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May 2005 |
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Libraries are not a new phenomena, and in my early learning about managing information I was told about monks classifying and cataloguing their libraries. Further back in history I like to think that Ptolemy's library in Alexandria was well "classed and catted" – with 400,000 "books" there must have been a system. So, there's a modern system which has its roots well into antiquity. Now I find, in the rather dull-sounding Shared quality uncertainty and the introduction of indeterminate goods, a reference to economic thought in the writings of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). He was concerned about quality judgements being made by a purchaser when the seller of the goods has all the knowledge about the goods. The purchaser may suffer loss through paying too much or be harmed through the product being defective. Just think of buying a used car! The saint was somewhat ahead of his time methinks! Anyway, the article continues this theme of purchase when ultimate quality value is unknown. Dull? No. Dense – as in tightly packed text? Yes. Academic? Definitely. I'd really like to see this re-written in "Clapham omnibus" language for those of us who did not go to university let alone studied economics whilst there.
I'm sitting here reading the National Institute Economic Review (Number 192 (April 2005)) and thinking that an article on The Stability and Growth Pact and Slow Growth in Europe should be an interesting topic. Do I kid myself? Interesting? To whom? If I was still a busy employment adviser I'd be paying expletive deleted attention to the European or even the British economic position – what I need to know is whether Joe's soap factory is recruiting unskilled operatives and how I'm going to fill the vacancies at Josie's Fashions manufacturing operation when she pays the worst rates in the area. So, if Europe or the world is what you want to know about I'll tell you where to find it (and include some articles in the body of Members' Update). What I can't do, however, is sort out Joe's soap factory or Josie's Fashions for you! Local labour market information has to be collected locally or extrapolated from national or regional information with local knowledge as a guide.
Language is the basis of all communication and if, as I mentioned earlier, someone is communicating using a vocabulary which is broader than mine then I have difficulty. This is not a problem with CentrePiece, a quarterly from the London School of Economics and Political Science, which I find extremely readable. I am, consequently, disappointed to receive an email telling me about problems and that "The first issue of 2005 will be distributed in June."
Another readable journal on economics is the Journal of Economic Perspectives. I finally managed to finish reading the Fall issue – I've still got the Winter one to do. There's some interesting comment on social economics. How do you pay for "the common good", and, perhaps more importantly, who decides what is "for the good of the people"? Is this a national problem or an international one?
The debate going on about "purchasing power parity" appears to be coming down on the side of international – particularly when you can relate the purchasing power of different currencies in terms of a globally available product. The Economist has, for some time, been looking at purchasing power in terms of a "Big Mac" and has recently added a tall latté from Starbucks to compare salaries and other economic indicators across borders.
Hazel Edmunds, Editor
Louis Kaplow, Harvard Law School and National Bureau of Economic Research
This is a fascinating article which looks at the basic economic principles of government policy assessment. The principle is that "a public good should be provided if, and to the degree that, its benefits – the sum of all individuals' benefits – exceed its costs", in accordance with what is known as the "Samuelson Rule". Professor Kaplow takes as his "thesis in this essay, that the asserted difficulties [with basic economic principles] do not have the commonly assumed implications". Fifteen pages later I (Hazel) am realising that public good financing is not merely a question of "pensions cost £x therefore the government needs to tax the population £x in order to pay pensions". There are moral issues involved as well as economic ones – and the answers will be influenced by the political impetus of the government in power. Is it based on Robin Hood or the Sheriff of Nottingham? And if you tax those on lower incomes too heavily household income will fall below welfare rates – ergo no point in going to work – ergo no tax being collected – ergo someone else has to pay more money to make up the short-fall.
Journal of Economic Perspectives (Fall 2004)
Responding to the Queen's Speech 2005, British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Director General, David Frost, said: "This Queen's Speech will get a lukewarm reaction from business at a time when the economic climate remains worrying. We have damaging work/life balance proposals coming forward while still waiting for real action on regulatory reform. The UK economy is facing a number of serious threats. Our businesses need flexibility, not more burdens. We need to promote enterprise and growth, not restrict our firms as they compete in the global market."
British Chambers of Commerce press release 17 May
There was a broad thumbs-up from the TUC for the post-election Queen's Speech, which set out the government's programme of business. Legislation on corporate manslaughter, smoking at work, and rights for working parents were particularly welcomed.
The TUC's response is at www.tuc.org.uk/newsroom/tuc-9879-f0.cfm
In ToUCh Number 8 (24 May)
"Could we make our lives happier? The tentative answer, based on the evidence at hand, is this. Most people could increase their happiness by devoting less time to making money and more time to non-pecuniary goals such as family life and health."
Richard A Easterlin, Daedalus Spring 2004
Respect and reform emerged as the key themes of Labour's third term in office, as the Queen unveiled the government's programme for the next 18 months. A total of 45 bills were set out for the coming parliamentary session, which lasts until next November. The programme shows a strong emphasis on low-level crime, on terrorism and on continuing health and education reform and expansion. Proposed legislation includes:
Matthew Tempest, Political Correspondent, The Guardian 17 May
Full text of the Queen's Speech: http://tinyurl.com/cokfy
Chancellor Gordon Brown has promised to bring in new laws to cut the burden of red tape on business. In an article for The Financial Times, Mr Brown said that he has committed the government to a new bill which will replace unnecessary rules with a "risk-based" approach. He wrote: "Under a risk-based approach, there is no unjustifiable inspection, form-filling or requirement for information. Not just a light touch but a limited touch. Instead of routine regulation trying to cover all, the risk-based approach targets the necessary few." In addition, Mr Brown said that the government will introduce legislation early next year to reduce the number of regulatory bodies from 29 to seven, with a bill to remove unnecessary and outmoded laws following later.
BBC News Online 24 May
Update comment: When it happens I'll believe it – not before. Hazel
The Institute of Business Advisers (IBA) has launched a new service, Adviser Locator, which aims to help small firms locate the right business adviser to suit their needs by searching a comprehensive online database of IBA members.
Marchmont Webflash Volume 8 Number 12 (May 2005)
"The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win it you're still a rat."
Lily Tomlin, US comic actress (b.1939)
Speaking at the launch of Adult Learners' Week, Education Secretary Ruth Kelly said that colleges are responsible for axing their courses, not the government. Ms Kelly insisted that colleges made the final decisions about how they spend their money. She argued that, while it is "absolutely right" that the government sets out its priorities, colleges are "free to make their own decisions on which courses to provide". She said: "Individual colleges will always make decisions about which courses they want to fund, what courses they feel they don't need to subsidise quite as much, and how they meet the learning priorities. Just because the Learning and Skills Council may decide that it's going to fund different priorities doesn't mean that a college necessarily stops funding a particular course." She reminded listeners that colleges waive some £100 million of fees each year. John Brennan the Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, accused the minister of "ignoring the reality facing adult learners". He said: "Many of the individuals affected by the cuts are low-earners, which is why colleges so often waive their fees. For ministers to say that colleges must ask them to pay the full costs is to ignore the reality of many people's lives."
Joe Clancy, The TES FE Focus 27 May
Further education colleges are expressing concern that lower than expected funding increases and the enforcement of centrally dictated funding priorities on courses for particular groups, will mean colleges will either have to cancel courses for other adults or raise their fees. It would appear that colleges have misunderstood the "grant letter" issued to FE providers in January of this year. While colleges interpreted the letter to mean that, if they agreed development plans with their local LSCs, they would be awarded a 5% increase in funding, early indications seem to suggest that increases will be around a third lower than projected. Colleges which have already made cuts to their provision so that they can cater for the government's priority groups are now finding that they must trim their subject offerings even further. Moreover, many colleges are not following the option recommended by the government of raising fees to keep their adult courses, saying that demanding 100% of the fees required would only really be appropriate for "holiday Spanish for the moneyed middle classes". In response to growing concerns about the direction colleges are taking, NIACE recently set up a committee of inquiry into the state of adult education.
Peter Kingston, The Guardian 26 April
More information about the NIACE Committee of Enquiry into the State of Adult Learning in Further Education is at http://tinyurl.com/ax9ch
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has today (23 May) explained why, after a 29% increase in funds since 2001/02, there is now pressure on colleges. Rob Wye, LSC Director of Strategy and Communications, said: "The Learning and Skills Council acknowledges that the 2005/06 funding round for further education will be very tight and that colleges will have to face some tough choices. This is in spite of the funding for FE in 2005/06 being some £170 million more than in 2004/05. Colleges are feeling the funding pressure in part because of their success in driving up rates of participation, retention and achievement among students – we now have the highest ever level of participation of 16-18-year-olds in education and training. Funding these rising numbers is putting a big strain on the FE budget, leaving less for other areas. Funding is also being squeezed because we are asking colleges to concentrate core funding on four key priority areas that we have agreed with the government to deliver the Skills Strategy. They are: education and training for the 16-18 age group; young people taking apprenticeships; people who need to improve their basic skills of literacy and numeracy; and people undertaking their first Level 2 qualification. This inevitably means that areas of education and training outside our priority areas – such as part-time courses for adults – will feel the funding pressure. We acknowledge that some colleges are planning to cut such courses in 2005/06. We understand why they feel this is unpalatable. But it is not correct to say that such courses are being cut because the LSC has reduced its adult and community learning budget, which is separate from the further education budget. This is being maintained in 2005/06 at the same level as 2004/05, although we acknowledge we have not built anything in for growth. In order to help relieve the funding pressure and maintain provision of adult education courses, colleges can develop new funding streams; for example, some are raising course fees for individuals with higher-level qualifications and for employers."
Colleges are turning adult students away or putting them on waiting lists as they struggle to recruit staff to meet skills targets, according to a survey conducted by the TES and NIACE. The survey revealed that:
Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE, said that colleges should look to train in-house. He said: "Colleges have no choice but to invest in this area. … There's a shortage of people out there, so growing your own is very important."
The TES Adult Learners Supplement 20 May
Training providers have accused the Learning and Skills Council of trying to implement a "plan for success on a budget for failure", after learning that they will receive just half of the cost of teaching the apprentices they have recently taken on. The LSC has told training companies that much of the additional £38 million in funds it has produced for apprenticeships must be spent on recruiting yet more young people to meet the government's target rather than to pay for those already on the programme. A successful marketing campaign by the LSC, coupled with improved retention rates, means that the apprenticeship scheme has not been allocated enough money to meet its commitments. The Association of Learning Providers (ALP) has warned that this 50% cut in funding will force some providers out of business. Graham Hoyle, Chief Executive of APL, said: "The LSC must accept that it has fully to fund the apprentices that it has asked providers to find and train, and cannot unilaterally cut their support by 50% part way through the year while asking providers to go out and sign up even more."
Peter Kingston, The Guardian 3 May
The Association of Learning Providers (ALP) is reported to be taking initial steps towards legal action against the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) over its proposals for apprenticeship funding for the 2004/05 intake. While the ALP welcomed the announcement that the LSC had allocated an extra £38 million to the scheme, work-based learning (WBL) providers say that this is not enough. They claim that more than £100 million is needed to complete the training of existing apprentices, while still meeting government targets for recruitment. Moreover, WBL providers maintain that the LSC proposes that existing apprentices can only be funded at 50% of the nationally agreed rates. In the view of the ALP, this indicates that the LSC miscalculated the original budget. The association argues that its members are being asked "to carry the financial implications of these miscalculations", prompting the ALP to seek legal advice over the funding shortfall.
t magazine May 2005
The Learning and Skills Development Agency is researching how apprenticeships are perceived by people from ethnic minority groups. The research will also look at the career trajectories of former apprentices to identify actual progression paths.
For more information, contact Maria Hughes
email:
mhughes@LSDA.org.uk
LSDA Briefing May 2005
The Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) has published a new report on best practice in the delivery of apprenticeships. The report contains the findings of a survey of learning providers which offer training for government-supported apprenticeship programmes. While the findings were largely positive, the research identified three areas where more work is needed:
LSDA Briefing May 2005
Identifying Effective Practice in the Delivery of
Apprenticeships by Maria Hughes and Helen Monteiro is available free of
charge from LSDA Information Services
tel: 020 7297 9144
email:
enquiries@LSDA.org.uk
This year's Adult Learners' Week survey of adults taking part in learning offers mixed messages. The survey, commissioned by NIACE, shows that, while there has been an increase in the number of adults participating in learning, the overall number of learners has fallen. The report, Better News This Time?, also shows that social class has a marked impact on participation. Professional and managerial groups (56%) are twice as likely to participate as unskilled and unwaged groups (26%), although the participation of skilled workers (40% up from 32% in 2004) is encouraging news. As in previous years the age divide in participation is clearly shown, with a marked drop for people over 55 (22%). Given the demographic change facing the UK, this is worrying news. A reduction in the number of young people means they can fill only one in three vacancies for new and replacement jobs over the next decade. The other places will need to be filled by people currently outside the labour force, and by older people taking on new roles. Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE, said, "The results of this survey present some comfort for the government but also a real challenge in securing a step-change in participation. The reverse in the decline in participation is welcome, but we will need to take active measures to sustain it. The current economic pressures on publicly-funded adult learning opportunities make it likely that this trend will be difficult to reverse in the next three years."
NIACE press release 23 May
Better News This Time? - The NIACE survey on Adult
Participation in Learning 2005
Authors: Fiona Aldridge and Alan Tuckett
ISBN: 1-86201-238-5 Price: £8.95
Contact Publication Sales,
NIACE, 21 De Montfort Street, Leicester, LE1 7GE
tel: 0116 204 4216
email: orders@niace.org.uk
This year's Adult Learners' Week is not just a time to celebrate, but a warning of what could be lost, says the Director of NIACE, Alan Tuckett (The Guardian 24 May). Mr Tuckett argues that the government's laudable commitment to widening and increasing participation in education does not seem to sit well with the knowledge that colleges across the country are being forced to reduce their provision. He tells us that there are severe pressures on the FE funding "pot":
Mr Tuckett says: "As a result, this year there will be tens of thousands fewer opportunities for adults outside the priority areas of basic skills and "full-width level 2 programmes". This is a year of relative plenty – budgets will be tighter in 2006-07, and prospects for adult learners wanting anything outside the priority programmes promise to be much worse."
Full article: http://tinyurl.com/7vnrx
Learners have firmly endorsed colleges and other post-16 learning providers in the LSC's third National Learner Satisfaction Survey. The 2003/04 survey shows that overall satisfaction with the learning experience across the sector remains very high. Moreover, overall satisfaction with the quality of teaching and learning continues to be high and more learners said they got a "buzz" from learning than in previous years. A higher percentage of learners also said they had greater enthusiasm for their subject, and had developed skills they could use for their jobs.
Survey highlights (PDF 24pp) are at http://tinyurl.com/72nf9
More detailed analyses of the results will be published shortly.
LSC Update May 2005
In an article for The Times (10 May), Emma Burns reports on a new retirement concept that is growing in popularity in the USA. A number of retirement homes have established links with universities, and there is now a network of some 60 university-linked retirement communities. The communities take different forms. Some are open to all, while others require that residents have taught or studied at the partner university. One community, however – Lasell College in Boston – requires that residents undertake no less than 450 hours of learning activity each year. As well as attending formal classes, many residents teach or mentor students.
Full article: http://tinyurl.com/ckmuk
Fran Bennett and Jane Millar
The growth of wage supplementation through in-work benefits and tax credits has been one of the most fundamental recent developments in the UK social security system. Broad statements of policy aims such as "making work pay" and providing "support for work" are superficially simple and clear. In practice, however, they cover a complex variety of goals and policy instruments. This article outlines the main policy measures introduced since 1997, discusses the different policy goals and highlights some of the major limitations of the current policy approach.
Benefits Volume 13 Number 1 (February 2005)
Dan Finn
This article assesses the impact and limitations of the first wave of measures that, since 1997, have involved the introduction of New Deal employment programmes, tax and benefit reforms to "make work pay" and mandatory work-focused interviews for working-age claimants. The reform process has now accelerated and key elements of a New Labour third-term strategy are already clear. They involve full implementation of the new front-line "employment first" system delivered by Jobcentre Plus, radical reform of the Incapacity Benefit system and new Pathways employment programmes aimed at lone parents and people claiming disability benefits. There will also be renewed efforts to enable skills acquisition by those without qualifications and improve "employment retention and advancement" among those moving into jobs. Effective implementation presents a major challenge and other reforms may prove necessary if New Labour is to realise its ambition of an 80% employment rate.
Benefits Volume 13 Number 2 (June 2005)
Anne McGuire, Work and Pensions Minister, and Rhodri Morgan, First Minister, today (18 May) launched a new £21 million initiative to reduce economic inactivity in some of the most deprived areas in Wales. The initiative called "Want2Work" aims to help thousands of people on sick and disability benefits return to work. It will be delivered in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and the Welsh Assembly Government. This initiative follows the successful Pathways to Work Pilot in Bridgend Rhondda Cynon Taf, where nearly 2,000 people have come off benefits and into work.
Welsh Assembly press release 18 May
Employers need to change their attitudes towards disabled people and make more of an effort to recruit them into the UK workforce, TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady told a TUC disability conference. Ms O'Grady said that although disabled people who are treated unfairly at work can now have legal protection against their discriminating employers, it can still be extremely difficult for disabled people to find work in the first place. Ms O'Grady said: "Until employer attitudes change, no law is going to prevent a prejudiced employer deciding not to employ a disabled person. And even when a disabled person has been successful at interview, the odds still stack up against them. … New disability legislation has put the onus on local councils and health authorities who now have a duty to do all they can to promote equality towards disabled people and prevent harassment and discrimination whenever it occurs. If the same legal duty were also to apply to private sector firms, discriminating bosses would find themselves with nowhere to hide."
TUC press release 25 May
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Alan Johnson has confirmed that schools in England will not be exempt from key duties under disability rights legislation. Mr Johnson said that schools will be subject to specific duties to promote disability equality. These duties will require schools to take action to close the attainment gap and improve outcomes for disabled children. He said that schools have "an especially significant bearing on the life chances of disabled people". To exempt them would, he argued, "be to fail on the promise of full civil rights and a more equal society".
Working Brief Number 164 (May 2005)
The government has confirmed plans to scrap the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission and replace them with the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. The Queen's Speech confirmed the intention to re-introduce the Equality Bill, which ran out of time in the last session of parliament.
OUT-LAW.COM 20 May
This guide explains the context in which discrimination law operates in the UK. It covers all aspects of the legislation, including the law as it relates to race, gender, disability, equal pay, sexual orientation, religion and age.
It can be downloaded (PDF 171pp) from www.tuc.org.uk/extras/equalitylawguide.pdf
Equal Opportunities Review Number 140 April 2005
Discrimination against deaf workers includes isolation, bullying and a lack of proper communication support, according to mental health and deafness charity Sign. As part of the Reaching Deaf Minds In The Workplace campaign, Sign argues that this discrimination creates barriers to progression and promotion, and often compromises deaf workers' health and safety in the workplace. To help employers maximise the potential of deaf employees, Sign has published a guide to best practice. Creating A Deaf-Friendly Workplace suggests simple steps that employers can take to "make a huge difference to current and potential deaf employees".
Labour Research Volume 94 Number 5 (May 2005)
More information: www.reachingdeafminds.org.uk
A new online database to help organisations meet their disability access needs has been launched by the MLA. The database contains records for over 200 disability trainers auditors and consultants who specialise in working with museums, libraries and archives. Disability Experts offers "the latest step towards reducing access barriers in heritage organisations".
Managing Information May 2005
URL: http://disabilitydatabase.mla.gov.uk
Groundbreaking research by web usability expert Jakob Nielsen could mean that library websites may have to be redesigned to make them more accessible to low-level readers. The research showed that, when looking at a website, high-level readers can quickly scan through the page to find the information that interests them. They are able to "de-code" the main text, images and navigational menus rapidly and efficiently. In contrast, low-level readers "plough" through the main text, reading it line by line. They are less able to use other literacy "searchlights" or look outside the main flow of text to make sense of what they see. Consequently, locating interesting or relevant information is a laborious process. Mr Nielsen's research showed that re-writing and simplifying a webpage can help low-level readers improve their experiences and performance by as much as 135%. Moreover, since the content remains much the same, these improvements are not gained at the expense of high-level readers.
Library and Information Update Volume 4(5) May 2005
More information: www.useit.com/alertbox/20050314.html
"Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. Where there is no vision the people perish."
Habakkuk 2: 2
The first steps towards the development of a British Standard for web accessibility have been taken by the British Standards Institution, with the release of a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for consultation. The guidelines will attempt to:
The consultation will be open to government departments, manufacturers and industry bodies, and a final review process could see the guidelines qualify to become a fully-fledged British Standard in two to three years' time.
E-Access Bulletin Issue 65 (May 2005)
The Accessibility of museum, library and archive websites: the MLA audit, carried out by City University for the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), looked at 300 museum, library and archive websites in England. The sites were surveyed using automated testing for compliance to the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG1). The report concluded: "The current level of accessibility of museum, library and archive websites is not high. Less than half the sites audited met the most basic technical accessibility guidelines and a User Panel of disabled people did not find them particularly easy to use. However, the number of different technical checkpoints and user problems that need addressing is not exceptionally high … museums, libraries and archives need to engage with the WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. They also need to engage directly with users to understand their needs and to ensure that disabled people can use their sites."
Info@UK Issue 50 (May 2005)
Full report (PDF 39pp): www.mla.gov.uk/documents/mla_web_accessibility.pdf
BECTa (the British Educational Communications and Technology agency) has produced a guide to website accessibility. It covers "basic concepts through to detailed, practical guidance about how to assess and ensure that a website is accessible".
Marchmont Webflash Volume 8 Number 12 (May 2005)
The BECTa Website Accessibility Guide (PDF 84pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/a8mxx
"Bore: A man who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company."
Gian Vincenzo Gravina
In an article for OUT-LAW.COM (5 May), Trenton Moss, of usability and accessibility specialists WebCredible, offers advice to website developers on how to meet the needs of screen magnifier users. He suggests six basic principles for improving services for screen magnifier users:
Full article, with "how-to" and "why" tips, is at http://tinyurl.com/cexk2
The government's Strategy Unit led a cross-departmental piece of work to establish a digital strategy for the UK. Information and Communication Technology has become all pervasive in our working lives and increasingly in our homes as well. How we adopt and use this technology will be crucial for our future prosperity. But there is evidence of a digital divide with some groups largely excluded from benefiting from access to the internet. This joint report with the Department of Trade and Industry sets out the digital strategy for the UK and details the crucial role that ICT will have for our future prosperity.
Strategy Unit website March 2005
Full publication (PDF 60pp): http://tinyurl.com/63yzj
Users of computer accessibility products from Dolphin Computer Access will be able to load their preferred settings for screen readers and magnifiers onto any PC using a new memory "pen" device. The Dolphin Pen is similar in appearance to memory sticks commonly used to store content or applications, and plugs into a computer's Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. To ensure full compatibility with the stick, computers need to be loaded with Dolphin's Interceptor software, which is available free on the company's website.
More information: http://fastlink.headstar.com/dolphin1
E-Access Bulletin Issue 65 (May 2004)
The Equal Opportunities Commission has launched a new interactive website to help young people find out about "the full range of career options", without gender bias.
URL: www.works4me.org.uk
"Whoever said: 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts' probably lost."
Martina Navratilova, Czech-born US tennis player (b.1956)
A new report from the Adult Learning Inspectorate has criticised the construction industry for its continued failure to widen its employee base. While construction remains that UK's largest industry, barely 10% of the workforce is women. Of these, around nine out of ten are concentrated at the "professional" end of the industry, in occupations such as management and architecture. Less than 1% are at the "trade end", working on sites as bricklayers, carpenters or labourers. The ALI report criticises training provision in the construction industry. In a bid to address this gap, CITB-ConstructionSkills, the industry's Sector Skills Council, has launched a £1 million campaign, Positive Image, to attract women and those from ethnic minority groups into the industry. The campaign aims "to communicate the benefits of a construction career to those most discouraged by its image of 'blokes, bums and bricks'".
Peter Kingston, The Guardian 3 May
The final report from the Equal Opportunities Commission's investigation into gender segregation in training and work concludes that young people are not being given access to careers advice, work experience placements, and training opportunities that would help them enter non-traditional sectors. Free to Choose reports that 80% of girls and 55% of boys would like to explore non-traditional sectors and jobs. However, just 15% of those questioned said that they had been given advice or information on work experience in a sector dominated by the opposite sex. In addition, 67% of girls said that, if they had known more about the gender pay gap, they would have made different career choices.
Newscheck May 2005
Free to choose: Tackling gender barriers to better jobs
A UK university is trying to persuade women to apply for a computer games programming degree. The University of Derby was concerned that all 106 applicants to its new programming course were men. It is therefore making greater efforts to encourage women to explore this avenue as a career. A spokesperson for the university said that an initial step will be to hold some all-female summer schools, while scholarships are also being explored.
BBC News Online 10 May
A report from the National Guidance Research Forum (NGRF) Strategic Group, entitled Setting the Agenda for Career Guidance Research, was published in March. The report was based on a consultation, held late last year, on what practitioners, trainers of practitioners, policy-makers and researchers in the field of careers development and career guidance believe are the main issues and gaps in research relevant to their work.
Newscheck May 2005
Setting the Agenda for Career Guidance Research - Research Issues and Research Gaps (PDF 43pp): www.crac.org.uk/nicec/publications/ngrf_agenda.pdf
Jinfo (pronounced Jin-fo) is a database of information-related job vacancies recently launched by Free Pint Limited. In addition to the database, a free newsletter, Jinfo Newsletter, is available and is published twice-monthly, by email. The Jinfo Newsletter lists the latest job vacancies, along with career advice and job searching tips, from information-industry recruitment consultants.
Penny Hann, FreePint
D-Lib Magazine April 2005
URL: www.Jinfo.com
Update comment: This appears to be completely free to use for job-seekers. There is a charge for advertising vacancies.
Nobody likes to be pigeon-holed, particularly graduates, according to research by leadership development organisation Common Purpose. The research found that one in five "high-fliers" feel that they have been forced to specialise too early in their careers by their employers. This is a view shared by global HR consultancy DDI. Lucy McGee, Director of DDI UK, argues that graduates should gain a good mix of experience when trying to reach the top. Ms McGee believes that today's university-leavers need a "360-degree vision", which enables them to "gain experience on all key functions before progressing to leadership status". She said: "If companies can work this kind of knowledge into people's careers as they move up the business – moving them across functions as well as up – they reduce the risk of people having a blinkered view of the integral functions on which the success of the business depends."
Kate Hilpern, The Independent 5 May
"Desire is one of the immense advantages that the underdog often has: simply wanting to win more than the top dog does."
William Bridges, US engineer, researcher, educator (b.1934)
Since concern was raised about the levels of personal borrowing and a general lack of understanding about financial services, the Basic Skills Agency and Financial Services Authority have worked together to devise a Financial Literacy Capability Framework. The Framework gives learners the opportunity to become more aware of the products and services on offer so that they are more easily able to make judgements and choices.
Marchmont Webflash Volume 8 Number 12 (May 2005)
More information: http://tinyurl.com/ajy9y
ISBN: 0-11341-302-5
Price £9.99
This "compendium of useful information" was compiled by a sub-committee of the Life in the United Kingdom Advisory Group with the help of the Citizenship Foundation. It is not intended for new arrivals, unless they have good English already, but rather to help ESOL teachers, mentors and other helpers of immigrants. Applicants for naturalisation who already have ESOL entry level 3 will soon be required to take a test based on indicated sections of this compendium, which also contains some of the historical background helpful to understand this country.
Basic Skills Bulletin Number 33 May 2005
Publisher: The Stationery Office
tel: 0870 600 5522
email: customer.services@tso.co.uk
Figures released by the DfES indicate that the government is in danger of missing its target for the educational achievements of looked-after children, despite small improvements made last year. The DfES aimed to reduce the proportion of looked-after children not sitting a GCSE or equivalent exam to 10% by 2006. However, the latest figures show that 41% did not sit an exam in 2004 – a reduction of just 2% from the previous year's figure. Felicity Collier, Chief Executive of BAAF Adoption & Fostering, said: "There has been very little progress and it does not look like there is any chance of meeting the targets by 2006. The wasted potential of looked-after children is extreme and very sad."
Ruth Smith, Children Now 3 May
Full release (PDF 8pp): http://tinyurl.com/ardbb
More than 55,000 crimes are committed in Scotland each year by people released on bail, according to research from the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS). The figures dwarf statistics released last year by the Scottish Executive which said the number of crimes committed by bailed suspects across Scotland amounted to just 4,000.
Liam McDougall, Home Affairs Editor, Sunday Herald 1 May
Paul Dornan
Of New Labour's policy agenda, that relating to child poverty is among the most impressive. Here the government recognised a social ill, set out to tackle it and delivered real gains. Yet after that effort we have, on latest available evidence, a child income poverty rate of 28%, double the rate of 1979 (National Statistics, 2005). The timeline of New Labour's policy on child poverty is divided by a speech given by Tony Blair on 18 March, 1999, when he promised to eradicate child poverty. This bold step caught the cynics off guard and forced poverty into the political mainstream. Yet before that March speech New Labour was timid, sticking to the previous administration's spending plans, missing an opportunity to get cracking and taking a backward step by cutting the lone parent rate of Income Support. This article assesses policy to deliver the pledge, the impact of measurement change and tensions in those areas whereby more effort is needed.
Benefits Volume 13 Number 2 (June 2005)
ISBN: 9-28715-618-2 Price: 19 Euros
Social security is an important tool to reduce poverty and to promote social and economic development. It is also a necessary complement to globalisation and structural adjustment policies. This publication contains the proceedings of the Mediterranean Conference which took place in Limassol in May 2004.
Council of Europe Publishing email update 3 May
Robert Strathdee
ISBN: 0-75463-815-4 Price £50
Published by: Ashgate Publishing Ltd
How do young people make effective transitions into work? This question has occupied the minds of parents and young people, and also researchers and policy-makers, as they face up to challenges presented by globalisation and technological change. The foremost governmental response to this challenge has been to expand training systems to improve young people's qualifications. However, it is clear that for many this response has failed to deliver the promised rewards and the legitimation of this strategy has been exhausted. This book explores developments in training and in social welfare to show that third way administrations in England and New Zealand are reconnecting young people to the labour market through creating social networks. It also describes how networks are being remade by the state in commodified forms.
Marchmont Webflash Volume 8 Number 12 May 2005
Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Gower House, Croft Road,
Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 3HR
tel: 01252 331551
URL:
www.ashgate.com
The Literacy and Social Inclusion Project has produced Every which way we can, a position paper based on its findings two years into a three-year project. The purpose of the paper is to review the evidence gathered, and to provide a resource for those concerned with issues, in this field. It raises some of the challenges in the current policy climate, and proposes a "literacy vision", outlining the "perfect literacy system" that best supports those of all ages most at risk from their poor or underdeveloped literacy or language skills. Key factors for successful literacy practice with adults and children most at risk are identified. The paper also provides a model for building parental skills.
Full paper (PDF 80pp): http://tinyurl.com/dsjft
Summary (PDF 5pp): http://tinyurl.com/97dbw
Literacy and Social Inclusion News April 2005
SEMLAC, the South East Museum, Library and Archive Council, commissioned a report on libraries and community cohesion. The report examines the concepts of community cohesion, social inclusion and exclusion, the impact on library services and how the sector fits into national and regional developments.
SEMLAC website May 2005
Full report: (PDF 130pp): http://tinyurl.com/8y654
Council on Library and Information Resources, Washington DC
What is the role of a library when users can obtain information from any location? And what does this role-change mean for the creation and design of library space? Six authors explore these questions in Library as Place: Rethinking Roles, Rethinking Space. In their essays, the authors challenge us to think about new potential for the place we call the library and underscore the growing importance of the library as a place for teaching, learning, and research in the digital age.
D-Lib Magazine April 2005
Full report (PDF 89pp) www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub129/pub129.pdf
Research based partly on an ICM poll has discovered "a worrying trend among the public of a greater use of least-trusted information sources when seeking information in libraries". The poll found that much of the British public goes to the source it trusts least – tabloid newspapers – for its most crucial everyday information on politics and society. This is largely because the sources that the public trusts the most, notably public libraries, are closed when it most needs them. Tim Coates, a leading independent analyst and critic of the library service, said that despite improvements, annual figures showed "there are still only 62 libraries out of 4,800 open more than 60 hours a week – which is the normal opening period of most shops".
John Ezard, The Guardian 23 May
The South West Observatory Skills and Learning Module has recently completed its ninth learning theme on Age and Employability. The theme examined labour market forces affecting the employment prospects of the over-50s, with a focus on initiatives to improve access to, or enhancements in, work for this diverse age group.
Executive Summary (Word document 4pp): http://tinyurl.com/9edf5
Full report (Word document 70pp): http://tinyurl.com/bqr6z
SWSLIM letter May 2005
Recent research by the Campaign for Learning suggests that one of the key demotivators for employees is the perception that learning and training opportunities are available to others within their organisation and not them. The Campaign for Learning believes all employees deserve equal opportunities, but this is far from the reality in the workplace. All too often staff that could benefit most are overlooked. Research shows that a learning divide still persists in many organisations, with those who have few or no qualifications and older workers least likely to be offered training opportunities. Linda Siegle, Chief Executive of the Campaign for Learning, comments: "This divide in training can have far-reaching consequences for organisational performance. Not only do employers miss out on developing talent within their own workforce, but it can also have a detrimental effect on the business through demotivated staff."
HRLook Daily News 16 May
Responding to the news that the Joint Council for General Qualifications has proposed a "sliding scale of generosity" for bereavement, illnesses and other stressful situations, Celia Brayfield argues that not all stress is bad for your health. Ms Brayfield refers to a report from the Anti-Ageing conference which concluded that the right kind of stress can yield positive results, by giving the "stressee" a real sense of achievement. She suggests that offering to compensate students who sit their exams while coping with external pressures is cushioning them from the realities of life. She writes: "As we live in a despicable compensation culture, scamming the system is a useful skill but whingeing as a way of living is highly unsatisfying; better to learn to let go of an injustice, master your distress and move on to the real deal. … In life, sod's law applies and it never rains but it pours. In life, the odds are that you will experience such major anxieties as pet bereavement, childbirth or redundancy. Furthermore, you may well suffer them all on the same day and, to top it all, some swine will steal your mobile phone as well. Life will include days when you are so stressed you won't have time to ask yourself if you've got a headache or not."
Times Online 9 May
The Equal Opportunities Commission has criticised the government's plan to permit mothers to transfer some of their maternity leave to fathers, saying that it reinforces the assumption that it is "the mother's natural role" to care for a young child. In its submission to ministers consulting on rights for working parents, the EOC argues that the plan undervalues the role of fathers in the care of young children. The Commission is calling for the government to reclassify the second six months of maternity leave as "shared parental care", to be divided as couples choose. It is also calling for paternity leave to be extended to four weeks at 90% of pay. Paternity leave is currently two weeks paid at £106 a week.
Lucy Ward, Social Affairs Correspondent, The Guardian 24 May
From April 2006 those on low wages will get more help from the government when the proportion of childcare costs covered by the Working Tax Credit will increase from 70% to 80%. This means that many lower-paid employees would be better off staying on, or taking up, tax credits than buying childcare vouchers (even with the good tax and NI breaks they offer).
Employee Benefits April 2005
If Adviser says "the rules are complex and often confusing", my advice is – don't try and sort it yourself – get help! And where better to find that help than through the Business Advisory Service – available free with your ADSET membership.
Adviser Number 109 (May/June 2005)
Employers must include pay rises in calculations for maternity leave following a European Court of Justice ruling. The ECJ ruled in Michelle Alabaster v DWP that any pay rise awarded to a pregnant woman between the beginning of the pay reference period and the end of maternity leave should be included when the amount of maternity pay was calculated. The Court of Appeal also removed the need for a male comparator. It said it was not needed if it could be shown that the reason for not paying the increase was because of the woman's pregnancy.
People Management Online 19 May
The median settlement level for the three months to the end of April 2005 is just ahead of inflation at 3.3%. Public sector pay rises are lower than those in the public sector. So says the cover of IDS Pay Report (Number 926 (April 2005)). However, the cover of Number 928 (just four weeks later) says that the private sector median increase is now 3.5% while the public sector median increase is 3.0%.
The average income of men in Britain is almost double that of women, according to the latest statistics from the DTI. The figures, for the period from 1996/7 to 2003/4, show that while women are slowly narrowing the income gap – with single mothers moving fastest of all – the sexes remain far apart. According to the data the median weekly total individual income for all women in 2003/4 was £161, just 53% of that for men at £303. However, women's median weekly income has gone up 31% between 1996-97 and 2003-04, while men's income has only risen by 13%. Perhaps not surprisingly, the smallest gap is for single women without children, whose income stands at 93% of that for single childless men.
Lucy Ward, Social Affairs Correspondent, The Guardian 18 May
The full National Statistics/DTI report, Individual Incomes of Men and Women 1996/97-2003/04, (PDF 145pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/av54m
The World Economic Forum has launched a new "gender gap index", measuring how countries perform on pay equality, economic opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment and access to reproductive healthcare. The UK was rated a fairly respectable eighth after Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand and Canada. However, no country was rated as having total gender equality. On a scale of 1 to 7, Sweden came first with 5.53.
The F-Word website 16 May
Women's Empowerment: Measuring the Global Gender Gap (PDF 23pp) http://tinyurl.com/a5pma
Update comment: I am constantly amazed by Dawn's ability to find a good/interesting story in the most odd places. Not that "The F-Word" website will be odd now that we know what's there! Hazel
The new junior women's minister, Meg Munn, will have to work unpaid, according to an article in The Daily Telegraph (Andrew Sparrow, 16 May). Under the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975, only 109 ministerial salaries can be paid at any time. The late appointment of Ms Munn means that she cannot have her £59,000 backbencher's salary boosted to the £88,000 received by other junior ministers. That Ms Munn will have to forego her junior minister's salary has led to rather understandable accusations that the government is not taking women's rights seriously. Conservative shadow women's minister Eleanor Laing asked: "How can Meg Munn stand up in the House of Commons and argue for equal pay for women when she's not being paid the same as her ministerial colleagues? This is an insult to women."
The UK's lowest-paid clerical and secretarial workers saw their median starting salary rise by 5.2% in 2004 compared with 5.4% in the previous year, according to IRS Employment Review. The IRS survey also found that the median starting salary for the lowest-paid clerical position in 2004 was £12,000. This marks a continued decline in the rate of salary increase for clerical and secretarial staff. Working hours for clerical and secretarial staff remain in the region of 35 to 37 hours per week.
HRLook Daily News 9 May
The GMB has published a National League of average gross annual salaries for all 342 occupational groups in Great Britain. The table reveals that the top group is 16 times higher than the lowest group. The top ten occupations (with mean annual salary) are:
The bottom ten occupations are:
HRLook Daily News 24 May
Full table of statistics (PDF 7pp): http://tinyurl.com/b8xv6
SEMT – the Sector Skills Council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies – and Metals Industry Skills and Performance (MetSkill) have announced their intention to merge, forming an enlarged Sector Skills Council for the metals, engineering and science sector. The merger will create one of the largest Sector Skills Councils in the Skills for Business network. A target date of 30 June 2005 has been set for completion.
SSDA INvolve Issue 84 (10 May)
Ignoring diversity can reduce productivity and performance, but badly managed efforts to introduce diversity run the risk of creating conflict and doing just as much to undermine business performance. Managers need to work to ensure diversity drives inclusiveness and cooperation, and is about more than just box-ticking and employment quotas. According to a new report from the CIPD, Managing diversity: linking theory and practice to business performance, managing diversity is about achieving a balance between different forces and challenges, therefore employers should also consider the areas that prevent diversity generating benefits to the organisation. These include the following:
Debate continues over whether or not there is a business case for diversity despite the huge amounts of anecdotal evidence indicating the benefits. Measurement will enable employers to move forward and help them understand what characteristics their employees possess. The new CIPD report suggests using a diversity-balanced scorecard as one form of measurement as a model for measuring the success of diversity within the workforce. CIPD research suggests that measuring the contribution employees make to a business significantly improves decision-making.
CIPD press release 11 May
Managing diversity: linking theory and practice to business performance (PDF 26pp): http://tinyurl.com/72fpn
According to a survey conducted on behalf of the CIPD, most UK employers believe that much employment legislation is necessary and can actually help them achieve their business goals. Almost two-thirds of employers feel that existing employment legislation has helped them earn the trust of their employees and ensure that they feel fairly treated. Four-fifths find it helpful in influencing managers to adopt positive employment practices, and 50% believe that it provides an essential standard. The survey reveals that many concerns associated with employment law are caused by "poor consultation, clumsy drafting of legislation and inadequate guidance". Examples of good employment legislation cited by employers include the Disability Discrimination Act, the Race Relations Act, the Sex Discrimination Act and the Right to Request Flexible Working legislation. Many employers identified these as necessary and more than half believe they help them to meet their strategic and business goals.
HRLook Daily News 10 May
Efforts by signatory countries to create the European Higher Education Area by 2010 would intensify the already fierce competition faced by British universities competing for students from around the world. Roderick Floud, President of London Metropolitan University, argued that the Bologna Process, an attempt by more than 40 European countries to create degrees that are easily comparable and transferable between them, could undermine the attractiveness of UK universities.
Jon Boone, Financial Times 16 May
Dropout rates on some foundation degree courses have reached up to 55%, according to a report from the Quality Assurance Agency (QCA). The report found that, while the degree courses are largely successful, "a high proportion of students on some foundation degree programmes withdraw prematurely and do not complete their studies". It showed that, on average, the withdrawal rate for full-time students is about 21% and about 29% for part-time students.
Phil Baty, The THES 20 May
In an article for The Independent (5 May), Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics at Warwick University, and Jacob Wertheim, Fellow at Harvard University, argue that emulating the "sensible Scots and Americans", by moving away from three-year degrees, could be beneficial to higher education in the UK. He believes that, as people are living longer, it makes sense for them to invest more in their education. Moreover, he feels that a four-year degree course will help to broaden the minds of students who are currently "narrowly trained by the standards of a genuinely liberal education". A longer period of higher education, during which undergraduates should study a mixed curriculum, will help students to develop a broad range of skills and knowledge. Professor Oswald also argues that encouraging students to take on a mixture of science and arts subjects will help to prevent the closure of less popular subjects, such as chemistry and languages. He suggests: "I think that most people are against the closure of these small departments because, deep down, they intuitively sense that there is more to university education than knowing a vast amount about rather little."
"Man – despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments – owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains."
Author Unknown
Further education colleges are to be given extra time to decide whether to charge top-up fees for higher education courses, amid concerns that fees might deter working-class students from enroling on degrees. All colleges that receive some direct funding for higher education will be given until January 2006, rather than September this year as originally planned, to make their submissions. The announcement was welcomed by further education leaders, who had been concerned that colleges would not be given enough time to determine the impact of fees on the FE sector.
Tony Tysome, The THES 20 May
Figures released by the Scottish Executive show that the gender gap between the number of Scottish males and females entering higher education is at "an all-time high". While the number of women entering higher education over the past five years has risen by around 10%, the number of men has risen by just 2% over the same period. Women now make up 54% of all students at Scottish Universities. John Field, Professor of Lifelong Learning at Stirling University, blamed "complacency", and argued: "The current trend is not sustainable and we have to find out why some males are choosing not to participate in higher education."
Kevin Schofield, Education Correspondent, The Scotsman 12 May
The Computer Clubs for Girls (CC4G) initiative for schools across England is to be launched in June by e-Skills, the Sector Skills Council for IT, telecoms and contact centres. CC4G aims to encourage more girls to get involved in ICT, to help address the gender imbalance in the industry.
E-Learning Age May 2005
More information: www.e-skills.com/CC4G
Data retrieved under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that there is a growing gender divide between the educational achievements of boys and girls in UK schools. Examination results for 2004 show that girls attained more A and B grades in their A-levels than boys, in both the independent and state sectors. Indeed, girls are 115% more likely to gain a grade A or B than boys. Ralph Lucas, Editor of the Good Schools Guide, which requested the data from the DfES, said that parents should take this discrepancy into account when considering where to educate their boys.
Amelia Hill, Education Correspondent, The Observer 15 May
Muslim students at the University of London (UL) are outraged over plans to close the campus's only single-sex hall of residence. College Hall, the university's women-only hall, is to close in July, leaving hundreds of students whose beliefs prevent them from living in mixed halls with no alternative but to seek private accommodation or to live in the university's less desirable flats. The university said that the decision to open as a mixed-sex hall was based on falling demand for single-sex accommodation. However, College Hall residents are angry that the changes have been implemented without consultation, and called the UL "culturally out of touch".
Christina Okoli, The Guardian 12 May
Bill Rammell, the new Higher Education Minister, has played down the threat of university course closures, saying that they will "not be as widespread as some fear".
Mr Rammell said that he was "not convinced" that a number of subjects deemed by the government to be of national importance – such as chemistry – were vulnerable to disproportionate cuts. He said: "I'm not convinced that the evidence is there… but that's not to say that if evidence comes to light I won't respond to it."
Paul Hill, The THES 27 May
The University of Central Lancashire is planning to reopen the chemistry department it closed six years ago, bucking the national trend to cut provision in the field, writes Caroline Davis (The THES 13 May). Ms Davis tells us that UCLan is now recruiting chemists and other scientists and plans to admit the first cohort of 20 chemistry undergraduates in 2007 – a decade after the department closed.
Vice-chancellors have been accused of "making social engineering part of the admissions process" after it was revealed that some élite institutions are setting targets that favour state pupils over independent pupils. Despite clear guidance issued to the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) from the government that it should have "nothing to do with admissions", a number of institutions, including Cambridge, Exeter and Durham, have agreed to admit more state school pupils in return for being able to set higher fees.
Tony Halpin, Education Editor, Times Online 9 May
"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them."
Denis Waitley, author and speaker
(Council of Europe higher education series No. 2)
Editors: Luc Weber and Sjur Bergan
ISBN: 9-28715-679-4 Price: 23 Euros
The public responsibility for higher education and research is a cornerstone of the European university heritage. Yet our societies are changing rapidly, and clinging to old solutions will not further the very values that these solutions were originally designed to protect. The claim on public attention and public funds is growing, but public funds are not, or at least not at the same rate. While public funding of higher education and research is still important, the concept of public responsibility must be understood much more widely. It must also be nuanced by looking more closely at different degrees and levels of public responsibility as well as at the instruments available for exercising such responsibility. The book, which builds on a Council of Europe conference, aims to explore what public responsibility means in the complex societies that have just crossed the threshold to the 21st century, by examining both overall higher education policies and specific aspects of it such as higher education for a democratic culture, access to research results, financing, equal opportunities, the approach to regulation and new trends in higher education.
Council of Europe Publishing email update 14 May
Government officials are refusing to reveal which 11 universities they have been monitoring because they are "at risk" of financial failure. The Higher Education Funding Council for England turned down an appeal to reveal which universities are on the "institutional risk monitoring" documents, which it released last month under the Freedom of Information Act, with the names and identifying factors blanked out. The Guardian newspaper, which made the original application for the information, believes that students have a right to know if the institution they are applying to is having financial difficulties. However, David Young, Chair of the HEFCE, claims that the disclosure of the institutions on the list "might well lead to closures of institutions" as they struggle to recruit students. He said: "The overall public interest … must lie in maximising the stability of HEIs [higher education institutions] and their provision of higher education, and in minimising the extent of adverse impact from financial risk situations on the public, specifically adverse impact on the public purse, and on students and those employed by the HEIs."
Polly Curtis, The Guardian 19 May
Academics at Nottingham University have accused their bosses of employing "underhand tactics" after admissions tutors were sent bogus emails purporting to be from prospective students and then ranked on their responses. Central administration sent five emails from made-up applicants in January to all 32 academic departments asking them about how they get a place to study at the university and including questions such as "Why should I come to Nottingham?" Heads of departments were then called into a meeting where they were given marks for their responses ranging from excellent through satisfactory to poor.
Polly Curtis, Education Correspondent, The Guardian 11 May
Update comment: Isn't this just standard quality control? "Mystery shoppers" are commonplace in other industries and sectors. Why shouldn't they be used to see how staff are performing at universities? Poor "customer services" could end up costing a university dearly.
In an article for The Guardian (3 May), Donald MacLeod examines conditions for staff on "the higher education shop floor". Mr MacLeod finds that, while great strides have been made to ensure that students are treated equitably, university staff "still face sexism, racism and homophobia on campus". A two-year study, commissioned by the funding councils of England, Wales and Scotland, has produced "a mixed picture and uncovered a lot of anger among staff". It found that those in senior management believe their institutions are committed to equality of opportunity. However, academic staff feel that they are treated less favourably than students, and believe that most initiatives and policies are in place to placate the student body, rather than support the development of staff. Unfortunately, as Mr MacLeod points out, the case study report was released on the eve of the election, guaranteeing "the minimum of publicity".
Full article: http://tinyurl.com/dsosj
Analysis by The Times Higher suggests that young academics may soon enjoy "a boom in job opportunities not seen for a generation" as thousands of staff retire. The analysis reveals, however, that there is a divide across the HE sector, with former polytechnics having higher proportions of staff nearing retirement than old research universities. Many universities, including Manchester Metropolitan, London Metropolitan, and Leeds Metropolitan, have more than one in five full-time staff aged 55 or over. In contrast, just over one in ten full-time academics at Bristol, Southampton, Sheffield and Nottingham universities are aged 55 or over. At Imperial College London the figure is just 9% among full-time academics.
Alison Goddard, The THES 27 May
According to the Global Higher Education Rankings, students in the UK pay, on average, around £7,000 a year to study and live. This figure makes Britain the third most expensive country in the world for study, being behind New Zealand and Japan. However, the introduction of the £3,000 top-up tuition fees in September will make it the second most costly, with Japan being the most expensive. Currently, Japanese students pay an average of £8,930 a year and receive no grants. Moreover, the UK grants system was found to be "at best, average", and the financial support offered to students described as "scrawny".
Amelia Hill, Education Correspondent, The Observer 8 May
Students in England graduating this year will owe a combined £2.46 billion, according to new figures. A report by Barclays shows that the average graduate debt is £13,501, an increase of more than 10% in the past year. However, the number of graduates with debts has fallen from 80% to just under 75% in the same period of time.
The Independent 5 May
Update comment: The poor get poorer?
Universities plan to spend less than a third of their income from higher tuition fees next year to help poorer students, according to an analysis conducted by The Times Higher. Almost £430 million will be raised when annual fees rise to £3,000 at most institutions next year. However, figures from the Office for Fair Access show that only £132 million, or 29%, is being earmarked for bursaries and outreach work with students from under-represented groups. More than £300 million will be used to support improvements to teaching facilities and academic pay. The analysis also revealed wide variations in the proportion of top-up fee income to be used for bursaries and outreach. Spending plans ranged from a 55% commitment from the University of Central Lancashire to just 11% at Anglia Polytechnic University.
Alison Goddard, The THES 6 May
Welsh students may be exempt from paying top-up fees wherever they study after the Welsh Assembly Government was defeated in a vote on the issue. The motion was accepted by Assembly members by 30 votes to 29. The members said it was expected that fee exemptions proposed in the motion would take the form of full-cost bursaries that students could take with them wherever they studied. The Assembly Government is seeking an emergency meeting with opposition members to discuss the outcome of the vote.
Tony Tysome, The THES 27 May
The vast majority of corporate computer hacking is performed by current and former employees, according to the head of the Metropolitan Police Computer Crime Unit. Addressing the InfoSecurity Europe conference in April, Detective Inspector Chris Simpson of the Unit argued that "in the vast majority of cases, … the culprits are current or former employees. They are not hacking into systems using flaws in software. Instead they are using flaws in the security procedures of the company to carry out their attack."
NFP Techno Number 75 May 2005
The FBI has announced that a Swedish teenager is under investigation for an attack which penetrated US computer systems, including those of the US military and NASA. A search is also under way elsewhere in Europe for possible accomplices. Alan Paller, Director of Research at the SANS Institute, a cyber-security training organisation, said the internet attacks demonstrated "the continuing vulnerability of seemingly closely guarded websites". He commented: "The dirty little secret of security is that even in organisations that have high security, operational problems cause those organisations not to patch."
Julian Borger, The Guardian 11 May
A unique new kind of malicious threat which locks up files on a PC then demands money in return for unlocking them has been identified. The program, Trojan.Pgpcoder, installs itself on a vulnerable computer after users visit certain websites. Once installed, it downloads an encoder application which searches for common types of files on a computer and networked drives to encrypt. The Trojan replaces files with locked ones, so that they are inaccessible. It then leaves a "ransom note" in a text file. Instructions to release the files are only handed over when a ransom fee is paid. Kevin Hogan, senior manager at web security firm Symantec, commented: "This attack is yet another indicator of the growing trend of criminals using technology for financial gain. This Trojan horse … is the equivalent of someone coming into your home, locking your valuables in a safe and refusing to give you the combination."
BBC News Online 26 May
The latest variant of the Sober worm has spread rapidly and now makes up as much as two-thirds of virus traffic on the internet, say security experts. Sober.P now accounts for 77% of all viruses detected by Sophos' threat-monitoring stations worldwide. In Western Europe, the spread of the worm has been described as an "epidemic" by security firm Kapersky Lab.
Dawn Kawamoto, News.com
via ITProPortal Midweek Roundup 4 May
The Metropolitan Police Service has launched a campaign to highlight the growing problem of "company hijacking" – where criminals fraudulently change a company's official registration details with Companies House. The fraudsters can then use and abuse the firm's credit rating, leaving the victim struggling to clean up its record. The police service has teamed up with Companies House to highlight the issue. In a campaign leaflet it sets out four simple steps that can be used to counter the fraud:
OUT-LAW.COM 11 May
Campaign leaflet (PDF 2pp): http://tinyurl.com/73s2w
Concerns about identity theft are beginning to put people off shopping and banking online, according to a survey commissioned by software firm Intervoice. The survey showed that 17% of people have stopped banking online while 13% had abandoned web shopping. Consumers are also concerned about the potential for offline ID theft, with 36% placing technologies such as credit card readers and online checkouts highest on their list of worries. A further 25% are concerned about paper receipts, while 14% said they worry about shop employees. Despite online concerns, it is an offline solution that is seen as the best way to tackle identity fraud, with 57% believing that ID cards are the best way to protect themselves against identity theft.
BBC News Online 25 May
The United States Congress has passed a law that threatens to pave the way for a US identity card. The Real ID Act, which was tagged on to a military funding bill, passed both the Senate and House of Representatives without full debate [editor's emphasis]. The Act will create a federally approved driver's licence which must be produced by anyone wishing to fly, enter federal buildings, or open a bank account. Privacy campaigners say that the Act paves the way for "a national ID card, and a "show us your papers" society.
OUT-LAW.COM 16 May
The government has underestimated the running costs of its ID card. New projections show that the cost will be around £5.8 billion over its first 10 years. This is almost twice the original projection. As a result, the Home Office has announced that the cost to the public will be around £93 – an increase on the £85 estimated six months ago. However, as this "unit cost" figure was calculated at 2005-06 prices, the price may reach £100 when cards are rolled out in 2008. In addition, the Home Office has also revealed that the technology which has underpinned a pilot project to test biometric verification is not as reliable as it should be. Fingerprint verification was successful in 81% of the sample. Iris verification worked in 96% of trials, although there was a lower success rate for black people and older people. However, facial verification took satisfactory images in just 69% of cases.
Nigel Morris, Home Affairs Correspondent, The Independent 26 May
Staff at the UK Passport Service (UKPS) are to be given access to births, deaths and marriages data, while banks will be able to verify identities by using UKPS information. UKPS staff will use data from the Office of National Statistics and the General Registry Offices in Scotland and Northern Ireland to check the identity of passport applicants. In addition, UKPS will offer a "passport verification service" to banks and other financial institutions, although the service will consist of a simple confirmation that the information presented is correct or otherwise. Bernard Herdan, Chief Executive of UKPS, said that the new arrangements, which will be in place by early 2007, are part of the agency's work to combat identity fraud.
Government Computing Volume 19 Number 5 (May 2005)
Personal information for 600,000 current and former Time Warner employees has been lost, the company has announced, potentially setting the stage for one of the largest cases yet of identity theft. A spokesperson for Time Warner said that the information was stored on back-up discs. The discs were being transported to a storage facility away from the office. However, they were lost in transit.
Dawn Kawamoto, Silicon
via ITProPortal Midweek Roundup 4 May
New rules on the security of information to be held in the new NHS Care Records Service have been published by the government.
The document is available (PDF 8pp) from http://tinyurl.com/aalye
OUT-LAW.COM 25 May
A survey conducted by AOL reveals that one in 20 UK internet users says they have lost money through online scams. Almost half say they have received phishing emails purporting to be from banks and building societies, while other notable frauds include paying for items which never arrive and sending cash following a demand from a bogus email. Of the 1% who had lost money through phishing, 53% were not compensated by their bank. A further 11% say they are still waiting for compensation.
BBC News Online 4 May
Software used to catch student cheats may soon be employed by journal publishers to help detect duplication and plagiarism by researchers. Two major academic publishers, Elsevier and Blackwell, claim that there has been a rise in academic plagiarism in recent years. They both announced plans to combat this issue, which may include using plagiarism detection software to check submitted research papers.
Phil Baty, The THES 27 May
There is considerable scope for libraries to exploit Weblogs:
In the case of librarians/information professionals Weblogs have a number of applications, such as:
A list of typical library and information science (LIS) Weblogs is included, together with notes on promotion and marketing, legal implications, corporate Weblogs and feeds.
Paul Pedley, Economist Intelligence Unit
Business Information Review
Volume 22 Number 2 (June 2005)
"I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet. That may be. But I think there's one other thing that separates us from animals. We aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners."
Jeff Stilson
The Financial Ombudsman Service has awarded a woman £3,000 in compensation after a bank's clerical error led to the woman's whereabouts being discovered by her violent former partner, who subsequently assaulted her. According to the FOS, the customer explained to her bank that she had left her partner as a result of his increasingly violent behaviour. She asked them to change the address on her accounts, and stressed that the bank should not give her former partner her new address. However, when the bank changed the address on the accounts, a link on the computer system meant that the address on the joint account she held with her ex was also changed. He spotted the alteration when he came into the bank a few weeks later looking for a loan, and then proceeded to deliver a vicious attack.
OUT-LAW.COM 10 May
British schools should allow parents to take photos of their children at sports days and during nativity plays, according to new "common sense" guidance issued by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). At present, some schools do not allow photos or video recordings to be taken by parents because they fear that the taking of such pictures will breach the Data Protection Act. Not so, says the ICO. Photographs taken purely for personal use are exempt from the Act. This means that parents, friends and family members can take photographs of their child and friends participating in school activities for the family album and can film events at school. Only photos taken for official school use, such as identity passes, are covered by the Act, says the ICO, which warns that pupils and students should always be made aware as to why the photographs are being taken. Photographs taken by the media are usually exempt from the Act. "Our good practice guidance gives clear advice to schools about when data protection does and doesn't apply," said Assistant Commissioner Jane Durkin. "It is common sense that parents should be able to take photographs of their child at sports day."
OUT-LAW.COM 24 May
A survey of UK banking customers by Fujitsu Services has revealed strong support for biometric security. One in three respondents said they would like their bank to start using biometrics. The firm, which has already piloted palm-reading technology in Japan, suggests that concerns over PINs and phishing are undermining consumer confidence. Fujitsu claims to have had reasonable success in Japan with trials of biometric cashpoints where customers' palms are read.
Will Sturgeon, Silicon
via ITProPortal News Roundup 9 May
Microsoft is to launch an anti-virus and security service for PC users. The service will be offered on a yearly subscription basis, and will be called Windows OneCare. The system is currently being tested by Microsoft employees, before a trial release to the public later this year.
BBC News Online 16 May
More information: www.microsoft.com/windows/onecare/default.mspx
The Prime Minister's commitment to "Digital Britain" has been called into question by the All Party Internet Group (APIG). The APIG has been lobbying parliament for support to instigate a review of the Computer Misuse Act. The Act was first drafted in 1990, and is the UK's primary piece of legislation for addressing internet crime. However, the APIG maintains that the Act uses too narrow a definition of the term "computer". As such, it fails to include new technology, such as mobile phones and PDAs. Despite such glaring omissions, the APIG has been unsuccessful in securing high-level government support, and was forced to petition parliament under the 10-minute rule. Simon Perry of Computer Associates commented: "Efforts to re-start a debate … are to be applauded, but a paltry 10-minute slot is not enough time or attention to give to such an important issue. This lack of interest is an insult to British businesses, which are most at risk from cyber attacks."
Information Age April 2005
A report from the Commons Science and Technology Committee urges the government to bring in independent auditors to scrutinise the management of the UK's DNA database. The Committee is concerned that, despite recommendations from experts on genetic issues, the Home Office has no plans to used external auditors. The report states: "We have not heard any form of commitment by the Home Office to establish an independent body with full ethical and lay input to oversee the workings of the database. Failure to do so at this juncture would be a wasted opportunity."
Government Computing Volume 19 Number 5 (May 2005)
The British Computer Society has introduced e-Citizen, a 10-week course through which individuals can learn to perform routine tasks using the internet. Participants can learn how to use the internet to shop, bank, book a holiday or email friends. It also teaches participants how to protect themselves and their equipment.
More information: www.ecitizen.co.uk
Newscheck May 2005
This publication provides an update on the development of mobile phone technologies with the potential for supporting and delivering some elements of teaching and learning processes. The report also outlines the key findings of the m-learning research and development project.
LSDA Briefing May 2005
Mobile technologies and learning - A technology
update and m-learning project summary by Jill Attewell is available free of
charge from LSDA Information Services
tel: 020 7297 9144
email:
enquiries@LSDA.org.uk
Media lecturers at Coventry University have launched an "m-learning" teaching technique. Students can download course material and can listen to lectures via their mobile phones. Lecturers send video clips, still images and sound clips to students, and material from lectures is available for the web or mobile phones. Founders Eduardo Carrillo and Harold Fricker have secured a grant to develop m-learning further, with an aim to establish international links and gain the support of industry.
Christina Okoli, The Guardian 12 May
The Training Foundation is helping to raise the skills levels of young people through the launch of its Ready For Work online training programme. Free to students in full-time education, the course aims to prepare young people to become "responsible" employees. Ready For Work comprises 12 courses which build the participants' awareness of key employment issues, including:
For more information, visit: www.trainingfoundation.com
E-Learning Age May 2005
Nina Timmermans
ISBN: 9-28715-720-0 Price: 17 Euros
There is an estimated one million deaf people in the member states of the Council of Europe. Sign languages are the indigenous languages of deaf people. In addition, many of their family members and friends use sign language as a second or foreign language, as do some hearing-impaired people. This report, based on information provided by member states' governments and by NGOs, gives an overview of the recognition of sign languages in twenty-six European states. It also summarises policies and programmes which have been developed by member states to ensure sign language users have access to their political, social and cultural rights.
Council of Europe Publishing email update 29 April
Authors: Jayne Taylor, Darcy Vasickova, Andy Byrom and Jenny Dickson
ISBN: 1-86201-245-8 Price: £24.95
The provision of information, advice and guidance (IAG) for learning and work is critical to the government's achievement of key targets relating to skills development, training and employment – and therefore to the nation's future productivity and economic success. So what do adults in England think about the IAG services available to them? In 2004, MORI asked a nationally representative sample of 1,548 people for their views on the relevance and perceived benefits of accessing IAG services, and also how satisfied they were with services received. The aim was to explore the experiences and attitudes of both users and non-users of IAG, to inform the development of future services. This report builds on the baseline study commissioned by the Guidance Council, and also conducted by MORI (Demand for Information, Advice and Guidance) in 2000. The present study has been expanded to look in more detail at:
A Summary Report highlighting key issues for information, advice and guidance policy makers and practitioners is also available, priced £8.95
NIACE website May 2005
Contact Publication Sales, NIACE, 21 De Montfort Street,
Leicester, LE1 7GE
tel: 0116 204 4216
email:
orders@niace.org.uk
Practitioners in careers guidance, employment advice or related fields frequently see the "final output" from companies downsizing – getting rid of surplus people. Some may well have experience of being made redundant. This article in IDS HR Studies Plus (Number 797 (May 2005)) sets out the management process from the viewpoint of the management team. Managers must consider the obligation to consult, the nature of consultation, announcing the redundancies, communicating with staff, limiting redundancies, identifying the pool for selection, selection criteria, enhanced redundancy payments, and outplacement support. Case studies of seven large employers (including DWP) are followed by a "Guide to Suppliers". This looks at the role of outplacement specialists, and provides details of the services offered by 16 outplacement suppliers.
Update comment: None of the 16 is a public sector organisation. An oversight or a misunderstanding? And, not a single mention of matrix as a standard!
Thomas J Nechbya, Duke University and
Randall P Walsh, University of Colorado
Modern usage of the term "sprawl" was coined in 1937 by Earle Draper – one of the first city planners in the south-eastern United States. The major themes that characterise the current debate over sprawl and its connections of transportation and income had already emerged by the end of World War II. These issues were summarised in the 1940s by the British advocate of city planning F J Osborn. "These new forms of transportation…