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October 2005 |
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As I write this my expectation is that even before it's got to the proof reader, I'll be "under the knife" and likely to be out of action – at least brain-wise – for a couple of weeks. Thereafter it's a gradual return to work starting with no more than two hours a day, which I can build up as fast as I feel able. Since it's only three weeks since the consultant said "I think I'll operate on this one", I haven't had time to talk to many of you – the NHS can move fast when it needs to! Consequences:
Kettering General Hospital has a no flowers policy, but there's no such prohibition at home or in the office! Hint, hint. Actually, I think I'd prefer to come back to lots of new members through the introduction voucher scheme – up to you.
Two of our regular sources of information, The Independent and The Scotsman, have managed to let us down this month, the former during the week of 13 October and the latter a week later when Dawn said: "Nothing that we can have for nowt." When we get an article in The Financial Times that is in the "must pay to access" category it's easy enough to walk to the public library and find it in the hard copy, but none of our local libraries subscribes to The Scotsman. I hope that we're not missing anything important. The Herald is still totally free but does seem to concentrate more on the news from the East Coast.
Good news comes with having found a new, up-to-date source of Education & Training Parliamentary Monitor. Whilst a lot of the articles we've already got through press releases and other media, it's interesting to read the actual quotes from MPs and advisers, particularly when disagreements arise in public. I'm sorry I can't bring you a "fly on the wall" report of Ruth Kelly trying to not do something Tony Blair wanted done! The Education White Paper is, we understand, much more of Mr B than it is of his ministers.
No-one is blind or visually impaired any more. Personally I prefer the former as a more positive statement (I have a friend who has a condition called blindness – she is not impaired). However, either is, to my mind, preferable to the "US citizens with print impairments". Yeuk – that's one import I could do without.
However, Intuit QuickBase's Find-A-Human – IVR Phone System Shortcuts system is something I would like to see imported. It provides "instructions for bypassing IVR [annoying phone menu] systems to get to a human as quickly as you can". Unfortunately, as Dawn found out when she investigated, all the shortcuts are for American companies!
Why the government insists on calling it "education" when it's really about education in schools I fail to understand. Anyway, as with all news items that have risen to the front, we've kept our reporting to a minimum. And it does not affect our colleagues in the "other" countries of the UK. It seems that the unitedness of the kingdom is being eroded very rapidly. Don't get me wrong, this is not necessarily a bad thing but it does make our job of reporting more difficult.
Hazel Edmunds, Editor
The government has published its education White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All: More choice for parents and pupils. The main proposals include:
The Independent 25 October
Proposals included in the Education White Paper, due out this month, will include the allocation of top secondary school places by lottery to foil all the ruses used by more wealthy parents to get their children into these schools. Stratagems such as temporarily renting a house or paying hundreds of thousands of pounds extra for a house in the catchment area of a good school will no longer guarantee a placement. In an address to the Labour Party Conference, Education Secretary Ruth Kelly said: "For too long, access to some schools was open only to those who could afford to buy an expensive house next to a good school while the rest were told to accept what they were given. There was nothing fair about that approach."
Andy McSmith, Political Editor, Independent on Sunday 2 October
"If it had a point it wouldn't be a hobby."
Dilbert
The Prime Minister is to press ahead with the expansion of the academy programme, despite mounting criticism of the planned reforms. Tony Blair said that the target to create 200 academies was "a minimum figure". Critics, including the Commons Education and Skills Select Committee, say that Mr Blair should wait until the first 17 academies have been formally assessed before announcing any expansion plans.
Richard Garner, Education Correspondent, The Independent 25 October
The government has been accused of wasting millions of pounds of public money on setting up academies in place of schools that were not failing. Despite assurances that the £5 billion academy programme is replacing educationally failing schools, a TES analysis reveals that just two of the schools were deemed to have "serious weaknesses", while not one was in special measures at the time of closure. John Dunford, General Secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, commented: "The government needs to be more honest. If schools being turned into academies are not failing schools, they should not be painted as such." A spokesperson for the DfES said that most of the schools were identified as failing at the time a decision to close was taken.
Warwick Mansell, Adam Luck and Graeme Paton, The TES 7 October
Academy principals warn that the new schools will be unable to meet one of their core objectives because of a "tax trap". The academies are charged with making their facilities available to local people. However, principals say that if they charge for using the amenities, they will attract millions of pounds in VAT charges. The academies were given a zero rating for VAT on their construction costs, but under EU law this rating only applies if 90% of the usage is for "relevant charitable purposes". Failure to meet this criteria will mean that the schools will be forced to pay VAT on the original construction costs. Offering the facilities free of charge is also not an option, since this would leave them in breach of the terms of their DfES funding. A spokesperson for the Treasury confirmed that this was, indeed, the case. He also said that, as the relevant law is enforced by the EU, the Treasury is unable to change it.
Will Pavia and Jon Surtees, The Times Online 3 October
Update comment: Just goes to prove that the UK is no longer an independent country! No comment from this end as to whether, personally, we think that is a good or a bad thing.
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
Douglas Adams
The Prime Minister is reportedly locked in a row with the Education Secretary over the pace and breadth of schools reforms. Tony Blair believes that the proposals contained in the school reform White Paper are not radical enough. Indeed, Downing Street has already rejected a draft paper presented by the DfES last month. The row is believed to be behind the late release of the schools reform proposals.
Geraldine Hackett, Education Correspondent, The Sunday Times Online 16 October
Update comment: Keep a dog and bark yourself, or appoint an Education Secretary but retain the right the reject what she, and the experts in the government department, propose. Is there a difference?
A local authority in Scotland is to give primary school pupils psychological tests to see why they become disenchanted with education. The Pupil Attitudes to Self and School (PASS) questionnaire will help the authority to identify the causes of problems such as low achievement, poor attendance and fragile self-esteem.
Kevin Schofield, Education Correspondent, The Scotsman 8 October
Update comment: Psychology be blowed – school is boring!
An evaluation of the Learning and Skills Development Agency's Increased Flexibility Programme for 14- to 16-year-olds (IFP) has concluded that it is exceptionally successful at motivating young people to stay in education or training. The IFP enables pupils at Key Stage 4 to spend part of their school week with an employer, training provider or at college. The evaluation, conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research, found that:
The study also found "substantial evidence" that IFP had improved participant's confidence, social skills and employability skills. They also demonstrated a more positive attitude to school.
LSDA Briefing October 2005
A summary of the research is at http://tinyurl.com/bm9h6
More information on IFP: www.vocationallearning.org.uk
"The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work."
Richard Bach, US author (b.1936)
Children at nursery schools across Scotland are to be given basic careers advice as part of an innovative project to tackle the culture of unemployment that has developed in some areas. The Career Box scheme will encourage children to explore occupational roles. It will teach them about concepts such as being paid and being able to buy food and clothes with the money they earn. The scheme will also seek to break down gender segregation by encouraging children to role-play in non-traditional jobs. Career Box will be delivered in the majority of Scottish nurseries, but it is believed that it will be of particular benefit in areas where there are large concentrations of worklessness. Alex Blackwood, Head of Enterprise in Education for Careers Scotland, said: "There are now children in our society who are surrounded by people who don't work and who have never worked and they simply don't understand the positives that working can bring. We felt it was important to take intervention as early as possible and get nursery-age children to have a basic understanding of the world of work by getting them to relate to figures from their daily lives, such as teachers, police officers, bus drivers, postal workers or the ferry captain."
Andrew Denholm, Education Correspondent, The Herald 14 October
More information: http://careerbox.careers-scotland.org.uk/
The new head of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers – Wales said that pupils' views must be sought before any changes are made to their curriculum. Philip Dixon said that ATL Wales would be pressing for children's opinions to be taken into consideration before any decisions to change the Welsh Baccalaureate qualification are taken. Mr Dixon argued that children "should be able to express their opinions on a range of issues as the education systems' core customers".
Daniel Davies, The Western Mail 29 September
Update comment: What rubbish! Dawn
Ministers are planning to earmark £60 million a year for the schools with the largest numbers of pupils struggling to master the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. The money will enable secondary schools to offer one-to-one or small group teaching sessions to struggling pupils. It will also fund "master classes" for the brightest learners, making it possible for them to take national curriculum tests for 14-year-olds, GCSEs and even A-levels early.
Richard Garner, The Independent 17 October
More than 2,500 state schools have been told they are serving up "nothing better than mediocrity". David Bell, the Chief Schools Inspector and Chief Executive of OfSTED, made it clear in his annual report they "could do better". He warned that there was "no hiding place" for them. He revealed that 10% of schools had failed to show sufficient improvement. Mr Bell said: "While on the surface all may appear to be well in these schools, if we dig deeper we find that achievement could be better in some subjects, or for some groups of pupils. These schools are falling way behind in terms of providing the sort of education we find in our best schools: in short, they are under-performing or `coasting' schools."
Richard Garner, Education Editor, The Independent 20 October
A teachers union is warning that Victorian school buildings, designed for an era when children sat in silence for hours, are leaving modern-day teachers with hearing damage. NUT Cymru officials complain that "badly designed classrooms, combined with noisy children" are leading to problems for many teachers. The union has called on its members to conduct noise audits of their schools to find out what the levels are, and give managers a list of changes that are needed.
Aled Blake, The Western Mail 19 October
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."
Art Linkletter, radio and TV host
A Welsh secondary school is teaching its younger pupils some of the skills they will need when they leave school. The Thinking For Learning course offered to students at Cardiff High School aims to make pupils better learners by equipping them with skills for the workplace. Modules include "striving for accuracy, managing impulsivity, listening with understanding and empathy, taking responsible risks and remaining open to continuous working".
Aled Blake, The Western Mail 13 October
John Shipp, an experienced QA manager, provides an insight into some of the odd encounters he has experienced as a roving auditor. Two caught my eye:
Manager (formerly Administrative Manager) August/September 2005
BECTa, the government's educational technology agency, has picked an open source solution to give every student, parent and teacher a single secure sign-on for all web resources in schools. Following successful trials, it is now drawing up plans to deploy Shibboleth, an open source authentication system, across the entire schools sector. BECTa intends to use the universal sign-on for the emerging National Education Network (NEN), a secure, private network connecting all UK schools, colleges, universities and other educational bodies.
eGov Monitor Weekly Issue 186 (3 October)
Shibboleth – a strategic approach to school web content authentication and authorisation (PDF 41pp) http://tinyurl.com/7lxv6
A local authority is using "chip and bin" technology to build a picture of recycling habits across its wards. Residents of Alnwick District Council will have their recycling bins fitted with a chip to measure how much of their rubbish they recycle. A chip will also be added to the bin lorry to measure "landfill" waste, enabling the council to measure how effective a household is at recycling rubbish. While the council insists that it will not punish those with poor records, it has pledged to help those it feels "could do better".
Government Computing Volume 17 Number 9 (October 2005)
Bob Rankin provides useful advice on how to wipe your browsing history.
URL: www.askbobrankin.com/clearing_browser_history.html
TOURBUS Volume 11 Number 16 (6 October)
An effective way of preventing spam from reaching you is to create disposable email addresses. Many people have done this through webmail services such as Hotmail but this requires a fairly complex management procedure.
SpamMotel <www.spammotel.com> enables you to create as many disposable addresses as you want. Mail gets forwarded to you, and goes from you, via the motel. Use a different "address" for each newsletter or group you sign up to and you can "kill it" if you start getting unsolicited mail in one address. If you still want the basic newsletter then sign up again from a different address.
Sneakmail <www.sneakmail.com> is a bit more complex but offers more options including better filters. The free version has size limitations but the shareware version costs a very reasonable £12.60 a year.
BumpyMail <www.bumpymail.com> provides temporary addresses – if you want to "try before you buy" then go for this.
Tips & Advice Internet Year 9 Issue 5 (11 March)
A new campaign to educate internet users on how to protect themselves online has been launched. Get Safe Online aims to raise awareness of security issues and provide solutions through a one-stop-shop website. The campaign is a joint initiative between the government, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit and private sector sponsors from the worlds of technology, retail and finance, including BT, Dell, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, and Yell.com.
OUT-LAW News 27 October
Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates
Richard Vickery, Founder and MD of SAM Learning Ltd, reviews the new edition of this book and appears to be surprised that the "populist, trendy manner" and the "quirky, eclectic approach" actually allows the reader to get to grips with an academic subject. If, however, you want a straightforward teaching text and dislike the transatlantic style then this books is not for you. In keeping with the apparent, though not actual, trivialisation is the photograph of a girl getting a plastic duck out of a cash dispenser to illustrate the need to define data types accurately.
O'Reilly UK 656pp £31.95
ISBN:
0-59600-920-8
Computer Education Issue 110 (Summer 2005)
Update comment: I suspect that this will appeal to my visual memory and that I'll forgive the Americanisms in the writing. I'm equally sure that Dawn will dislike it given her reaction to the diagrammatic thesaurus. Pay your money and take your choice! Hazel
"A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours."
Milton Berle
IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. IFLA is accredited by a number of United Nations agencies, including UNESCO with whom it enjoys Formal Associate Relations. The IFLA has issued a statement outlining its position on the future of internet governance. The IFLA:
IFLA website 21 September
Full statement: www.ifla.org/III/wsis/InternetGovernance.html
An editorial article in The Guardian (11 October) responds to recent EU proposals to replace US-based institutions which currently control the issuing of domain names and other aspects of internet infrastructure. The proposals would see the introduction of global institutions, possibly under UN control. However, the United States, which currently manages much of the infrastructure which underpins the internet, has warned that it will not give up its controlling status, nor will it recognise the authority of a UN body. The editorial reads: "It is time the US had a more mature approach. Whatever its origins, the internet is a global phenomenon and that must be reflected in its governance. The US has done immensely well out of its invention since it produces most of the hardware and software that powers the internet. This has been a big factor in the prolonged revival of the US economy during the past decade. Whatever legitimate worries there may be about threats to security under broadened control they must not be used as an excuse to prevent the emergence of a new model of internet governance to reflect its global structure."
Update comment: I remain to be convinced that the alternative currently being proposed, that governance of the internet be transferred to a UN body, is going to be any better than retaining the status quo.
"A man to carry on a successful business must have imagination. He must see things as a vision, a dream of the whole thing."
Charles Schwab, US industrialist (1862-1939)
A consultation on how to enhance the competitiveness of the publishing sector in the EU's increasingly digital economy has been launched by the European Commission. Replies to this consultation, which are expected by mid-November 2005, will help EU policy-makers to better understand the needs and challenges of Europe's publishing industry. The starting point for the consultation is the Commission staff working paper Strengthening the Competitiveness of the EU Publishing Sector, which surveys the competitiveness of the related sector within the framework of media policy. Factors affecting publishing industry competitiveness are evaluated, as well as major challenges facing the EU publishing industry in the future, including information and communication technologies, digital rights management systems and on-line digital advertisement.
European Commission press release 29 September
More information: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/media_taskforce/index_en.htm
A man has been convicted of hacking into a charity website, set up after the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster. The man fell foul of the Act when he was caught investigating the legitimacy of the site. He clicked on a banner advertisement to donate money to the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal but, when he did not receive a confirmation of his donation, he believed that he had been the victim of a phishing trick. It was when he decided to "test" the site that he breached the Computer Misuse Act. The judge said that he sentenced the man, "with considerable regret", to a £400 fine. He said, however, that the Act was very clear. "Unauthorised access, however praiseworthy the motives, is an offence," he said.
OUT-LAW News 7 October
A TOURBUS reader recently asked about laser printers and personal privacy: "I've heard that some printers embed a secret coded dot pattern on each printed page, and that if you decode the dots, you can determine the owner of the printer and the exact time the page was printed. That sounds like a privacy violation – is it true?" Bob Rankin replied that, while this may look like the kind of story that wouldn't look out of place on an Urban Legends website, it is actually quite true.
More: www.askbobrankin.com/is_your_printer_spying_on_you.html
TOURBUS Volume 11 Number 20 (October 2005)
"It's easy to identify people who can't count to ten. They are in front of you in the express lane at the supermarket."
June Henderson
Five major Europe-wide trade associations are fighting to dilute EU proposals for changes in data retention legislation. The associations involved are the ECTA (the European Competitive Telecommunications Association), ETNO (European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association), EuroISPA (European Internet Services Providers Association), European Cable Communications Association (ECCA) and GSM Europe. The associations have grave doubts about the feasibility and effectiveness of the intended data retention requirements, describing them as "an unsophisticated approach to a complex issue which risks endangering an existing excellent relationship with government and law enforcement".
NFP Techno Number 85 (October 2005)
Joint Industry Statement (PDF 2pp): http://tinyurl.com/bouy4
Awareness of net calling technology is steadily growing among Britons, suggests a survey. Almost half of those questioned said they knew that they could make cheap phone calls via the internet using so-called voice over IP (VoIP) technology. The research, commissioned by VoIP firm Skype, found that those aged over 55 were the most likely to use the internet to keep in touch. Younger people between 16 and 24 still prefer to text rather than talk.
BBC News Online 30 September
The European Commission has adopted a Communication on Electronic Accessibility (eAccessibility), calling for "coordinated action by EU Member States … to make information and communication technologies (ICTs) more accessible to all, and particularly to people with disabilities and some older persons". The Commission calls upon Member States to "do more to promote EU e-Accessibility initiatives in a concerted approach and to encourage uptake by industry".
Info@UK Number 55 (October 2005)
Communication
http://tinyurl.com/58yh6
Fact sheet (PDF 2pp) http://tinyurl.com/b3tnv
The government has extended the New Deal for Disabled People programme for an extra year. The scheme will now continue until March 2007.
Equal Opportunities Review Number 145 (September 2005)
Figures released by the DWP show that the proportion of disabled people with paid jobs has failed to rise over the last year. The proportion for March-May 2005 was 50.1% – exactly the same as the same period the previous year.
Disability Now October 2005
IBM has released software aimed at helping businesses create a work environment that is "more conducive to maturing workers' comfort and productivity". The software makes IT more accessible to those with age-related disabilities and other physical limitations. Applications range from familiar tools such as screen readers and text enhancers to less well known items, like Mouse Smoothing Software that enables people who suffer from hand tremors to eliminate excessive cursor movement. IBM has also released an online resource for software developers, to make it easier for them to build applications that include accessibility features.
OUT-LAW News 4 October
More information: www.alphaworks.ibm.com/topics/accessibility
As the first call for childcare outside the immediate family, grandparents are being urged to banish their literacy and numeracy gremlins. A recent survey shows that adults in the 55- to 65-year-old group have the biggest skills need in England. 53% of this age group have the maths skills expected of a nine-year-old. The problem with maths is more prevalent in women than men. The skills gap is not so vast in literacy but is still very much higher than for the population in general. One in five people in this older age group can read English at the level expected of an eleven-year-old but no higher.
Education & Training Parliamentary Monitor Number 127 (October 2005)
A report from OfSTED argues that the government's drive to help people improve their basic literacy and numeracy skills is being hampered by a shortage of suitable qualified teachers. The report says that colleges across the country are struggling to recruit literacy, numeracy and ESOL teachers.
Joe Clancy, The TES FE Focus 7 October
Skills for Life in Colleges: one year on (PDF 21pp) http://tinyurl.com/9v93d
I only picked one, which didn't seem to have created a great deal of furore elsewhere and, in my opinion, should have.
Modern Apprenticeships assumed figures for 2005-06 show 232,394 learners starting and 65,260 completions. "£831 million will be set aside for funding the Apprenticeship programme for the same period."
Education & Training Parliamentary Monitor Issue 127 (October 2005)
Update comment: Divide £831 million by 65,260 learners and you get £12,733 per learner. Is this value for money? A sensible return on investment?
"Some folks are wise and some are otherwise."
Tobias George Smollett
The proportion of apprentices completing a full apprenticeship is low, says the author of this study. The rate, as at 2003-4, was under one in three. This study, undertaken for the Apprenticeship Task Force, focuses on the question: Is it reasonable to expect higher completion rates and, if so, what might they be? The report highlights how some areas of the country do much better than others: this may be due to good practice, which could be identified and disseminated.
Skills and Education Network Newsletter Number 41 (October 2005)
Full report (Word document 30pp): http://tinyurl.com/d27xg
New research on apprenticeship pay will help young people to make more informed choices about their future careers. The survey of 5,500 work-based apprentices – the first of its kind to analyse pay by sector – shows that those on government-approved schemes are taking home over £500 a month on average. The highest paid in the electro-technical sector are netting an average pay of £183 per week. However, the research has identified a £40 per week average pay gap between male and female apprentices. This can largely be explained by the high level of gender segregation in many of the sectors.
The full report (RR674), 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 (RB674) 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/
As targets are downgraded, are apprenticeships still a government priority, asks Peter Kingston (The Guardian 11 October)? Mr Kingston is concerned that the LSC is unable to confirm whether it has reached its target for apprenticeship training, despite the target being a public service agreement (PSA). The PSA required the LSC to recruit 175,000 new apprentices to start their training between August 2004 and July 2005. While Stephen Gardner, the LSC's Director of Work-based Training, says he is confident that the PSA will be met, he also discloses that this year's programme does not include any PSAs. The government has indicated that it will increase apprenticeship places to 320,000 by 2008, although this is widely regarded as an aspiration rather than a target. In addition, there is an aspiration to raise completion rates to 75%, and this figure will be used as a performance indicator. Mr Kingston is not convinced by the reassurances of either the LSC or the DfES that apprenticeships remain high on the government's priorities.
Full article: http://tinyurl.com/axq4m
Author: Veronica McGivney
ISBN: 1-86201-243-1
Price:
£8.95
There is growing concern among education providers, organisers and tutors in England about the narrowing or closure of programmes for adults in some locations, institutions and curriculum areas in response to policy priorities and targets. As a consequence of actual or expected pressure from their local LSC, some further education colleges have dropped their "other provision" while some LEAs have narrowed the range of programmes they offer adults. This discussion paper considers these developments and their implications. Looking at specific government priorities, such as the Level 2 entitlement and Skills for Life provision, the paper scrutinises the implications on both the curriculum, being distorted and narrowed by pressures to meet particular targets, and the growing neglect of people with the lowest skills levels, as providers feel constrained to recruit learners most likely to reach the required level of qualification. The paper examines the potential additional impact of forthcoming changes in the planning and funding of adult provision, arguing that current developments could be detrimental not only to the overall spread and diversity of learning opportunities but also to the goal of widening participation. Probing the assumptions about "usefulness" that underlie current priorities, McGivney suggests that the most effective way of achieving national priorities and targets would be to provide a broad and flexible curriculum that responds not to external requirements but to adult learners' own diverse interests and needs.
Order from Publication Sales, NIACE, 21 De Montfort
Street, Leicester, LE1 7GE
tel: 0116 204 4216
email:
orders@niace.org.uk
A study from the Learning and Skills Development Agency claims that colleges and training providers will have to double their output of adults achieving level 2 qualifications if the government is to meet its targets for workforce development. The government has pledged to increase the number of adults with five good GCSEs or equivalent by 3.6 million by 2010. The study finds that this target will require colleges to enrol an extra 100,000 adults on to such courses each year. However, low demand and an increasingly strained budget means that providers are currently reaching just half of this figure.
Joseph Lee, The TES FE Focus 7 October
Update comment: When do the goalposts get moved?
According to a survey by NIACE, colleges and training centres around the country say that their funding for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) is either not being increased this year, or is actually being cut. The problem appears to be that the government's priorities are at odds with the needs of LDD learners. Most colleges are steering their provision towards level 2 qualifications. Unfortunately, many of the students with disabilities are learning at the "pre-entry" level, taking basic skills and independent living courses. These do not fall into any of the government's target categories.
Peter Kingston, The Guardian 25 October
The latest edition of Adults Learning (Volume 17 Number 2 (October 2005)) focuses on the work of Paulo Freire, the Brazilian educator and theorist who became "an icon of radical adult education". Articles include:
Do we still need a "pedagogy of the oppressed" in the era of lifelong learning?, ask Jim Crowther and Ian Martin.
Is Paulo Freire still relevant to the work of adult educators? Practitioners who use Freire's ideas in their work explain what they think.
Freire's revolutionary pedagogy provides a basis for a radical approach to science education – one that could heal the rift between science and the rest of society, writes Margaret Pilkington.
You'll find information about Paolo Freire at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Freire
Courses for adults are being cut as funding falls. But where are the angry students, asks Peter Kingston (The Guardian, 4 October)?
Mr Kingston reminds us that there has been much comment from angry adult education organisers. The Association of Colleges, politicians, college principals and individual learners have expressed their outrage at funding cuts, changing priorities and shifting target groups. However, Mr Kingston suggests that many colleges are finding enrolment activity "relatively sluggish". He says that some colleges are experiencing such low recruitment that they will be able to make the necessary cuts to their provision by simply closing courses that haven't met minimum learner numbers. Indeed, some principals have welcomed the "rationalisation" as a good excuse for a "culling exercise". Uneconomical courses are being closed, while colleges are co-operating with each other to try to mop up each other's students. Mr Kingston says: "Colleges have grabbed the duvet by two corners and given a good shake so that every corner is filled and there are no lumps."
Full article: http://tinyurl.com/98m9u
A comment piece in Working Brief (Number 168/October 2005) highlights a new report which reveals high numbers of people claiming Incapacity Benefit in the old industrial areas of the North, Scotland and Wales. The report argues that the figures demonstrate "hidden unemployment on a grand scale" in the UK. The article acknowledges that the figures contained in the report are correct. It argues, however, that there is a much more widespread problem than the report suggests. If, for example, one considers the actual number of claimants, rather than claimants as a proportion of a region, London becomes third highest, after the North West and Scotland. The report also fails to consider the way in which concentrations have changed over the past few years. In the last two years, Incapacity Benefit claims increased in just three regions – London, Eastern and the South East. Over the same period, there have been significant decreases in the number of claimants in the North East, North West, Wales and Scotland. The author concludes: "We have to remind ourselves of the current government objectives – an 80% employment rate and full employment in every region. Achieving this certainly means reducing the high levels of `hidden unemployment' in the North, but we cannot afford to ignore the equal (and increasing) numbers in London and the South East."
Mobilising Britain's Missing Workforce: unemployment,
Incapacity Benefit and the regions by Steve Fothergill and John Grieve
Smith
Executive summary:
www.catalystforum.org.uk/pubs/paper32a.html
The full report is available, price £5 (plus 75p
p&p), from Central Books – order by credit card or by post
Central
Books, 99 Wallis Road London E9 5LN
tel: 020 8986 4854
In an article for Adults Learning (Volume 17 Number 2 (October 2005)), David Sherlock suggests that one of the reasons that adult and community learning is "wrongly trivialised and under-funded" may be that not enough effort has been made to articulate its sound economic and social value. He argues that, at the first sign of a funding crisis, the term "adult" comes to mean "low priority", while "community" is translated to mean "self-indulgent". Mr Sherlock welcomes the proposal from NIACE to rename ACL with something that better explains what it is there for, for example, Creating and Sustaining Cultural Value and Social Cohesion. He believes that this is a very positive step towards ensuring that adult learning is not marginalised as a hobby, but recognised as a significant contributor to personal and community enrichment.
David Sherlock is the Chief Executive of Adult Learning at the Adult Learning Inspectorate.
The CBI is calling on the government's Small Business Service to address regional disparities in new business start-up rates which are affecting jobs and prosperity across the UK. The employers' organisation is worried by the startling and growing gap in regional rates of new businesses – London has more firms and companies than Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland combined and is accelerating away. A new report from the CBI shows that, while London has seen a 16% increase in businesses since 1997, in Wales the figure was just 2%. The South East achieved a 15% rise but Scotland recorded only a 5% increase and Northern Ireland 6%. Hugh Morgan-Williams, Chair of the CBI's SME Council, said: "While we applaud the overall increase in business numbers the government must bite the bullet and investigate the reasons behind regional differences. It must focus on really boosting start-up numbers in every region of the UK and remove the barriers that it has imposed which prevent businesses from surviving and then growing. By changing focus and emphasis, working more effectively and ensuring a conducive regulatory environment, the government can create both a dynamic and sustainable start-up market."
HRLook Daily News 12 October
A More Dynamic Start-up Market (PDF 6pp) http://tinyurl.com/9zsdt
The head of the Confederation of British Industry has criticised the government for failing to stimulate entrepreneurship outside London. Sir Digby Jones warned that the gap in business start-up activity between the capital and other parts of the UK is widening. He said that, without more effective action from the government, other regions will be "cast adrift" and left trailing ever further behind London.
Mark Williamson, The Herald 11 October
Research conducted by workplace communications consultancy CHA concludes that one of the best ways to increase employee productivity is to include them in corporate planning and development. The research suggests that employees often feel "bombarded with corporate-speak but are still not sure what their organisation stands for, where it is going or how their contribution is going to make a difference". Colette Hill, chief executive of CHA, says: "Business leaders need to become better more regular communicators. They need to get out into the field to have conversations with their employees; they need to bring staff together to share ideas and plans; and they need to ensure leaders at every level in their organisation see employee communication as a part of their job."
HRLook Daily News 3 October
The government must let parents decide for themselves who looks after their children, says the Equal Opportunities Commission. New research conducted by the EOC has uncovered a social revolution in attitudes towards fatherhood, with the majority of new mothers no longer considering caring to be a "mums' job". As the government prepares to announce a new bill on Work and Families later this month, the EOC is calling on government to catch up with the attitudes of new parents and let them decide for themselves who looks after their children by introducing "shared parental leave" – a policy which would have a dramatic impact on the lives of working families. New fathers currently receive just two weeks statutory leave, compared with 52 weeks for mothers, giving the UK the most unequal parenting arrangements in Europe. Almost eight in ten new mothers support the option of transferring some of their maternity leave to their partner, and more than eight in ten dads back this policy. Many European countries, including Sweden, Germany and France, allow leave to be divided between parents as they wish.
EOC press release 10 October
Dads and their babies: the mother's perspective
(PDF 81pp) http://tinyurl.com/czxq6
Dads and their babies: leave
arrangements in the first year (PDF 132pp)
http://tinyurl.com/dsq3o
The government has announced that fathers should have the right to six months' unpaid paternity leave independent of the decision of the female partner to take leave. Ministers regard the move as "central to making fathers feel more responsible for the upbringing of their children". The government rejected the proposal to allow parents to share leave, arguing that, while the system may be common in Scandinavia, it would be "unworkable" in the UK.
Patrick Wintour, The Guardian 10 October
Laura Lein, Alan F Benjamin, Monica McManus, Kevin Roy
Complementing previous literature on welfare reform and the character of jobs in the low-wage labour market, the authors illustrate the lack of regularity and security that marks the jobs held by many low-income mothers. The work patterns that emerged from this analysis include:
Findings indicate that a complicated "coming together" of well-paying stable jobs, consistent aid from public systems and stable family networks are necessary for mothers to take even the first steps into stable employment.
Community, Work & Family Volume 8 Number 4 (November 2005)
Health experts are warning that millions of hours of vital exercise are being lost every week thanks to the explosion in electronic messaging. They argue that, whereas once we may have crossed the office to pass on a salacious bit of gossip or retold a filthy joke, all we have to do now is type and send. In response, Sport England, as part of its Everyday Sport campaign, is launching Email-Free Friday. It is calling for employers to ban the use of internal email and encourage staff to get up and walk instead. Dr Dorian Dugmore, a health adviser to Sport England, said: "People email colleagues who sit next to them, never mind those who work on the other side of the office. We have to change people's lazy attitudes."
Robin McKie, The Observer 16 October
Update comment: If you are sitting at your desk typing then it looks as though you are working – if you go across the room to someone else's desk then it is obvious to the boss that neither of you are actually working. Should you wish to tell the same filthy joke or pass on the rumour to lots of people then email is a lot quicker than waiting until everyone is in the tea room!
Newcastle College is cashing in on the outsourcing explosion by offering call centre staff training to overseas recruits. The training includes instruction in British etiquette, cultural differences and how to anglicise an accent. It also incorporates training in understanding strong British accents such as Geordie or Cockney, and translating regional idioms. Pete Fiaschi, the college's Head of International Recruitment, explained: "Because the work involves talking to British people, it makes sense to train in British culture and accent neutralisation and naturalisation."
Peter Kingston, The Guardian 18 October
Update comment: Please just do it quickly. I spent ten minutes trying to get through to a British bank with an office in the town I was ringing from because the call centre, somewhere in the Indian sub-continent from the accent, couldn't understand my spelling of Kettering!
"What really concerns me about these new `smart' appliances is that even if we like the features, we won't be able to use them. I don't know how to operate my TV, which requires THREE remote controls. One control (44 buttons) came with the TV; a second (39 buttons) came with the VCR; the third (37 buttons) was brought here by the cable-TV man, who apparently felt that I did not have enough buttons. So when I want to watch TV, I'm confronted with a total of 120 buttons, identified by such helpful labels as PIP, MTS, DBS, F2, JUMP and BLANK."
Dave Barry
A leading article in The Economist (24-30 September) suggests that Britain should "worry less about racial segregation and more about poverty". The author argues that claims of increasing segregation and ghettoisation are based on shaky evidence. Indeed, official indices of segregation show that between 1991 and 2001, Britain became less segregated. Where concentrations of a particular ethnic minority group exist, the author maintains that it is not ethnicity that binds them together, but poverty and an unequal access to economic and social opportunities. The author writes: "The real problem is not concentrations of Muslims or non-whites, but of bad schools that impede progress and rampant criminality that means people are periodically relieved of whatever they have been able to amass. Solving these difficult problems, which also affect white people, would be more helpful than banging on about how Britain's cities are turning into foreign lands. That sort of talk should be left to the far right."
Update comment: What more can we add?
The growth in the number of homes connected to the internet has slowed over the past two years, official surveys show. If household internet connectivity had continued at the rate it was expanding in 2000, about 80% of households would now be online. However, since 2003, it has taken two years to rise from 45% to 55%. A third of adults have never used the internet and over half of non-users – 17% of adults in the UK – say they are not likely to do so. Leading charities and pressure groups have accused the government of failing to take "the persistent problem of the digital divide" seriously. John Fisher, Chief Executive of Citizens Online, a charity devoted to internet access, said: "This is a big problem for government, for business and for individuals. Promoting digital inclusion used to be the responsibility of the e-envoy. But it is not part of the job of the government's new Chief Information Officer and we're no longer clear who is responsible."
Nicholas Timmins, Public Policy Editor, The Financial Times 25 October
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a study into the economic impact of an ageing workforce. The report predicts a significant fall in global economic growth over the next three decades, unless older people work longer to offset falling birth rates. It warns of "rising wage inflation, increased pressure on public finances and declining growth unless the demographic time bomb is defused", and calls for measures to be introduced which will deter older workers from taking early retirement.
Andrew Taylor, The Financial Times 11 October
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has released the results of its Q3 Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), the largest independent business survey in the UK. The Q3 results were "very disappointing and disturbing overall". Key issues include:
David Frost, BCC Director General, commented: "The alarming manufacturing figures, the decline in confidence balances across all sectors, and the fall in all the export balances are the most disturbing features of the Q3 results. … The Q3 QES results are alarming. The figures signal worsening threats for UK businesses, at a time when we had reason to expect a gradual improvement in the economy, after the sharp slowdown seen in the first half of the year."
British Chambers of Commerce press release 13 October
QES Q3 2005 Summary (PDF 1pp)
http://tinyurl.com/8yunj
QES Q3 2005 Data table (PDF 1pp)
http://tinyurl.com/bn9jj
Update comment: Meanwhile the government tells us that the labour market has never been stonger!
The leading article in The Business (23 October) examines new research from Williams de Broe, which divides Britain into a "Wealth-Creating" London and South East and a "Dependency" rest of the country. The research found that Wealth-Creating Britain has the fifth highest GDP per capita in the world and that government spending accounts for only 32% of GDP in this region, lower than the US, Ireland and Australia. This Britain "takes up only 16% of the British landmass [but] generates 42% of Britain's economic annual output with 35% of the population". By contrast, public spending is over 50% of GDP in much of the rest of the country and GDP per capita is lower than any other OECD country. The research says that there are pockets of wealth-creation in dependency zone. It concludes, nonetheless, that "without Wealth-Creating Britain, the United Kingdom would not qualify for membership of the G7 or OECD".
Update comment: Fascinating article. A "must read". Dawn
Men are a far larger drain on company resources than women when it comes to meeting-related expenses, according to research from BT Conferencing. The research reveals a wide gap between the approach of the two sexes to corporate travel. For example, while 64% of men travel abroad at least once a year for meetings, just 29% of women leave the UK. Furthermore, 84% of men stay in hotels at least once, compared to 57% of women. On average, the results show female employees are 29% more efficient than men, when it comes to financial outlay on business meetings.
HRLook Daily News 26 October
Update comment: Is this an indication that women end up being booked into the "dumps" while the top-flight (male) managers get the 5* hotels?
Employers believe that the government has left them in the dark and unprepared for the impending age discrimination laws. According to the Employer's Forum on Age, employers are frustrated by the government's final age consultation. A poll of EFA members reveals:
The EFA calls on government to: inform employers on transitional and new statutory redundancy arrangements by the end of November 2005; make all service-related benefits exempt; and publish final regulations and provide employer guidance by March 2006 at the absolute latest.
HRLook Daily News 17 October
A free e-book, entitled 37 Winning Tips and Strategies of Self-Made Millionaire Entrepreneurs, has been published by Millionaire MBA Ltd. Aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs, business owners, personal development professionals and business advisers, the book contains 40 pages of audio transcripts extracted from Millionaire MBA – a CD-based mentoring programme.
Newscheck October 2005
More information: www.millionairemba.com
According to the Mental Health Foundation, nearly three in ten employees will have a mental health problem in any one year, and more than £4 billion is lost annually on stress-related absences from work. However, in spite of this, there is still a huge amount of stigma surrounding the issue of mental health. Right Corecare, the employee well-being specialist, offers some tips to help employers create a "happy, healthy and efficient workforce":
Kevin Friery, Clinical Director at Right Corecare, explains: "The issue for the concerned employer should be to develop an understanding of the way in which better mental health leads to improved wellness, which in turn leads to increased productivity and lower management costs. Employers should include mental health in their workplace audits on a regular basis and act on their findings".
HRLook Daily News 7 October
Legal changes that come into force from 1 October should make it easier for women to prevent inappropriate behaviour and remarks of a lewd and sexual nature making their working lives unbearable, says the TUC. As a result of changes required by the European Equal Treatment Directive, for the first time UK legislation says that women who are sexually harassed at work do not need to show that a man would have been treated differently. In the past, a common defence from employers was that there was no case to hear as the men in the office were being subjected to the same behaviour. Now women only need to prove that they were treated in a way relating to their sex which violated their dignity, or was intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "In this day and age it's completely unacceptable for anyone to have to work with colleagues who persist in making lewd and suggestive remarks or to have to do their job in a workspace where the walls are plastered with the pictures of topless models. Unfortunately this is still the reality for far too many women. Today's change will force employers to take their responsibilities towards providing a harassment-free working environment more seriously. There's no place in the modern workplace for office gropers and lechers, and bosses need to do more to stop those responsible for bad behaviour from making working life unbearable for thousands of women."
TUC press release 1 October
In an article for the Sunday Times (2 October), Mike Dixon, a researcher at the IPPR, argues that technology has removed certain types of job that used to enable staff to move up organisations from lowly positions. Automation of, for example, stock control, ordering, basic accounts and payroll have reduced the opportunity to work one's way up through the ranks. Indeed, research conducted by the London School of Economics shows that social mobility in the UK is at its lowest for generations. Further research by the LSE suggests that technological advances may lie at the heart of this decline. Not only does technology take over many functions that were once performed by humans, but the tasks that computers cannot accomplish are concentrated at the top and bottom of the job market. As computers take over the middle positions which require precision and routine, humans are left with either running the company, or serving the CEO a cup of coffee. As Mr Dixon succinctly puts it: "Microchips have divided and conquered, taking the middle of the labour market as their plunder."
Full article: http://tinyurl.com/dk7nv
Researchers from Hertfordshire University claim to have identified the "top ten" words to include on a CV or application form to "guarantee success". They argue that words like "achievement", "evidence" and "experience" create a positive impression, whereas words such as "always", "never" and "mistake" have the opposite effect.
Kevin Schofield, Education Correspondent, The Scotsman 11 October
Update comment: Marvellous! This list will help job-seekers out no end. Mind you, will the words still have meaning when we all include them on our applications?
Commenting on the publication of the CBI tribunal survey, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Employment tribunals are an important last resort in resolving workplace disputes and access to them should not be limited to those who can afford to pay. CBI proposals to introduce charges on individuals bringing claims and increase cost awards to employees would limit access to justice for genuine claimants and disadvantage lower-paid workers."
TUC press release 30 September
"In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it; they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it."
John Ruskin, British writer, critic (1819-1900)
Leading children's organisations are calling on the government to abandon its plan to introduce voluntary registration for some forms of childcare. The proposals, contained in the Childcare Bill consultation, would introduce a voluntary register for community-based childcare for over-fives. Organisations including the British Association of Social Workers, the Children's Workforce Development Council and public sector union Unison have all voiced strong opposition, calling the plan "an unnecessary loophole in the system". A spokesperson for Unison said: "A voluntary approach is inadequate. It will allow undesirable individuals an opportunity to exploit holes in the system and lead to more high-profile abuse cases."
Jo Stephenson, Children Now 18-28 October
Lord Laming, Chair of the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie, has been forced to backtrack on his call for a national database to be developed, holding details of all UK children under 16. Lord Laming admitted that the plans for the multi-million-pound system are "too complex to be effective", as well as being likely to breach data protection legislation.
Hélène Mulholland, The Guardian 19 October
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has opened a consultation on its draft guidance for sharing information about children and young people. The guidance is for those who work with children and young people as part of a range of services, including education, and advisory and support services. The consultation will run until 15 November 2005.
Skills and Education Network Newsletter Number 41 (October 2005)
More information: http://tinyurl.com/8yzorf
HM Revenue and Customs is reported to be on the brink of taking its IT supplier, EDS, to court over the failure of the tax credits system, according to an item in The Financial Times. The newspaper reported a senior government official as saying that "patience is fast running out" with EDS after the informal process to agree compensation had proved fruitless. A spokesperson for EDS blamed the department for the failures, saying that it was forced to implement the system without an adequate testing period.
Ken Young, Vnunet
via ITProPortal Midweek Roundup 12 October
"If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself."
Bob Hope
In an article for The Guardian (10 October), Bert Massie, the Chair of the Disability Rights Commission, argues that people with disabilities need the same recognition and promises of action given to other groups that experience segregation. Mr Massie acknowledges the improvements brought about by the Disability Discrimination Act. However, he maintains that the segregation experienced by disabled people is every bit as real as that described in the current debate about racial segregation. He says: "Barriers, both physical and social, have become so entwined in the development of our present culture that many don't even realise they are there. They've crept into our lives subtly, quietly, in a way that many don't notice. Buildings have been built without access for wheelchair users, educational systems fail to include students with different physical and mental abilities, and employees who don't fit a stereotypical mode in the workplace have been passed over or quietly let go. … The truth is that most disabled people in the UK feel they're treated like second-class citizens, and most of the time they're right. Legislation on its own is not enough. We need more interaction – and that does not mean non-disabled people helping the `poor unfortunates'. It means interacting as equals."
A disabled customer with NatWest has received £5,000 compensation after complaining for four years that he was unable to get inside his local bank. Kevin Caulfield, who uses an electric wheelchair, has been undertaking transactions on the pavement outside his bank in West London because a large step at the bank's entrance has stopped him from getting inside. Mr Caulfield used the Disability Rights Commission's (DRC's) conciliation service to negotiate an agreement with NatWest to pay him £5,000 compensation for the poor service he received. The DRC's independent Disability Conciliation Service was set up in 2001 and negotiates settlements for disabled people experiencing problems using services and in the education system. Nearly 80% of the Disability Conciliation Service's cases are successful in finding an agreement between the disabled person and the service provider.
DRC press release 17 October
The Disability Rights Commission has branded a decision to ban a wheelchair user from giving blood because she couldn't lift herself onto a table as "risk assessment gone mad". A spokesperson for the DRC said: "It's one thing to worry about risk, but it's another to stop disabled people from being part of a community, of which giving blood is a part."
Elizabeth Chopin, Disability Now October 2005
On the eve of the first anniversary of new laws to make buildings more user-friendly to Britain's disabled people, the Disability Rights Commission has revealed that one in two complaints about the legislation concern leisure and retail High Street businesses. The leisure and retail sectors – which include pubs, shops, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, gyms, sports facilities and hotels – accounted for over half of 1,500 complaints about access received by the DRC helpline since October last year. The biggest problems disabled people faced in the leisure industry were the lack of accessible toilets in pubs, clubs and restaurants. Other issues included steps to entrances where no ramp was provided, the lack of disabled people's parking, poor changing-room facilities for disabled people and poor staff attitudes. Responding to the findings, Bert Massie, Chairman of the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), said: "We've got a very simple message for those High Street businesses that are dragging their feet. The DRC will vigorously pursue offenders through the courts. We are already taking legal action against two major leisure and retail providers and have a hit list of several others to follow. Laws to make business and services more user-friendly for disabled people have been on the statute book for ten years and there really is nowhere to hide any more. To be doing very little for your disabled customers is no longer an option."
Disability Rights Commission press release 30 September
Commenting on the pervasive use of the term "diversity", Joanna Higgins, Editor of Director magazine, says: "Diversity's a big term. It takes in race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and gender. By next year, it'll encompass age. Presumably, the idea was to simplify things by putting all potential reasons for discrimination under one heading. But these are individually complex issues, each one with its own prejudices and potential victims. Putting them in one pot only serves to dilute the lot, and leaves employers wondering whether to scratch their watch or wind their elbow. Longer term, it could encourage employers to do the minimum and no more, rather than considering the (genuine) business benefits of diversity."
Director October 2005
London's black cab drivers have been criticised for keeping the meter running while helping wheelchair users into their vehicles. A spokesperson for Transport for London described this as "very poor practice". She also warned that forthcoming legislation may make it unlawful for cabbies to do this.
Disability Now October 2005
People with learning difficulties face continuing inadequacies in mainstream education and employment, according to a new report from the Foundation for People with Learning Difficulties. The report says that, while policies which include more children in mainstream schools are to be welcomed, there is a need for more resources and staff training. Moreover, the transition from school to employment is also fraught with difficulties. Many young people with learning disabilities are not prepared for employment opportunities and leave school or college with no skills or experience, making it virtually impossible for them to find a job. Despite a clear policy by the UK government to provide new employment opportunities specifically for people with learning disabilities, experts estimate that only 11% of people with learning disabilities in England are in paid employment. Because of the lack of employment opportunities, most people with learning disabilities in the UK are "economically inactive". They rely on benefits, such as Income Support (IS) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA), as well as other non-disability-specific benefits.
Community Care 20-26 October
Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities: Access to Education and Employment in the UK (PDF 202pp) http://tinyurl.com/bp8d8
A report from the National Audit Office says that many of the factories run by Remploy are not offering value for money. The study found that it costs the government £18,000 to support an employee at Remploy, a company funded by the government to employ disabled people. However, the average wage earned under the Workstep scheme is just under £11,000. The study also found that a third of organisations delivering the Workstep scheme, which aims to move disabled people from supported to unsupported employment, had failed to find permanent employment for anyone in the three years since April 2001.
Community Care 20-26 October
Gaining and Retaining a Job: The Department for Work and Pensions' Support for Disabled People
Remploy, the Royal Association of Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) and Mencap have formed a taskforce to plan pilots of innovative programmes to assist people with learning disabilities and/or mental health conditions into work. The taskforce aims to have the programmes ready for implementation by the end of the year.
Equal Opportunities Review Number 145 (September 2005)
One in three disabled volunteers has been discouraged from volunteering, or treated less favourably, because of their impairment, according to research conducted by Scope. The research revealed that organisations were deterred from welcoming disabled volunteers by the cost of making adjustments. Scope called on the government to:
Disability Now October 2005
Disadvantaged people are not reaping the benefits from public services, claims a report from the Social Exclusion Unit. The report, Improving Services, Improving Lives, identifies three broad groups that have "significantly poorer" access to public services compared with the general population:
The considers six broad themes that must be addressed to ensure people gain access to public services they may be missing out on:
eGov Monitor Weekly Issue 188 (17 October)
Full report (PDF 180pp): http://tinyurl.com/dhoud
Disadvantaged people experience poor understanding and a lack of respect from front-line public sector workers, leading to a low take-up of services, claims a report from the Social Exclusion Unit. The report finds that people with low levels of literacy, disabled people and people from ethnic minorities perceive some aspects of service provision to be "inhumane, unhelpful and inappropriate" as a result of "unsatisfactory" interaction with front-line staff.
Community Care 13-19 October
Improving Services, Improving Lives (PDF 180pp) http://tinyurl.com/dhoud
"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
Two bloggers have been jailed in Singapore for making racist comments on the internet. The first was jailed for one month while the second was jailed for a day and fined £1,500. The two cases were made under the Sedition Act, a colonial-era law used by the British to fight a communist insurgency. Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister, said that use of the sedition law was necessary to "preserve Singapore's racial and religious harmony".
John Burton, The Financial Times 8 October
Editors: Fiona Aldridge and Lenford White
ISBN: 1-86201-200-8
Price: £24.95
Building on the research paper Light and Shade, this report contains further analysis on participation in adult learning by learners from a range of minority ethnic groups. The report contains a collection of short essays examining key issues arising from the research, and further discussing and extending the debate around factors affecting participation in adult education. The discussions explore a number of areas for future research and policy development.
Published by NIACE
Contact Publication Sales, NIACE,
21 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GE
tel: 0116 204 4216
email:
orders@niace.org.uk
According to the most recent Workplace Employment Relations Survey, only a minority of workplaces monitor their recruitment, selection, promotion and remuneration processes for discriminatory outcomes. This is despite almost three-quarters of respondents having equal opportunities policies in place. While having an equal opportunities policy means that an organisation is more likely to monitor practices, a significant proportion of organisations do not examine workplace activities according to gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and age. Indeed, just 31% of respondents with a formal policy in place monitored recruitment and selection by gender. Moreover, only 9% of workplaces with formal policies had conducted an equal pay review.
Equal Opportunities Review Number 144 (August 2005)
Inside the Workplace: first findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey (PDF 52pp) www.dti.gov.uk/er/insideWPfinalwebJune.pdf
A report from the Association of University Teachers warns that black and ethnic minority lecturers still face discrimination when it comes to performance-related pay. The report, Ethnicity and the Use of Discretionary Pay in UK Higher Education, reveals that white lecturers are 60% more likely to be awarded discretionary pay than their black and ethnic minority colleagues.
The Guardian 14 October
Full report (PDF 6pp) http://tinyurl.com/dqkv7
New Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) research reveals the gaping chasm between young Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black-Caribbean women's ambitions and the realities they face in the workplace. According to the research, young Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black-Caribbean women are almost three to four times more likely than white women to take a job at a lower level than the one they are qualified for. And of those seeking work, young Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are between three and four times, and Black Caribbean women two times, more likely to be unemployed than white women. For graduates the figures are worse still: Pakistani and Bangladeshi women graduates are around five times more likely, and Black-Caribbean women graduates almost three times, more likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts. The EOC findings also suggest that higher rates of sex discrimination and attitudes towards religious dress may be partly to blame. The ethnic minority women surveyed were three times more likely than white women to be asked at job interviews about their plans for marriage and children – a violation of the Sex Discrimination Act. And one in five Pakistani and Bangladeshi women, over 90% of whom are Muslim, said they had experienced negative attitudes towards religious dress at work. The EOC has launched an investigation, Moving on up? Ethnic minority women at work, to examine these statistics, understand the barriers and obstacles facing ethnic minority women in the workplace and make concrete recommendations for change.
EOC press release 21 October
More information: http://tinyurl.com/78why
Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the audio-visual industries, has launched a new scheme to improve diversity in the audio visual industries. The Open Door programme offers talented individuals from minority ethnic communities in London a grant to make a short film, produce a radio programme or design and build a website.
Skillset Newsletter October 2005
More information: www.skillset.org/careers/opendoor_1.asp
This report uses the most up-to-date government statistics to show the extreme social exclusion faced by British people of Bangladeshi and Pakistani origin. These are the most disadvantaged and socially excluded ethnic groups in Britain today, and this should be a matter of grave concern for everyone interested in social and employment policies.
TUC email alert 8 October
Full report (PDF 20pp): www.tuc.org.uk/extras/Poverty.pdf
More than nine out of ten UK companies have identified a clear business case for diversity policies, according to a survey by the Race for Opportunity (RfO) Business Network. Respondents attributed a significant proportion of their profits directly to the impact of their activities on race. Allan Leighton, RfO Chair, said the results showed that diversity brings rewards "for the bottom line". He said: "We are not interested in any of the `do-gooding' stuff. We're interested in business understanding that if you are good at race, you'll make more money."
Equal Opportunities Review Number 144 (August 2005)
According to research by Opportunity Now, the employer-led campaign for gender equality and diversity, most female managers believe women's need to balance work and family is a barrier to career progression. In contrast, most of their male counterparts disagree. Women managers were also more critical of the behaviour of leaders in relation to equality, and less convinced of their commitment.
Alison Maitland, The Financial Times 4 October
Deputy Women and Equality Minister Meg Munn has stressed that the public sector needs to ensure it leads the way in rights and attitudes when it comes to gender equality. Speaking at the launch of the consultation document Advancing Equality for Men and Women, Ms Munn said: "The public sector must make sure that the rights and opportunities of men and women are fully promoted. It is key to leading the way as an employer and service provider." The consultation document outlines the plan to impose a duty to promote gender equality on the public sector. The duty will require public authorities to monitor their activities and respond to the different needs of women and men, and to involve employees, consumers and other stakeholders in their assessments. It is seen as the biggest change to sex discrimination legislation for 30 years. Public authorities will need to:
DTI press release 5 October
The consultation closes on 12 January 2006. The full document (PDF 69pp) is at http://tinyurl.com/awmwe
Britain is risking its expertise in scientific and technological industries by failing to recruit and retain bright and energetic women, claims research published by the Small Enterprise Research Unit at the University of Newcastle. The research reveals that women still face "major personal and professional barriers to success", despite efforts by government and other bodies to reverse this trend. Key findings include:
The researchers concluded that more should be done to establish and promote a platform for female scientists from both the private and public sector to encourage girls and women to enter the SET field. They also recommended that efforts are made to identify and publicise scientific companies and organisations that promote gender participation.
Martin Wainwright, The Guardian 11 October
Gender Gap in the Scientific Labour Market is available via email from Newcastle University Press Office press.office@ncl.ac.uk
Overweight people find it harder to get a job than their slimmer counterparts, an online survey of human resources professionals by the journal Personnel Today suggests. The survey found that 93% of those questioned said they would favour a "normal weight" candidate over an overweight person, even if they were identically qualified. Almost half believe that obesity lowers an employee's output, while four in ten felt that overweight people lack discipline. Some 30% regarded obesity as "a valid reason" for not employing someone.
James Meikle, The Guardian 25 October
The annual United Nations Population Report warns that the war on poverty cannot be won unless greater efforts are made to give women equality. The report calls on governments to take action to "free women from the poverty and ignorance often forced upon them by cultural confines in many countries, which has an economic as well as a social toll". Speaking at the launch of the publication, UNFPA's Executive Director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, said: "I am here to say that world leaders will not make poverty history until they make gender discrimination history. We cannot make poverty history until we stop violence against women and girls. We cannot make poverty history until women enjoy their full social, cultural, economic, and political rights."
Sarah Boseley, Health Editor, The Guardian 13 October
State of World Population 2005: the promise of equality, gender equity, reproductive health and the millennium development goals (PDF 128pp) www.unfpa.org/swp/2005/pdf/en_swp05.pdf
In a list of the world's top 100 public intellectuals, there are only 10 women to be found. They include feminist Germaine Greer and anti-globalisation journalist Naomi Klein. Commenting on Prospect magazine's annual list, writer David Herman criticises its content, querying the whereabouts of the female intellectuals. He argued that the list "partly reflects the dominance of the male world of strategic studies and policy institutes".
Polly Curtis and Joy Persaud, The Guardian 30 September
Full list http://tinyurl.com/d3dqn
Travel websites in the UK are falling short on accessibility, suggests a survey carried out by internet research and design consultancy Nomensa. Expedia and Butlins were rated as "the best of a bad bunch", but half of the sites failed the most basic of accessibility standards.
OUT-LAW News 26 October
Disabled access to web sites under UK law: an
overview
www.out-law.com/page-337
Free registration
required
Paul Foley, Ximena Alfonso, John Fisher and Gail Bradbrook
This study of the eGovernment and digital access activities of 78 local authorities found that the benefits of digital transformation frequently fail to reach socially excluded groups. Local authority best practice case studies are used to provide a valuable insight into what is possible and what works, and as an evidence basis from which recommendations for the better integration of socially excluded people into the eGovernment agenda are proposed. The study also suggests that enhancing the reach and effectiveness of services provided to socially excluded groups does reap considerable efficiency gains.
Info@UK Number 55 (October 2005)
Full report (PDF 30pp)
www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/aio/1075006
Home Secretary Charles Clarke is to offer concessions on identity cards to ward off a backbench rebellion. The concessions include a guarantee that the planned national database will hold no more personal details than contained on a passport. In addition, Mr Clarke will also promise that any move to extend either the details held in the database or the access criteria will need to be introduced by new primary legislation. He believes that this will be sufficient to ward against function creep.
Alan Travis, Home Affairs Editor, The Guardian 18 October
Update comment: Why didn't he say that in the first place and save everyone a load of anguish?
The Information Commissioner and the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) have added to the criticism of the ID Card Bill prior to its second reading in the House of Lords. Following the publication of a report from the House of Lords Constitution Committee, which argued that the ID card "fundamentally alters the relationship between citizens and the State", The Information Commissioner said: "The measures in relation to the National Identity Register and data trail of identity checks on individuals risk an unnecessary and disproportionate intrusion into individuals' privacy. They are not easily reconciled with fundamental data protection safeguards such as fair processing and deleting unnecessary personal information." The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) warned that the ID card scheme "may not be compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)". As part of its Legislative Scrutiny Report, the JCHR reported: "That the establishment of the National Identity Register under the Bill was likely to lead to the compulsory retention of large amounts of personal information in respect of large groups of persons" and that "such retention, either under a compulsory scheme or under a scheme requiring registration to obtain designated documents, risked being insufficiently targeted at addressing the statutory aims to ensure proportionate interference with Article 8 rights".
OUT-LAW News 27 October
"New ideas pass through three periods:
- It can't be done.
- It probably can be done, but it's not worth doing.
- I knew it was a good idea all along!"
Arthur C Clarke
Home Office Minister Tony McNulty has said that the technology to underpin a national identity card scheme suffers from "difficulties". Studies have found fingerprint recognition systems can make errors in the identification of one in 100,000 people, while facial recognition scans have falsely identified one in 1,000 individuals. Potential problems were found to include:
Marie Woolf, Francis Elliott and Sophie Goodchild, The Independent on Sunday 16 October
In a bid to ward off a backbench rebellion, Charles Clarke announced that the cost of a stand-alone ID card would be capped at £30. While the combined ID card and passport remains unchanged at £93, the Home Secretary said that people without passports would be able to obtain a card valid for 10 years for £30. Critics of the ID cards remain sceptical about the Home Secretary's pricing forecast. They believe that the true cost of a card, complete with biometric information, could prove far higher than Home Office estimates. Phil Booth, of the NO2ID pressure group, said: "You just can't magic the cost of this away. Either there is a massive blank cheque from the Treasury or they will sell data sharing and make verification charges. They are playing to the gallery of their loyal MPs."
Ben Russell, Political Correspondent, The Independent 14 October
Microsoft's national technology officer has attacked the UK government's plans for a centralised database supporting the proposed national ID card scheme. Jerry Fishenden argues that the current plans are "a mistake", and could lead to "massive identity fraud". Mr Fishenden also criticised the IT industry for not taking the government to task on the proposal. He said: "When we attend meetings with the Home Office I have noticed that industry representatives do not voice their concerns very much. Only outside the meetings do you hear their concerns. I do not think that the IT industry has been coherent and consistent enough about the way the ID card system is conceived."
VNUNET.com Weekly News Round-up 19 October
The Office for National Statistics has launched the Improving Migration and Population Statistics (IMPS) project. The aims of this project are to:
June Bowman, BURISA Number 165 (September 2005)
More information: http://tinyurl.com/bysxp
Pay attention next time you rip open a cardboard box – you may be entering into a contract without realising it, writes J D Biersdorfer (New York Times 3 October). Mr Biersdorfer tells us of a recent court case in which a trade group attempted to sue Lexmark International. The Arizona Cartridge Remanufacturers Association, which represents companies that sell refilled printer cartridges, accused Lexmark International of "unfair and deceptive business practices" because it places a "post-sale box-top licence" on its packaging. The licence stipulates that users must send their empty cartridges back to Lexmark to be refilled, and promises them a discount for compliance. However, simply by opening the box, the user is deemed to have agreed to the contract. The licence reads: "Opening this package or using the patented cartridge inside confirms your acceptance of the following license agreement." Unfortunately for the Arizona Cartridge Remanufacturers Association, the court ruled in Lexmark's favour. The presiding judge agreed that Lexmark was at liberty to legally limit what customers can do with its products after sale.
Update comment: So there you have it. Be careful the next time you open a packet of cornflakes, folks. You might just find you've sold your soul to Mr Kellogg!
The University of Derby is to offer its sociology students a course module in public paranoia and conspiracy theories. Students on the Apocalyptic and Paranoid Cultures course will study a variety of allegations, including that Ground Zero was insufficiently investigated following the 9/11 attacks, theories about why Princess Diana died, and the secretive club the Freemasons.
Polly Curtis, Education Correspondent, The Guardian 6 October
Update comment: "Fantastic! I want a go!" says Dawn. This module wasn't part of her degree course!
Lecturers' unions have warned the government that its terrorism bill, which makes it an offence to encourage or glorify terrorism or to disseminate terrorist publications, poses a significant threat to academic freedom. NATFHE and the Association of University Teachers argue that the bill could mean that staff may fall foul of the law if they teach or research controversial subjects. They claim that academics teaching courses in contemporary politics, Islam, the Middle East or Ireland are all potentially at risk. In addition, they believe that some science tuition may be affected, since the bill makes it illegal to offer training or instruction in handling noxious substances if it believed that the student may use the knowledge for terrorism. A spokesperson for the AUT said: "Half of chemistry involves noxious substances. Is it really an academic's job to assess whether a student could be a potential terrorist many years down the line? How much of a suspicion are they allowed to have before they are supposed to refuse to teach that student?"
Donald MacLeod, The Guardian 11 October
In an article for The Observer (2 October), Geraldine Bedell debates the merits of a university education, given that graduate debt is increasing and there is no guarantee of a dream job at the end of it. Ms Bedell argues that, while there are clearly careers which require the kind of body of knowledge provided by a degree, many companies demand that their staff hold such a qualification, without really considering whether it is essential. She insists that she is not "anti-university". Rather she believes that, like many things, higher education is often wasted on the young. She says: "University teaches habits of mind which are rewarding. It probably doesn't do much for entrepreneurialism, collaboration, leadership or even, perhaps, creativity. So shovelling through young people who are only half-interested in their subjects seems a bit of a waste of time. At 18, young people often don't know what their passions will be. So there's plenty of argument for university, but not as a kind of finishing school. Not going