms of day and night shifts and the working week.
• The growing dominance of low-paid service sector work makes it increasingly difficult to have reasonable living standards from a single wage, so forcing many working-class couples to have two or more jobs in order to survive.
• While men are getting more involved in domestic tasks, in most cases it is still women who sort out the details of how they and their children get to and from various workplaces, schools, social services, play areas and other often widely-spread sites, even among the more affluent, who can pay others to do things for them.
• There is a growing difference between living standards of women at the opposite end of the affluence scale. This difference is becoming more polarised as the service sector expands.
• Many women, in all social classes, have interrupted working lives, with longer-scale implications for their financial independence and later for their pension provision.
• When it comes to working and finding someone to look after small children, the study says it is clear that current policies fail to take the complexity of the modern situation into account.

HRLook Daily News 24 January

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"New deal" needed for low-paid

The National Minimum Wage and tax credits will not be enough to solve the problem of poverty pay, according to a report from the New Policy Institute. The report Why Worry Any More about the Low-Paid? shows that:

• The National Minimum Wage (NMW) is too low to ensure that employees are free of poverty without means-tested support.
• An hourly wage rate in the range £6 to £7 per hour is needed if most employees are to escape poverty on the basis of their earnings. Even with the NMW rising by 7% a year it would take five years just to reach the bottom of that range.
• Tax credits treat the symptoms of low pay without treating the problem itself, by subsidising the employers of low-paid workers through tax credits.
• There are up to seven million low-paid workers in the UK (defined as earning less than £6 to £7 an hour). Of these, more than four million are women.
• Low-paid workers are more likely to suffer from other forms of disadvantage, including reduced access to training, insecurity at work, denial of rights and much lower levels of trade union representation.

The report calls on the government to launch a "New Deal for the Low Paid" with the aim of ensuring that employers in both the public and private sector take responsibility for improving the pay and conditions of low-paid jobs.

New Policy Institute press release

Full report (PDF 51pp): www.npi.org.uk/reports/low%20pay.pdf

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Young workers rate "a scam"

Shopworkers' union USDAW is urging the Low Pay Commission to scrap the lower development rate of the National Minimum Wage. The lower rate is paid to 18-to-21-year-olds. The union has presented the LPC with evidence of what it describes as "a sinister trend", in which employers use the 18 to 21 age band as a way of paying less in wages. The union points to figures taken from the Labour Force Survey which indicate that this activity is on the increase. In April 2001, 9.6% of the 18 to 21 age group were paid less than the adult rate. This figure rose to 15.9% in April 2004. The union predicts that this could rise to more than 20% if current trends prevail.

Labour Research Volume 94 Number 1 (January 2005)

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Unions call for greater increases

The TUC is pressing for substantial increases to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in its latest submission to the Low Pay Commission. The TUC wants to see the NMW rise to £5.25 in October 2005, and describes this increase as "fair and affordable" to business and employers. In contrast, the CBI is calling for a "pause year". The employers' organisation argues that, by delaying increases until October 2006, employers will be ready to pay an NMW of more than £5 an hour.

IRS Employment Review Number 813 (10 December)

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UK "becoming lone-parent capital"

Benefit changes since 1997 are turning Britain into "the lone-parent capital of the Western world", according to a report from centre-right think-tank the Centre for Policy Studies. The report claims that the number of children who live in a single-parent household has risen by a quarter to 3.2 million since the Labour Party came to power. This proportion is higher than any other country in Western Europe, and is close to overtaking the United States. The report considers the financial implications of family break-up for the UK. It says that family break-up is "heavily subsidised by the state", with a "typical" lone parent, two-child household costing the public purse in excess of £11,000 a year in benefits alone. It argues that the current system is "unfair to intact families", given that an "average" two-parent, two-child, single-earner family will be less than £1 a week better off than a lone-parent, benefit-recipient household. The report also suggests that the welfare state acts as a disincentive to parental responsibility. It says that the state has increasingly assumed the role traditionally expected of a husband, in that it provides the mother with a stable income. In the foreword to the report, Cambridge Economics Professor Bob Rowthorn said: "Step by step governments in this country have been nationalising the means of reproduction. Instead of taking over failing industries, they are now taking over failing families."

John Carvel, Social Affairs Editor, The Guardian 21 January

An executive summary of The Price of Parenthood (PDF 12pp) is at www.cps.org.uk/pdf/pub/396.pdf

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More Britons live alone

More Britons are living alone than ever before, with more men than women living on their own between the ages of 25 and 44. And once someone has gone solo, they are more likely to remain living alone, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Using census statistics and data tracking the lives of more than 150,000 individuals in England and Wales since 1971, researchers found a significant increase in those living on their own. The study predicts that this trend will continue.

• The population has grown by 5% over the past 30 years, but the number of households with just one occupant is up by 31%.
• In their late teens and early 20s, either sex is just as likely to live solo before setting up home as a couple, but between the ages of 25 and 44, men are more likely to live alone.
• For women, the transition to solo living comes mostly in their 40s and 50s, as their children leave home or as their relationships with partners dissolve.

ESRC press release 27 January

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Bullies film fights by phone

London schools are considering banning pupils from bringing camera phones into school in response to a new trend for bullying. "Happy slapping" occurs where pupils gang up on a victim, assault them and use their mobile telephones to video the attack. The "movie" is then shared between pupils. A teacher said: "The school fight you used to deal with is now a media event, with an audience around the whole school and, potentially, through email, the whole of London and the country."

Michael Shaw, The TES 21 January

Update comment: Ban the phones? How about dealing with the little (expletives deleted) who commit the attacks in the first place instead?

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Inspectors praise private company as performance "transformed" in schools

An OfSTED report has found that the performance of Walsall schools has risen from "very poor" to "highly satisfactory", following the decision to outsource the running of the district's schools to Walsall Education, a division of Serco. This "seal of approval" from OfSTED is likely to encourage the government to make greater use of private companies in education services. At present, just nine areas have been required to outsource their education services: Bradford, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Leeds, Southwark, Swindon, Walsall and Waltham Forest.

Miranda Green, Education Correspondent, The Financial Times 4 January

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Half of flagship academies fail to lift results

Newly published school league tables reveal that almost half of the privately backed academies have failed to improve GCSE results. Of the 11 academies listed, six have improved their results at GCSE, but five failed to show any improvement and one now has the second-worst results in England. The NUT condemned the results, saying that they prove academies are "not a viable option". A spokesperson for the DfES denied that this is the case. She argued that it is too early to judge.

Matthew Taylor, Education Correspondent, The Guardian 13 January

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Market for schools management "is failing"

The CBI has accused the government of failing to manage the market for private sector management of public education services. In a highly critical report, the CBI argues that the government uses the business community as "a white knight riding to the rescue when there's trouble". The report said that the government, and the DfES in particular, should do more to make sure that there is a continuous flow of opportunities for businesses. It also recommended that the DfES appoint a dedicated team to handle the commercial side of developing partnerships with private companies.

Miranda Green, Education Correspondent, The Financial Times 5 January

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Brightest pupils sit university modules

Secondary schools are to be funded to teach university-level courses to their brighter pupils. More than 800 pupils in 60 secondaries are studying Open University modules as part of a pilot project called the Young Applicants in School Scheme (YASS). Parental contributions or funding from other initiatives, such as the Excellence in Cities programme, pay for the courses, which can cost up to £475 per pupil. However, the Education Bill, which is currently being debated in the House of Lords, will allow schools to fund modules via their Local Learning and Skills Council. Heads believe the change, due in September, will increase take-up of degree-level courses in schools.

Michael Shaw, The TES 28 January

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Report calls for degree classification review

Higher Education Minister Kim Howells has welcomed recommendations for a review of the degree classification system. The recommendations were published in a joint report from Universities UK and the Standing Conference of Principals. The report said that, while the current UK degree is "a robust, internationally recognised qualification", there is a need to consider the current system so that it can reflect student learning and achievement in "more effective and appropriate ways".

Education and Training Parliamentary Monitor Number 117 (December 2004)

Measuring and recording student achievement (PDF 61pp) www.scop.ac.uk/uploadfolder/measuringachievement.pdf

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Research reveals harsh reality of life after college

According to research conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, more than a third of graduates take up non-graduate positions on completion of their studies. The study also found that the same proportion were in such positions six months after graduation. Jobs included stacking shelves and answering phones in call centres. After six months:

• only 12% of graduates had entered "traditional" graduate occupations, including medicine, higher education and science;
• 13% had gone into "modern" graduate jobs such as management and information technology;
• 16% had "new" graduate jobs, including marketing and sales management; and
• 21% had found work in the "niche graduate" sector which includes leisure and sports management.

Matthew Taylor, Education Correspondent, The Guardian 3 January

"In high school, I was the class comedian as opposed to the class clown. The difference is, the class clown is the guy who drops his pants at the football game, the class comedian is the guy who talked him into it."

Billy Crystal

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Entrepreneurs to benefit from a "Premier League" of training centres

SFEDI (Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative) has launched its first four Centres of Excellence for Entrepreneur Training in England. The centres are based in:

• the Enterprise Centre at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne
• Sysco, a private sector management training and consultancy in Manchester
• Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Agency
• Exemplas in Hertfordshire, a company which also incorporates a Business Link.

For more information see www.sfedi.co.uk

SSDA Involve Issue 69 (18 January)

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Help e-skills UK transform the IT skills landscape

e-skills UK, the SSC for IT, telecoms and contact centres, has launched an online consultation for its draft Sector Skills Agreement (SSA). The draft SSA for IT is based on the findings of the e-skills UK/Gartner joint research publication IT Insights Trends and UK Skills Implications, which highlights the role that IT will play in the UK's future competitiveness. The draft SSA spells out how e-skills UK will support the Agreement.

To take part in the consultation visit: www.e-skills.com/cgi-bin/wms.pl/734

SSDA Involve Issue 68 (11 January)

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Target will harm North, study says

A new research report suggests that the government's "ideal" of having 50% of young people educated to higher level could "exacerbate" regional inequalities. The report, by Frank Coffield of the Institute of Education, warns that the North East / South East divide will widen if the number of graduates increases, but the proportion of graduate-level employment opportunities remains the same. It called for "a programme of economic renewal that looks at all the five causes of poor productivity" (weakness in competition, enterprise, innovation, investment and skills) for the North East. Professor Coffield also warned that the government was focusing too strongly on education and training as a means to increase employer demand for skills and raise individual employability. He said: "[The DfES] has still not focused the key arguments that academics have been presenting to them for years, namely that the main aim is not to increase employer demand for skills but to raise the quality of the goods and services we produce so employers could increase the volume of training without having much or any impact on the quality of production. Education for the sake of education makes sense, but who trains for the sake of training?"

Paul Hill, The THES 14 January

"If a diplomat says yes, he means maybe. If a diplomat says maybe, he means no. If a diplomat says no, he ain't no diplomat!"

Andre Gabor

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LSC announces Annual Statement of Skills Priorities

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has issued its first annual statement of skills priorities for England. The Skills We Need: Our Annual Statement of Priorities sets out what the LSC believes should be done to improve skills and boost productivity. Its six priorities are as follows:

• Make learning truly demand-led so that it better meets the needs of employers, young people and adults.
• Ensure that all 14-19-year-olds have access to high-quality, relevant learning opportunities.
• Transform Further Education so that it attracts and stimulates more business investment in training and skills development.
• Strengthen the role of the LSC in economic development so that it provides the skills needed to help all individuals into jobs.
• Strengthen the LSC's capacity to work effectively at a regional level particularly with Regional Development Agencies and Regional Skills Partnerships.
• Improve the skills of the workers who are delivering public services.

SSDA Intelligence Number 30 (10 January)

Full document (PDF 15pp): http://tinyurl.com/6qtqe

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The skills we need?

Commenting on the publication of the LSC's Annual Statement of Priorities, The Skills we need, Talkback at t magazine (December 04 - January 05) said: "Some will find the title of the LSC publication quite telling. Skills (not learning), we (not just learners but also employers, regions, planners, target setters, LSC staff, data analysts etc) need (not want): so are we moving from a demand-led system based on wants to a demand-led system based on needs? If so, whose needs? How are these expressed? How will they be identified? Whose spin/plan will be placed on the data? The LSC seem to think there is an employer spend of £23 billion and that if only LSC providers were smarter they could attract this to their organisations. Bad news folks, this figure includes release costs, travel etc and most is spent on the statutory requirement around Health and Safety or on induction to new job holders."

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New standards for management and leadership

New national occupational standards have been launched in response to government-backed studies showing that poor management is holding back the UK economy. They are free to download and can be used by organisations of any size as a useful benchmark of best practice, as well as a framework for management skills development.

More information at www.management-standards.org

Professional Manager Volume 13 Number 1 (January 2005)

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Rehabilitation is key to helping employees suffering from mental health problems return to work

Helping to rehabilitate employees who are off sick with stress and other mental health problems is a significant and growing challenge for employers. In response, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has produced new guidance to help employers support employees suffering from such conditions and help them return to work in a managed and co-ordinated manner. The guide, Recovery, rehabilitation and retention: maintaining a productive workforce, offers practical guidance on how organisations can support, rehabilitate and retain employees who are suffering from stress and other mental health problems. It includes practical suggestions on what employers should include in their policies regarding mental health, and the procedures they should follow in order to create an effective programme.

Hard copies can be ordered from the CIPD on
tel: 020 8263 3434.
It is also online (PDF 38pp) at http://tinyurl.com/6stll

CIPD press release 10 January

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Patients can stay off NHS database

NHS patients are to be asked whether they want intimate details of their personal medical history to be included in a new national electronic database that can be accessed by GPs, paramedics and hospital staff throughout England. Those worried that the information could be abused will be entitled to have it removed from the system or placed in an electronic "sealed envelope", to be opened only in a dire emergency, John Hutton, the Health Minister, said. He warned, however, that this self-imposed restriction could have serious consequences in the face of a medical emergency.

John Carvel, Social Affairs Editor, The Guardian 14 January

Update comment: How do you assess the different risks? On the one hand there is the possibility that "someone" could access information about you that you would prefer was kept hidden, on the other hand there are John Hutton's "serious consequences", but there is no indication of what these are.

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Going south: young Scots take the road to a new life in England

Younger Scots are "moving south of the border in droves", according to a new report from the Registrar General for Scotland. The report showed that almost 3,000 people under the age of 34 moved to other parts of the UK in 2000. It found there were almost twice as many Scots-born people living in England (794,577) as there were English-born people living in Scotland (408,948). Professor Paul Boyle, of St Andrews University, said it was extremely difficult to reverse the flow of young people away from the remote areas because of the "bright lights" of southern cities, particularly London, and the perceived lack of a diverse labour market.

Billy Briggs, The Scottish Herald 26 January

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Anger over flexible work move

Business and industry will resist moves by Gordon Brown to extend flexible working practices. The Chancellor has expressed his support for extending the flexible working regulations. Currently, parents with children aged under six have the right to request flexible working arrangements. The DTI is consulting on extending the right to parents with children over the age of six, and those with other caring responsibilities. However, employer groups and small business organisations argue that the extension will place "an unacceptable burden on British businesses". The Federation of Small Businesses, British Chambers of Commerce, the EEF manufacturers' group and the CBI have stated that they will strongly oppose any attempt to change the existing arrangements.

Angela Jameson, The Times Online 7 January

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Beyond the watercooler

Research conducted by Andrew Parker, a research consultant with IBM's Knowledge and Organisational Performance Forum, suggests that the coffee machine and the watercooler could be "the most importance investments a company ever makes in its future". This is because they create spaces in which employees can interact in an informal way. Mr Parker argues that the "hidden networks" which are formed as a result of this kind of social interaction are "major drivers of organisational performance", and contribute to the overall wellbeing of an organisation. Moreover, he suggests that, while work-life balance strategies such as flexible hours and home-based working may reduce the number of unproductive hours, they could ultimately lead to poorer performance. He advises that managers do not "blow the budget" by investing in technology to support remote and flexible working. He says that some resources should be allocated to hold meetings and events to develop and reinforce social networks. Mr Parker's opinions are shared by Chris Radford, a senior construction manager in the leisure industry. Mr Radford emphasises the need to remember that people are "social animals" who need contact with other people. He believes, however, that the communication problems faced by today's managers will abate as the current generation gives way to the next. He says: "In future, managers who are growing up today will not have the same need for face-to-face contact, as they are used to running their lives largely through mobile phones, text messages and email."

Professional Manager Volume 13 Number 1 (January 2005)

"One day one of my little nephews came up to me and asked me if the equator was a real line that went around the Earth, or just an imaginary one. I had to laugh. Laugh and laugh. Because I didn't know, and I thought that maybe by laughing he would forget what he asked me."

Jack Handy

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Immigration debate needs to take into account recruitment difficulties

The emerging debate about immigration policy must take into account the needs of employers struggling to deal with the consequences of a tight labour market, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). CIPD research shows high levels of recruitment from abroad, with employers using migrant labour to cover shortages of professional skills as well as filling low-skill vacancies at a time of very low unemployment in the UK. Key findings include:

• Over half of all employers say professional vacancies (38%) and skilled trade vacancies (14%) have proved most difficult to fill in recent months.
• Almost one in three employers (28%) is planning to recruit workers from overseas to fill vacancies. Amongst larger companies (more than 500 employees) this figure rises to 40%.
• The public sector is most likely to turn to migrant workers – 34% of public sector employers are planning to do so, compared to 27% in the private sector and 24% in the not-for-profit sector.
• Three-quarters (75%) of employers are offering migrant workers permanent contracts, while less than 10% are offering only short-term or seasonal contracts.

CIPD press release 24 January

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Off-shoring

"No-one noticed when vacuum-cleaner manufacture was relocated outside the UK." So says Management Today (January 2005). "No-one" is something of an exaggeration – the former employees noticed. However, when white-collar services start moving then management-speak needs a new word. The word "off-shoring" appeared first in the USA, then Australia and now it's here. Are we worried? We shouldn't be – at least for now Britain is a net importer of off-shored jobs.

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More graduates will not deliver the right skills for business

Reacting to the latest figures released by HESA, Bill Midgley, President of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: "Figures today showing an increase in those going to university are bad news for British businesses. Employers do not want more young people shipped into university just to meet the government's 50% target; instead they need young people equipped with the right skills for the workplace."

BCC Newsletter 20 January

Update comment: Or, as Hazel puts it, "We want people who know how to push brooms, not design fancy new ones!"

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Novel way to beat return-to-work blues

A top city recruitment firm went one better than a dress-down day to end the week – with a stress-down week to start the year. Consensus filled the traditionally depressing first week back after the Christmas break with a series of in-office treats designed to relax and amuse. They included:

• having a butler run errands and serve meals for a day;
• inviting a yoga teacher to lead some relaxation sessions;
• holding a cocktail-making demonstration – with "sampling" at the end of the working day; and
• giving staff a "goody-bag" at the end of the week.

A member of staff commented: "This was an inspired idea. No one likes coming back to work after a long couple of weeks partying – it's such an anticlimactic way to start the year. But this week has been relaxing and energising at the same time. We all feel rather loved, actually."

HRLook Daily News 20 January

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Regulations mark step-change in UK employment relations

The Department for Trade and Industry has published guidance on the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004, setting out how to make best use of new laws that give employees the right to be consulted and informed about matters that affect them at work. The legislation is being phased in over three years to give smaller firms longer to prepare. It gives employers the flexibility to agree consultation arrangements with their employees tailored to their particular circumstances. Employment Relations Minister Gerry Sutcliffe commented: "Information and Consultation is a real opportunity for greater partnership and understanding in the workplace and that can only be a win-win situation. People can cope with bad news, change and all sorts of information and situations if they know what is happening – it is uncertainty that causes problems. The way the framework for implementing this legislation was agreed between the CBI and TUC is a significant landmark in UK employment relations. I hope this is just the start of a more positive partnership in the workplace and that we can say goodbye to the adversarial ways of the past."

HRLook Daily News 12 January

DTI Guidance on the Information and Consultation Regulations (PDF 66pp) is at www.dti.gov.uk/er/consultation/i_c_regs_guidance.pdf

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Dispelling the myths of sicknote Britain

A new report from the TUC counters the myths that UK workers, particularly in the public sector, are always taking "sickies", that stress is not a serious illness and that the solution to "sicknote Britain" is a drastic cutback on the numbers of people in receipt of Incapacity Benefit. Countering an Urban Legend - Sicknote Britain? shows that Britain is not a nation of malingerers and says that:

• British workers are less likely to take short-term time off sick than in any European country except Denmark;
• only Austria, Germany and Ireland lose less working time due to long-term absence;
• public sector employees are off sick less than private sector workers; and
• the number of people on Incapacity Benefit is on the decrease.

More importantly, says the report, a majority of employers accept that most staff time taken off is because of genuine sickness. A bigger problem is the high number of workers (75%) who confess to having struggled in to work when they were actually too ill to do so. Whilst the commitment of these "mucus troopers" to getting their jobs done is admirable, the TUC report says that working when sick not just affects people's co-workers but can lead to long-term sickness absence.

TUC press release 7 January

Countering an Urban Legend - Sicknote Britain? (PDF 38pp) is at www.tuc.org.uk/welfare/tuc-9208-f0.pdf

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Unpaid overtime "tops £23 billion mark"

UK employees who did unpaid overtime in 2004 would have each earned £4,650 for their efforts if they had received a wage, according to research conducted by the TUC. The research showed that workers in London put in the most unpaid overtime – about eight extra hours every week – followed by those in Wales and the West Midlands. The union said that, in some cases, firms had become reliant on staff putting in extra unpaid hours. The TUC said the average person would have worked for free until 25 February last year, had all their unpaid work taken place at the start of the year. It has therefore called "Work Your Proper Hours Day" in 2005 for Friday 25 February.

BBC News Online 6 January

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We could be heroes

More than nine out of ten people believe that they put more effort into their jobs than is strictly necessary, according to a survey from employment agency Manpower. In addition, almost two-thirds of respondents said that they regularly worked unpaid overtime. When asked why they did this, over half (51%) said to advance their careers. One in five said they did not want to let their colleagues down, while 10% wanted recognition from their manager. Surprisingly few (3%) replied that they felt under pressure to work without pay.

IRS Employment Review Number 812 (26 November)

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Study: give lift to part-timers

According to research conducted by Alan Woodley of The Open University, the government should take account of the "onerous extra costs" incurred by part-time students. The research revealed that relatively few part-time undergraduates receive financial support from their employers. However, extra "out-of-pocket" costs, including lost income, travelling and childcare, were found to be as much as £500 a year. Commenting on the findings, Higher Education Minister Kim Howells said: "The findings of the survey reveal that the needs of part-time students are very different from their full-time counterparts and shows that the policy of having separate arrangements for part-time students is the right one."

Paul Hill, The THES 7 January

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Dropout fear over bumper bursaries

University heads have voiced their concerns that the "lure" of large bursaries could lead to higher dropout rates. Vice-Chancellors believe that promises of large sums of money may encourage students to enrol on "unsuitable degree courses that might not offer adequate academic and welfare support after they enrol". Ivor Crewe, President of Universities UK, argued that students from low-income families may be tempted to apply to universities which offer the largest bursaries, rather than the ones that are skilled in supporting students from non-traditional backgrounds. He said: "Although financial support for maintenance is very welcome, students from non-traditional backgrounds also require other types of support throughout their degree course, including academic and welfare support."

Alison Goddard, The THES 21 January

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Dropouts soared as UNL widened access

Research conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute reveals the "high price" paid by universities who admit non-traditional students. The research investigated the different dropout rates experienced by two constituent parts of the London Metropolitan University – the former University of North London and the former London Guildhall University. It found that there was a direct correlation between the proportion of students who had few or no formal qualifications and the rate of non-completion; the greater the number of non-traditional students, the higher the dropout rate. It concluded: "Open access has a price, which is paid by institutions with the greatest commitment to widening participation."

Phil Baty, The THES 14 January

"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important."

Bertrand Russell

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Leeds Met in biggest post-16 network

Leeds Metropolitan University has signed agreements with two local further education colleges, bringing together more than 100,000 students to create what it believes is the biggest post-16 partnership in the country. A spokesperson for the university said that Leeds Metropolitan is keen to develop regional partnerships on the model of the larger US state universities. Both Bradford College and Park Lane College in Leeds have become associate colleges of the university. Bradford College has about 26,000 learners, Park Lane about 40,000 and Leeds Met has 41,000.

Claire Sanders, The THES 7 January

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Academy to open on Brunel campus

Brunel University has secured a £1.2 million sponsorship from the HSBC bank to fund an on-campus academy. A feasibility study will now be carried out for a £17 million academy to teach 800 16-to-19-year-olds maths, science, engineering and technology at the campus. It will be targeted at learners who would not otherwise remain in education beyond the compulsory leaving age. If the scheme is viable, it will be the first academy school to be run by a university.

Luke Layfield, The Guardian 12 January

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More than half can't cope with job stress

A leading expert in occupational stress has warned that universities fall below the benchmarks set by the Health and Safety Executive on acceptable levels of stress in the workplace. Dr Gail Kinman, of Luton University, said that the HSE expects at least 85% of a workforce to report that they "can cope with the demands" of their jobs. However, her research finds that just 38% of university staff say they can. The results show that more than half are unable to cope with their workload. Dr Kinman commented: "The figures are worrying. The HSE has a lot of legal power and is making work-related stress a priority area. … It seems only a matter of time before we see the first university prosecuted over stress levels."

Phil Baty, The THES 21 January

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Leaflet on worker's safety rights

The Health and Safety Executive has published a leaflet entitled Your Health, Your Safety: a guide for workers which explains employees' rights with respect to health and safety. It outlines what an employee can expect from his/her employer, what each person's responsibilities are and where to go for help and advice.

The leaflet (PDF 2pp) is at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse27.pdf

Health and Safety Monitor

Volume 27 Number 10 (October 2004)

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"Excellence centres" given £315 million

Universities and colleges have received £315 million to help create 74 new "centres of excellence and learning". The HEFCE says the centres will "help develop the teaching and research skills of future UK academics". The funding will be allocated to 54 institutions, ranging from Russell Group universities to smaller specialist colleges. Sir Howard Newby, Chief Executive of HEFCE, said the scheme would have "a major impact on the learning experiences of students".

BBC News Online 27 January

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Graduate salaries set to exceed 20k

Salaries for graduate positions will be higher than ever this summer, with an average of £21,997, according to a report by Graduate Prospects. The Graduate Market Trends report reveals that, while salaries range from £13,242 to £36,000, around a quarter will actually start far above the national average at £25,000. Other findings include:

• Three-quarters of all vacancies (75.8%) are open to graduates from any degree discipline.
• Where specific degrees are required, disciplines most in demand are engineering and technology (8.5% of vacancies).
• One in seven (13.9%) of vacancies advertised was in London, and with the highest mean salary at £26,591.
• One in five vacancies (19.3%) is for a post overseas, the majority of which (74%) tend to be for jobs teaching English.

HRLook Daily News 7 January

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Students see degrees as an investment for the future

More than eight out of ten students (82%) are optimistic about getting a job upon graduation and have realistic ideas about the salary they can expect, according to the latest UNITE Student Experience Report. The 2005 report shows that, on average, students expect to earn just over £19,000 in their first job, rising to £29,500 after five years. Key findings include:

• 57% choose to go to university because they believe it will improve their job prospects.
• Almost nine out of ten (89%) agree that the money they are spending on their education is a good investment in their future.
• 81% feel that university has set them in good stead for their working lives.
• While only a fifth of students in their third or subsequent year feel they will emerge with good spelling and grammar skills, many feel that university has equipped them with essential soft skills for the world of work.

Nicholas Porter, Chief Executive Officer of UNITE, which has commissioned the research for the past four years, concluded: "This generation of students appears to appreciate the skill they will require in the workplace and has learnt to draw from their experiences of university life to enhance their employability."

HRLook Daily News 26 January

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Physics risks failing its MoT test, says scientist

Physics is "in danger of failing its MoT" because of serious flaws in higher education. Professor Sir John Enderby, President of the Institute of Physics, called on the government to change the funding of university physical science departments to reflect the real cost of teaching. He also highlighted an "urgent need" for better careers advice in school.

Roger Highfield, Science Editor, Daily Telegraph 20 January

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UCAS: no rush to beat top-up fees

Fears that students would rush to start university this year to beat the introduction of top-up fees in 2006 appear unfounded, according to figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The latest figures show that applicant numbers for the 15 January deadline are only marginally higher than last year's figures.

Alison Goddard, The THES 28 January

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Class divisions bar students from university

Britain is more class-ridden today than in the 1950s, according to an authoritative new study from educational charity The Sutton Trust. The study found that children born in the 1950s were more likely to "escape their parents' class" than those born in the 1970s. It argues that equality of opportunity in Britain has significantly declined, and suggests that, while the benefits of education are increasing, access to education for children from low-income families is erratic. The researchers noted that there has been a widening disparity in educational achievement between rich and poor families, particularly over the past 15 years. Indeed, between the early 1980s and late 1990s, the proportion of children from the richest quarter of families who had completed a degree by the age of 23 rose from 20% to almost half. Over the same period, the number among the poorest quarter of families rose from 6% to 9%.

Heather Stewart, Economics Correspondent, The Observer 6 January

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Education is not a business

This was written in response to an item from NewsScan Daily. It refers to an article in which the US Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, said: "Education is the only business still debating the usefulness of technology." The author wrote: "Pleased to hear it. IT is for business, for processes, for production. Education is not a business, despite the relentless, gargantuan efforts of politicians and their accountants at every level (including those within education) to turn it into one, so that it better suits their budget-culture. Education is human interaction at its highest level. Interaction via e-mail, chat, and even video link is a poor, pale, false imitation of the real thing. Politicians (I repeat: especially those within education itself) seem unable to recognise this."

John Law, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Reproduced in full with permission from the author

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UK business schools face threat from Europe and US

Universities will come under increasing competition from their counterparts elsewhere in Europe as 40 countries adopt a harmonised degree system, which should see a leap in masters-level courses. The Graduate Management Admissions Council believes the biggest growth under the new system, which was agreed in the Bologna accord, will be in masters degrees in management, including those in business administration. It expects to see up to 12,000 graduate management courses flood the market over the next five years.

Katherine Demopoulos, The Guardian 21 January

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Business bosses "learnt to be leaders at school"

Many of Britain's captains of industry had demonstrated their leadership potential at school, according to a survey of chief executives and board-level directors of the country's most successful firms. Almost 90% of those questioned had held at least two positions of responsibility, such as head boy or girl, prefect or sports captain. Moreover, 65% said that they had always wanted to lead, and almost 60% said they had been ambitious from an early age. Just 10% admitted surprise at how quickly they had risen to the top of their profession.

Kim Pilling, The Independent 5 January

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Top bosses terrified of public speaking

Speaking in public is the part of their job that Britain's bosses dread most, according to a survey by communications consultancy The Aziz Corporation. The survey found that 58% of business leaders believe that public speaking is the most daunting business activity they have to undertake. Almost half (42%) of business leaders say that they have had a bad experience of speaking in public. Prof Khalid Aziz, chairman of The Aziz Corporation, commented: "The need for top UK business leaders to speak in public has become so prevalent, and so important, that it is a concern to see that the élite of UK business continues to suffer angst at the prospect. The image and reputation of a company can be made or broken at high-profile events such as conferences or during media interviews, so it is imperative that business leaders are equipped with the skills that enable them to speak in public with confidence."

HRLook Daily News 4 January

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Employer Guide to Training Providers

The Learning and Skills Council has launched an Employer Guide to Training Providers. The online tool allows employers to search for providers in a particular geographical region and for a specific type of training. The guide also offers advice on how to choose a training provider.

SSDA Involve Issue 68 (11 January)

URL: www.lsc.gov.uk/national/employer/goodtraining.htm

A printed version of the guide is also available at your local Business Link (contact 0845 600 9006 to find your nearest branch)

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Apprenticeship training at risk from colleges

In an article for t magazine (December 04-January 05), Denis Hird, Chief Executive of JTL, explains how the actions of a number of colleges across England and Wales are not only at odds with the recent apprenticeship drive, but could also have critical implications for the future success of vocational training and the UK Plc skills shortage. Mr Hird tells us that the central problem is one of funding. The government has set a funding level of approximately £4,000 per apprentice to pay for the delivery of the Technical Certificate element of the Advanced Apprenticeship (AA). The certificate is a crucial element of the AA, which leads to NVQ Level 3 qualifications. Colleges, however, are asking for considerably more than this. In some cases, they are demanding more than £5,500 per candidate, making it increasingly difficult for employers and training providers to fund learners through this route. In addition, Mr Hird argues that some colleges are being deliberately obstructive, making access to AAs problematic for learners. This, he claims, gives colleges the opportunity to offer Level 2 training to learners as an alternative to the AA. This level attracts higher levels of funding from the government. Unfortunately, it falls far short of the standards required by industry. Mr Hird says: "The delivery of the Technical Certificate is vital and without it, the whole apprenticeship programme becomes worthless. Should these issues not be solved, the future of AA training will be on very unstable foundations. The ramifications of this could be immense. Not only are employers and consumers being presented with woefully under-trained young people, … but an influx of under-qualified and under-skilled craftspeople could result in further misrepresentation of the electrical and plumbing trades and the return of the `cowboy'."

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TUC calls for more cash for further education

Commenting on the Public Expenditure on Education and Skills report released by the Education and Skills Select Committee, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "This report highlights the urgent need for all education sectors to be properly funded. It is grossly unjust that students in further education colleges, who are essentially taking the same courses as school pupils, are being less well funded. The government must commit to delivering the funding required to meets its own targets around improving the key skills of adults. Many of the courses that adults do are in our further education colleges and they should no longer be regarded as the poorer siblings of the sector. Pay levels in further education need to rise so that staff there earn a wage in line with staff in schools and universities."

TUC press release 7 January

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LSC pledges to make every penny count

The Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has made a pledge to ensure young people in England will benefit from the £4.9 billion budget for further education by directing every penny possible to the front-line. Publishing its new further education (FE) planning and funding arrangements for 2005/06, which will support the delivery of the government's Skills Strategy and more courses for young people, the LSC announced:

• A rise of 55% in the FE funding rates in 2005/06 for all colleges agreeing a development plan with the LSC. For example, the rate for an A-level subject will rise from £1,532 to 1,609;
• Additional funding for courses for 16-to-19-year-olds;
• Proposals to award a new Beacon status to colleges demonstrating significant improvement in performance;
• An increase in the learner contribution to course fees by 2.5% to 27.5%. For example, to illustrate the impact on fees, the current expected contribution of a learner represents approximately £1.23 per hour. Increasing the fee assumption from 25% to 27.5% would represent on average a rise of 19p to £1.42 per hour.

Information on other budgets relevant to FE colleges, such as Work-based Learning, will be published shortly.

LSC press release 21 January

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An evaluation of the New Deal in further education colleges in England

Sai Loo and Norman Lucas, Institute of Education, University of London

The article starts by providing a brief historical context for the introduction of the New Deal and then describes the aims and structure of the New Deal in FE colleges. Based on a small-scale research project on FE colleges in London and south-east England, the article analyses issues and challenges arising from the experience of the New Deal. This article argues that the New Deal did represent something different from past schemes for the unemployed and did demonstrate a commitment on the part of New Labour to social inclusion. From our research, good practice was found when the top management in colleges was committed to the New Deal and was supported by a dedicated team of New Deal tutors. Finally, the article speculates on the future shape and direction of the New Deal in the context of FE colleges.

Journal of Education and Work Volume 17 Number 3 (September 2004)

"Never lend books, for no one ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are books that other folks have lent me."

Anatole France

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Graduates postpone professional careers to travel, stock shelves and take "chill out" time

Parents and employers are united in fear: Britain's grown-up children are highly educated, thousands of pounds in debt and have no intention whatsoever of getting a proper job, writes Nicholas Pyke (The Independent On Sunday 9 January). Career analysts argue that a growing number of students are postponing the pursuit of "serious" employment until several years after graduation. This "sea change" is largely attributed to the introduction of tuition fees. Students leave university and are immediately in debt. Many will have undertaken part-time work during their studies and will continue along this path, either through choice or because their debt has forced them into immediate employment. However, the Institute for Employment Studies suggests that another consideration may be that the rising cost of a degree makes students more determined to land a "dream job". Rather than risk being stuck in a job that