Learning News

Time to Train

Following a 2008 consultation paper published by DIUS (now BIS), employees will have the right to request time for training from 6 April 2010. Guidance made available on BusinessLink and the DirectGov websites informs employees of how they can make a request under this new right.

Government launches Dads at Work campaign

This new campaign is part of a wider movement to encourage employers and services to be more responsive to fathers’ needs, and to ensure that policies recognise the vital role fathers play in a child’s life. The campaign reminds employers and fathers alike of their rights at work. Children’s Minister Dawn Primarolo said that this campaign was part of a “package of new measures to support dad’s right from the birth of their children”. More information on the campaign is available from BIS website. 

HE and FE funding cuts

A new HE paper containing headline figures for the allocation of funds for the coming year has revealed that there will be a 1.6% reduction in the teaching budget, 15% cut in capital budget, 7% cut in the budget for special initiatives and a freeze to the research budget. A recent survey of a 147 colleges conducted by the Association of Colleges (AoC) has revealed that colleges face on average a 16% cut in their adult funding budgets for the coming year.

Support for All: the Families and Relationships Green Paper

This recently launched DCSF Green Paper takes a wide ranging look at supporting families with children in the early years, continuing this support throughout school. The Paper also looks at factors that can strengthen or weaken family life, such as the choices available about balancing employment with bringing up children; and how welcoming and accessible public services are to families of all kinds. The Paper also looks at the important roles that relatives other than mothers, especially fathers and grandparents play in raising and caring for children. 

How can parents escape from recurrent poverty?
Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has just published research into the reasons behind the low-pay/no-pay cycle and recurrent poverty among parents. The study, compiled predominantly of qualitative interviews with disadvantaged parents, focus groups and existing research, revealed that parents remained in the low-pay/no-pay for three main reasons: job characteristics (pay, stability etc); lack of affordable childcare and the operation and monetary levels of benefits and tax credits. It also emerged that the majority of those out of work were actively engaged in trying to find employment to improve both their financial and emotional well-being. The analysis also found that the quantitative analysis found that mothers less likely to get work included those who: had no qualifications; had been out of paid employment longer; had more and younger children; and/or were under 19 or over 45 years old.

Business Minister Pat McFadden urges employers to recognise skills and experience of older staff.

Speaking at a business seminar hosted by DBIS, McFadden warned that by 2050 more than one-third of Europe’s population is expected to be over 60 years old, resulting in a population with different needs and skills. The minister commented that the spending power of older workers could boost the wider economy. Describing older people as “the backbone of our economy” he went on to say employers needed to make the most of what older workers could offer. He said that “harnessing the skills of the older generation as well as the young…will put us in the strongest possible position going forward.”

Foreign language skills make jobseekers more employable during recession

Nearly 300 companies around the UK, including Boots, Arsenal FC, IBM and British Airways have signed up to the Try Life in Another Language campaign, launched by the DCSF, to urge young people to improve their employability by adding a language to their CV. This campaign follows a survey of 500 employers who put speaking a second language second only to IT skills in terms of the employability of candidates.

The Business Case for Employee Health and Well-being

A report prepared by the Work Foundation for Investors in People suggests that businesses gain from ensuring a healthy and happy workforce. Employers can create a more resilient workforce, which is more flexible and more responsive to the pace and challenges of modern working life, by simply prioritising the health and well-being of employees. The report states that there are a number of aspects that are demonstrably better if employees are healthy including: energy, concentration, reliability and ability to cope with change.