Skills and Employment News
New education and skills measures announced (Department for Education)
Education Secretary Justine Greening has announced a series of measures to place education at the heart of the government’s ambition to provide opportunity for all and ensure the skills needed to secure the nation’s prosperity.
Institute for Apprenticeships sets out vision on quality (Institute for Apprenticeships)
The Institute for Apprenticeships has set out its understanding of what makes a high quality apprenticeship – and has developed a draft ‘Quality Statement’ which will act as a core reference point for its work and will help shape the wider apprenticeship landscape. Employers, training providers, assessors and members of the public now have the opportunity to offer feedback on the draft statement.
Five thousand UK employers are now Disability Confident (Department for Work and Pensions)
British-based FTSE 100 companies have been challenged by Penny Mordaunt, Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health, to sign up to the Disability Confident scheme, pledging their commitment to attract, recruit and retain disabled workers. Twenty-one FTSE 100 companies have signed up so far, including Marks & Spencer, BT and Royal Mail.
News and views
Businesses are lacking ‘awareness and understanding’ of the apprenticeship levy, study shows (Independent)
A survey of 1,400 businesses by the British Chambers of Commerce revealed that just over half did not expect to recover their levy payment and one in four still does not understand how the new system works.
Three-year Esol waiting list caused by ‘chronic underfunding’ (TES)
A new survey by Refugee Action has found that almost half of providers have a waiting list of six months or more for ESOL courses and in some cases people are having to wait up to three years to learn English. With funding available for ESOL having dropped by £110 million over the last 6 years, the government is being urged to do more to ensure that all refugees can learn English.
Disabled people have to apply for 60% more jobs than non-disabled people before finding one (Independent)
Disabled people need to apply for 60 per cent more jobs than non-disabled jobseekers before they find work, new research shows. The findings, commissioned by disability charity Scope, have prompted warnings that disabled people are being “shut out of the jobs market”.
People from ethnic minorities still facing major jobs gap in UK (Guardian)
Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in the UK face a significant jobs gap and pay “penalty” despite an increase in the number obtaining degrees, a study by the Resolution Foundation has revealed.
Publications
British Chambers of Commerce Workforce Survey 2017 (British Chambers of Commerce)
BCC’s annual workforce survey of over 1,400 businesses (10% of whom are Apprenticeship Levy payers), held in partnership with Middlesex University London, providing findings on how the Apprenticeship Levy is affecting UK business.