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project is financed by the LSC, SEEDA and
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NATIONAL & REGIONAL
NEWS
GENERAL & POLICY
2007 Budget
Highlights
Mr Brown announced the following changes for his
11th budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer:
2p
off basic rate of income tax, cutting it to
20p from April 2008, the lowest rate for 75
years
10p
starter rate abolished
Top
rate income tax threshold rises to £43,000
from April 2009
From
2009, people will not pay any NI on earnings
above £43,000
2p
cut in corporation tax
Tax-free
savings limit for ISA contributions will be
increased to £7,200 from next April,
of which £3,600 can be held in cash
Beer
and cider up 1p, wine 5p, spirits duty frozen
11p
on cigarettes
Car
duty up to £300 this year and £400
next year for the most polluting cars; while
it is reduced to £35 for the least-polluting
vehicles
2p
increase on petrol from October 2007
More
cash for schools and hospitals
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
has calculated that people earning between £17,000 and £40,000
will be better off, while those earning less than £17,000
will find that the working tax credits should even
out what they lose from the end of the 10p tax
rate. People earning £43,000 will pay £20
per year more in tax.
For education and families, the Chancellor announced
the following changes:
For a first child, child benefit will increase
to £20 a week by 2010.
Around 50,000 16 and 17-year-olds who sign
activity and learning agreements will receive
a training wage.
Lone parents will receive the £40-a-week
in-work bonus during their first year in work.
Education spending in England will rise from £60bn
this year to £74bn in 2010. From now
to 2010 spending per pupil will increase by
a further 20% - 10% cent in real terms - to £6,600.
Investment in science will increase from £5bn
this year to £6.3bn by 2010/11.
A further £8bn
will be invested in the NHS in England this
year.
Source:
BBC online, 22nd March 2007
Flagship
Status for South East Organisations Supporting
Women's Enterprise
In February, four organisations based in the South
East were awarded national 'Flagship' status at
the Prowess Annual International Conference.
The Prowess Flagship is a quality standard for
supporting women in enterprise through business
support or a network, and is already held by Faringdon
Enterprise Gateway and Slough Enterprise Gateway.
The latest organisations from the South East to
be recognised are: Newhaven Enterprise Gateway,
Reading Enterprise Gateway, Slough Businesswomen's
Network Group and South East Women's Wisdom.
Chief Executive of the
South East England Development Agency (SEEDA),
Pam Alexander, and Co-Chair of
the Government's new Women's Enterprise Task Force,
said: "The new Regional Economic Strategy
(RES) for the South East aims to create an additional
10,000 new businesses run by women by 2010. We
are therefore delighted that organisations from
the South East have been recognised nationally
for their support of women in business".
Source: SEEDA website, 9th February 2007
Fish
Oils improve children’s
performance
Researchers have found that fatty acid dietary
supplements given to overweight children improved
concentration, reading, memory and mental ability.
The children’s brains showed advances in
3 months that would usually take 3 years. One
teenager who was reported as being addicted to
television and hated books became a keen reader
and found programmes
boring
after the experiment.
Source: Montrose Report, 12th March 2007
Flexible working proposed for all
MPs from both Labour and the Conservatives are
currently looking at the benefits of flexible
working for employees. Beverley Hughes, the children’s
minister, is due to publish a book on the subject
of flexible working in May, while Mark Prisk,
Shadow Minister for Small Business and Enterprise,
has requested that the Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the British
Chambers of Commerce (BCC) look at the benefits
of flexible working for small companies from
a business perspective. Click
here to go through to our website
for further details.
Sources: BBC online, HRlook website, 12th February
2007
Unemployed to learn English or face losing benefits
From April, the Government will demand that jobseekers
who cannot speak English prove that they are
learning the language in order to preserve their
welfare benefits. Around 40,000 unemployed people
report that poor English is a barrier to getting
employment. Ministers say that currently £4.5m
is spent on translators in job centres that would
be better spent on English lessons.
The Welfare Minister, Jim Murphy, believes that
these changes will help those from ethnic minorities,
who currently earn on average a third less than
their white counterparts, and whose employment
rates also lag behind.
From April, job centres
in England will adopt new guidelines to encourage
the take-up of English
courses. The Learning and Skills Council will be
implementing a new £14m programme offering
15,000 places on courses in basic skills and employability
training, including language skills.
Source: BBC online, 12th February 2007
Government
to pilot early years’ parenting
strategy
Until March 2008, Government is to invest in a £7.5m
scheme in ten areas piloting a new way to support
parents with their first new-born babies. In the
pilot areas, those parents most in need of support
will be given extra help from midwives and health
visitors. The project is based on an American initiative
that has seen babies and children benefiting from
better health, fewer accidental injuries, more
paternal involvement, and being readier for school.
Source: GNN 8th February 2007
New Government campaign to tackle financial exclusion
The Government is launching a multi-media campaign
called ‘now let’s talk money’ to
help people on low incomes find out about bank
accounts and low cost loans. Many of those on
low incomes currently have to borrow from loan
sharks. The Government aims to work closely with
partners in charities, housing associations and
financial institutions to give people free financial
advice. The initiative is being funded by the
Financial Inclusion Fund. There are two parts
to the campaign. The first phase will raise awareness
of financial exclusion in organisations in contact
with those on low incomes, such as housing associations,
local authorities and charitable and voluntary
organisations. Stakeholder managers, seconded
from these organisations are already working
on this. The second phase, this summer, will
encourage people on low incomes to find out about
the available financial advice, products and
services.
There are already 350 new advisers and 100 credit
unions and community development finance institutions
that have benefited from the Government's Financial
Inclusion Fund. The Fund will also finance the
nationwide roll out of projects tackling illegal
loan sharks.
Source: GNN 31st January 2007
LSC South East Learning and Skills Awards
Applications for the South East Learning and Skills
awards 2007 are now all in. The closing date
for the apprenticeship awards was 23rd February
and for all other awards was 23rd March 2007.
The awards aim to highlight the contribution
of both learners and organisations across the
South East region. Candidates for the South East
Apprenticeship categories have also been entered
into the National Apprenticeship awards.
There are now 11 awards,
including three new categories: Skills for Life
Plus Award, Offender’s Learning
and Achievement Award and the Train to Gain Outstanding
Learner Award. For more information about the awards,
visit http://www.southeast-lsc-awards.org.uk
The awards ceremony will take place on 26th April
at the Copthorne Effingham Hotel and Resort, Effingham
Park, near Gatwick.
Languages Review Published
Lord Dearing’s Review of Language teaching
has revealed that fewer than half of 14 year olds
in state schools continue with modern languages
to GCSE level. Figures published in the report
showed that only students at private schools had
kept overall participation in languages over 50%.
The review proposes that
all pupils in England will have compulsory lessons
in modern languages
from age 7 to 14. Innovative proposals include:
linking to children in other countries through
video conferencing, and a web-based system for
students to log into lessons and do additional
work from home. Lord Dearing has also proposed
week-long ‘immersion courses’ for older
students, similar to those used by businesses.
Sources: Montrose Report, Observer, March 13th
2007
60% of Apprentices Complete Training
The most recent figures from the Learning and Skills
Council (LSC) show that in the first half of
the academic year, around 60% of apprentices
successfully completed their courses, which is
as good as most advanced economies. The government
has exceeded its targets for getting young people
into apprenticeships over the last 5 years. There
are now around 270,000 apprentices being trained
throughout British industry.
Source: Montrose Report, March 13th 2007
The Early Years Foundation Stage framework published
The DfES has published the Early Years Foundation
Stage (EYFS) framework, setting the standards
for development, learning and care of children
from 0 to 5 years old. The framework has been
produced after consulting with early learning
professionals and parents and replaces the non-statutory
Birth to Three Matters guidance, the Foundation
Stage curriculum for 3 and 4 year olds and national
standards for daycare. The underpinning principles
of the framework are that each child should be
treated as unique and children should be in loving
and secure relationships and environments in
which they can learn and develop at their own
pace and with enjoyment.
Beverley Hughes, Minister of State for Children,
said:
"This Government
is committed to giving every child the best start
in life. The Early Years Foundation
Stage will help practitioners plan stimulating,
age appropriate activities based on what they know
about the child's interests, in discussion with
parents and other relevant professionals.
"We want to make
sure that whatever setting parents choose, they
can be confident their child
will get the best possible start in their learning
and development. The EYFS is about ensuring quality
and consistency across all settings where care
is provided for young children.”
All registered early
years’ providers and
schools will be required to use the EYFS from September
2008.
The EYFS will also be published as an online tool,
with practical demonstrations showing people how
they can use the framework in a way that is tailored
to the needs of individual children in their care,
and carry out the planning that will ensure every
child benefits from it. The framework is available
online at: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/eyfs
Source: GNN, 13th March 2007
Fish
Oils improve children’s
performance
Researchers have found that fatty acid dietary
supplements given to overweight children improved
concentration, reading, memory and mental ability.
The children’s brains showed advances in
3 months that would usually take 3 years. One
teenager who was reported as being addicted to
television and hated books became a keen reader
and found programmes
boring
after the experiment.
Source: Montrose Report, 12th March 2007
Raising the School Leaving Age
There are indications that there are plans to make
all teenagers stay in some form of education
and training up to the age of 18. It has also
emerged that the chancellor has backed the ideas
put forward by Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary.
Recent research shows that around 90% of people
support the idea of keeping young people in education
or training until 18. Almost 97% of grandparents
said they would like their grandchildren to stay
in education or a form of work-based training until
they are at least 18. Click
here to go through to our website
for further details.
Sources: Montrose Reports, GNN 6th March 2007
Level 2 attainment at 19 rises by 5.1%
There has been a rise of just over 5% in the proportion
of young people attaining Level 2 qualifications,
which equates to five GCSE grades A* - C. 71.4%
of 19 year olds attained Level 2 qualifications
in 2006, compared with 66.3% in 2004. The target
for 2006 was 69.3%. Numerically speaking, over
40,000 more 19 year olds have achieved Level
2 qualifications. An increasing proportion of
19 year olds has also qualified to Level 3 -
equivalent to 2 A levels. The proportion has
risen by 4.7% since 2004 to 46.8% in 2006. Click
here to
go through to our website for further details.
Source: GNN, 27th February 2007
Nurseries not developing Boys
A report on preschool education has found that
some nurseries are failing to develop small boys
by making them stay indoors and sit for too long
in class. School inspectors would like to see
boys playing outside more and being encouraged
to develop their imaginations. While most children
between 3 and 5 progress well in class, in around
a third of England’s early years’ settings
Ofsted found that children were not speaking
or listening properly. Bright children were also
often not sufficiently stimulated.
Source: Montrose reports, 6th March 2007
“Unwitting” racism
leads to higher exclusions for black pupils
A recent report Getting it. Getting it right has
found that black pupils are generally punished
more harshly, praised less and told off more in
English schools. Black young people are three times
more likely to be expelled permanently than whites.
The report says every year 1,000 black pupils are
permanently excluded and nearly 30,000 suspended.
The report recommends focussing on 100 schools
that have disproportionately high exclusions of
black students.
The report found that black students are:
Routinely punished more harshly, praised
less and told off more often
Significantly more likely to be permanently
excluded
1.5 times more likely than white British
pupils to be identified with behaviour-related
special needs
Outperforming white pupils in school entry
tests – but when these were changed to
teacher observations the pattern was reversed
Disproportionately put in bottom sets - due
to behaviour rather than ability
Much less likely than the average to be identified
as gifted and talented
Source: Wanless report
The authors of the report
want the schools inspectorate, Ofsted, to be
more "robust" with schools
that consistently fail to address their exclusions
gaps. One proposal is that the Commission for Racial
Equality might issue a compliance notice under
the Race Relations Act.
The Department for Education
and Skills said using "the
R-word" was unhelpful, but it is to issue
new guidance. The department is going to target
support to schools and local authorities felt to
need it most.
Source: BBC online, 3rd March 2007
Training plan for those in full-time work
Coventry University has been awarded £3.5m
by the Higher Education Funding Council for England
(Hefce) to design training courses for people in
full-time work, combining degree study with professional
development. The university will work with four
employers to provide customised courses on the
companies’ premises. The four employers working
with Coventry University are Parcelforce Worldwide,
the Automobile Association, Perkins Engines and
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.
The scheme is one of several being funded by Hefce
encouraging employers and universities to work
together. A spokesperson for Hefce said:
"Higher education
has a vital role in making the country more competitive
by promoting the knowledge-based
aspects of our economy. We are supporting this
and other projects so that employees have the skills
and qualities they need for economic productivity
and growth."
In January, the Leitch report warned that skills
in the UK's workforce were lagging behind international
competitors.
Source: BBC online, 3rd March 2007
Key Stage 3 Results published
A record proportion of 14 year olds has reached
and exceeded targets for maths and science in
2006.
77% of 14 year olds reached level 5 or above in
Maths, a rise of 3% from 2005, while 72% reached
level 5 or above in Science, a rise of 2% from
2005; and 73% reached level 5 or above in English,
a fall of 1% from the previous year.
The gender gap in Maths and Science is only one
and two percentage points respectively, but there
is still a wide gap in English, where about 80%
of girls reached level 5 or above, but only 65%
of boys achieved this.
The figures show that 90% of secondary schools
are meeting the target for half of all their pupils
to reach level five or above in English, mathematics
and science. Just 320 schools did not meet the
target, a decrease of 90 since 2005.
Source: GNN, 1st March 2007
6% Rise in University Funding
Hefce is giving funding of around £7.14bn
overall for teaching and research in English universities
in the coming year. Institutions will also get
an additional £75m over three years in order
to encourage the study of physics, chemistry and
engineering.
Source: Montrose Reports, 1st March 2007
Shortage
of UK Graduates for Pharmaceuticals Sector
Britain’s largest drugs company, GlaxoSmithKline,
is recruiting from overseas to fill some research
posts due to a lack of UK science graduates. The
pharmaceuticals sector contributed £3.4 billion
to the economy in exports in 2004. The company
is currently looking for more recruits from France,
Spain, Germany and India.
Source: Montrose reports, 20th February 2007
Poor
Basic Skills Cost over £800m A Year
A survey by learndirect has found that half of
respondents felt they were let down by basic
Maths and English skills. The report calculated
that poor maths skills may cost around £823m
a year, as adults in Britain are unable to calculate
when they have been short-changed. One in three
workers (14.6 million people) admits that they
have lost their firm money because of their inadequate
grasp of numeracy and literacy.
Source: Montrose reports, 20th February 2007
Record number of students applies to university
UCAS, the university admissions service, is expected
to release figures showing more than a 5% rise
in applications to universities. Last year, applications
fell by 3% when top-up fees were introduced.
Source: BBC online, 14/02/07
Universities offer more bursaries
Universities UK has commissioned a study that has
found that universities are offering more bursaries
in the wake of a rise in fees up to £3,000.
Bursaries are typically focussed on rewarding
academic or sporting success, or on race or disability.
Bursaries are also being offered for less popular
subjects such as engineering, languages and physical
sciences. However, the report found no link between
bursaries and the number of applications.
The study also found that enrolments for part-time
undergraduate courses fell more than 5% between
2003-4 and 2004-5.
The proportion of students applying from ethnic
minority and lower socio-economic groups between
2002 and 2005 was found to be stable.
Source: BBC online, 14th February 2007
State pupils to get help from private schools
State school students are to be given more help
with science, maths and language lessons from
private school teachers. 18 new partnerships
will be formed between 160 state and independent
schools to give master classes and workshops
at a cost of £2.2m to the Government. Since
1998, other similar partnerships have involved
over 1,200 schools.
Source: BBC online, 13th February 2007
Ethnic Minority Children make better progress
at school
In almost every area of England, ethnic minority
children are making better progress at school than
white pupils, a study by researchers at Bristol
University has shown. The researchers compared
students’ results in national tests for 11
year olds and their GCSE results 5 years later.
The research found that Chinese, Pakistani, Indian,
Bangladeshi and black African pupils are improving
more quickly between the ages of 11 and 16. Researchers
believe this trend is due to contrasting attitudes
to education between ethnic minority and white
communities. The research found that especially
Asian families emphasise to their children the
importance of a good education for getting on in
life.
Source: Montrose reports, 10th February 2007
Government boost to University Donations
Donors to universities will see their donations
boosted by government money. For every £2
given to universities, the government will give £1,
up to a maximum of £2m. The move is designed
to encourage a culture of charitable giving to
universities, similar to that in America.
Source: Montrose reports, 10th February 2007
No longer learning from History?
Official figures show that around 1,500 secondary
schools did not enter any of their students for
GCSE history. The figures from last year’s
exams, suggest that over a third of state schools
do not teach history at all beyond the age of
14.
Source: Montrose reports, 10th February 2007
More Teachers in English Schools
Over the last 10 years, the number of teachers
has risen by 36,000 and there are almost 155,000
teaching support staff in English schools.
Source: Montrose reports, 10th February 2007
QCA launches consultation about curriculum changes
The QCA has launched an online consultation about
proposed changes to the national curriculum at
key stage 3 through the secondary curriculum
review. The formal consultation period will run
from 5 February 2007 to 30 April 2007 and schools
will receive the final statutory programmes of
study in autumn 2007 for teaching from autumn
2008. There will then be a three-year period
from 2008-2010 for schools to implement the revised
programmes of study. Click
here to go through to our website
for further details.
Source: QCA website, 05th February 2007
Students Better Off Despite Fees
A PricewaterhouseCoopers report has found that
current students at English universities will
be better off financially than previous generations
despite tuition fees. The report found that variable
tuition fees have increased the rate of return
to 13.2% for an average graduate balancing the
costs of university education against the greater
earning power afforded by being a graduate. This
compares with a rate of return of 12.1% under
the old system of upfront fees. The assessment
of the new ‘top-up fees’ system includes
the Treasury’s interest-rate subsidy for
student loans and the reintroduction of grants
and bursaries for those less well off, as well
as the fact that fees are only paid when graduates
are earning more than £15,000.
Source: Montrose reports, 7th February 2007
Better pay for part-time teachers
93,000 part-time teachers in England and Wales
will now be paid for work done outside the classroom,
such as marking and lesson preparation. A new
pay structure has been put in place for teachers
based on
recommendations from the independent School Teachers'
Review Body (STRB). The new structure also includes
financial rewards for teachers who complete accredited
qualifications in priority subjects.
Teachers’ unions have welcomed the moves.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT,
said: "We will now have parity of pay and
conditions for part-time teachers.”
Source: BBC online, 7th February 2007
Graduates' earnings a quarter more than non-graduates
Research carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers
for Universities UK shows that university graduates
earn on average around a quarter more than people
who leave school after their A levels. On average
a graduate gains additional earnings of £160,000
over a working life. However there are variations
by subject area - arts graduates only gaining
a tenth of the additional earnings received from
a medicine degree.
By subject, the research found that graduates
earn on average the following additional amounts:
Women gain more financial advantage than men from
getting a degree and men from poorer family backgrounds
increase their earnings more than men from more
affluent homes. Graduates are also less likely
to be unemployed.
Source: BBC online 7th February 2007
The benefits of Apprenticeships
Recent research looking at the cost effectiveness
of the apprenticeship programme shows that apprentices
will enjoy significantly higher wages over their
lifetime than they would have done without their
training. Apprenticeship has greater value than
other vocational qualifications according to
the research, which looked at the contribution
the apprenticeship programme is making to the
economy. Over the last 10 years, wage returns
have increased, and there are good returns for
women at Level 3.
Skills Minister Phil Hope said:
"This report shows
the real value for young people of undertaking
an apprenticeship. It confirms
that it pays to be an apprentice. Many people think
that apprenticeships are a thing of the past. In
fact nothing could be further from the truth. The
programme is going from strength to strength, and
the status and quality of the programme is rising
all the time.
"We want more employers to offer new schemes.
We have accepted Lord Leitch's recommendation to
have 400,000 apprentices in learning in England
by 2020. Today's evidence shows the Government
is right to invest almost £1bn per year in
this programme. I am particularly pleased that
women are shown to enjoy positive returns taking
part in Government funded apprenticeships."
The numbers in apprenticeship training have trebled
since 1997 to a record of a quarter of a million
today.
Source: GNN, 22nd February 2007
Competition seeks South East's Most Enterprising
Place
In February the regional heat of Enterprising Britain
2007 was launched for the South East. The national
competition aims to recognise and reward enterprise
activity. Regionally, SEEDA is looking for the
town, city or place in the region most clearly
demonstrating the South East’s entrepreneurship.
The winner of the regional heat will be entered
in the national finals.
Enterprising Britain
2007 is run by the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI) in partnership with
the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and Devolved
Administrations and aims to identify “enterprise
champions” - places that have created jobs,
brought communities together, and made a real difference
to local businesses and local people. The closing
date for regional applications is 11th May 2007.
The regional winner will be announced on Friday
18th May.
Flagship Status for South East Organisations Supporting
Women's Enterprise
In February, four organisations based in the South
East were awarded national 'Flagship' status at
the Prowess Annual International Conference.
The Prowess Flagship is a quality standard for
supporting women in enterprise through business
support or a network, and is already held by Faringdon
Enterprise Gateway and Slough Enterprise Gateway.
The latest organisations from the South East to
be recognised are: Newhaven Enterprise Gateway,
Reading Enterprise Gateway, Slough Businesswomen's
Network Group and South East Women's Wisdom.
Chief Executive of the
South East England Development Agency (SEEDA),
Pam Alexander, and Co-Chair of
the Government's new Women's Enterprise Task Force,
said: "The new Regional Economic Strategy
(RES) for the South East aims to create an additional
10,000 new businesses run by women by 2010. We
are therefore delighted that organisations from
the South East have been recognised nationally
for their support of women in business".
Source: SEEDA website, 9th February 2007
Ethnic Minorities face employment gap
A report Persistent Employment Disadvantage published
by the Department of Work and Pensions shows
that ethnic minorities continue to face an employment
gap. The research analysed the probability of
being in employment based on different combinations
of ethnic and religious group and found that
for women, the employment penalties faced by
Muslims of all ethnic backgrounds are higher
than the penalty for any ethnic group of no religion.
Source: GNN, 28th February 2007
UK inflation rate decreases to 2.7%
After hitting an 11-year high in December, the
UK’s inflation rate fell to 2.7% in January,
according to the Consumer Price Index of the
Office for National Statistics (ONS). The fall
was triggered by lower transport costs and reduced
food prices. The Bank of England has been raising
interest rates since August 2006 to try to bring
inflation down. The Retail Price Index also fell
to 4.2% from 4.4%.
Source: BBC online, 13th February 2007
Teenagers 'laid-back' about debt
Over 50% of school children have been in debt before
they are 17, research from The Personal Finance
Education Group has revealed. While around 90%
of respondents were worried about money, they
also thought of overdrafts and credit cards as
a way of spending more than they earn. One in
20 thought that credit card debt did not have
to be paid back. A quarter of 18 year olds said
that their parents would pick up their credit
card bills.
Nearly two thirds of respondents wanted to learn
more about investing and over half were interested
in find out about how to save and control their
spending. However, most teenagers showed a generally
good understanding of financial matters.
Source: BBC online, 13th February 2007
Radical review of welfare system published
David Freud has published a report, Reducing Dependency,
Increasing Opportunity: options for the future
of welfare to work, proposing reforms to the
welfare system, including giving more employment
support to the hardest-to-help benefit claimants
by making more extensive use of private and voluntary
sector resources and placing greater responsibilities
on lone parents with older children to look for
work once their youngest child reaches 12, rather
than the current age of 16. Click
here to go through
to our website for further details.
Source: GNN, 5th March 2007
Average
house price now over £200,000
According to the Department for Communities and
Local Government (DCLG) the average house price
in the UK is now £201,090. The government’s
house price index has found that prices rose
9.9% a year in December.
Source: BBC online 12th February 2007
SMEs turn to Migrant Workers
A study by the British Chambers of Commerce has
shown that many small and medium companies are
using migrant workers because of their doubts
about "the skills, experience and productivity" of
British-born workers.
A recent survey by the Institute of Directors
came up with similar findings, showing that employers
rated migrants as harder-working, more reliable
and better skilled than their British counterparts.
Source: Montrose reports, 10th February 2007
Getting Women into Business
The government aims to recruit 1000 women entrepreneurs
to inspire more women to set up in business.
This network will work with the Task Force for
Women’s Enterprise and will:
be recruited by the Regional Development
Agencies (RDAs) advised by Enterprise Insight.
Each RDA will recruit over 100 entrepreneurs;
focus on key stages of women's lives, such
as younger women, women who have just had children
and women whose children have left home;
work with women in their communities, through
education and in specific industries to encourage
them to start their own businesses.
Click
here to go through to our website for further details.
Source: GNN 7th February 2007
Radical review of welfare system published
David Freud has published a report, Reducing Dependency,
Increasing Opportunity: options for the future
of welfare to work, proposing reforms to the
welfare system, including giving more employment
support to the hardest-to-help benefit claimants
by making more extensive use of private and voluntary
sector resources and placing greater responsibilities
on lone parents with older children to look for
work once their youngest child reaches 12, rather
than the current age of 16. Click
here to go through
to our website for further details.
Source: GNN, 5th March 2007
Ethnic Minorities face employment gap
A report Persistent Employment Disadvantage published
by the Department of Work and Pensions shows
that ethnic minorities continue to face an employment
gap. The research analysed the probability of
being in employment based on different combinations
of ethnic and religious group and found that
for women, the employment penalties faced by
Muslims of all ethnic backgrounds are higher
than the penalty for any ethnic group of no religion.
To see the report, visit: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep416.pdf
Source: GNN, 28th February 2007
Research reveals full extent of Generation Gap
Recent research by ICM Research on behalf of the
Guardian has shown that parents are out of touch
with their teenage children. Teenagers drink,
smoke, take more drugs and lose their virginity
earlier than many of their parents believe. More
than 500 11 to 16 year olds took part in the
research, while their parents gave separate answers
about what they thought their children had experienced.
The gap between what children have actually done,
and what their parents believed they have done,
was wide. Of children, who have tried drugs,
65% of their parents think they have not, and
of children who smoke, 52% of parents believe
they do not. Click
here to go through to our website for
further details.
Source: Guardian, 24th February 2007
Advantages to lone parents of being in work
More than 1,000 lone parents in the UK have completed
an online survey that shows 77% of respondents
felt more independent and 73% felt more confident
since going back to work.
The research was commissioned by Jobcentre Plus
and carried out by One Parent Families, the national
charity for lone parents and their children.
Respondents were asked to compare their working
lives with their time giving full-time care for
their children. 57% of the lone parent respondents
said that work made them more satisfied with life
generally. Main findings for those currently working
were:
• 69% said it gave
them a sense of identity
• 67% said work made them feel more sociable
• 65% said working gave them a sense of achievement
Respondents not currently in work typically agreed.
However, 67% of those in work said that it had
been difficult to find a job fitting in with childcare
or school hours.
The research also showed that respondents had
gained skills through parenting: 81% of respondents
who had returned to work said that caring for their
children had helped them to become self-reliant,
79% said it had taught them to juggle lots of things
at once and 69% said it had made them better at
budgeting.
49% of respondents who were working said that
having a job made them worry more about their children,
81% thought that the fact that they had a job set
a good example to their children. 79% of non-working
respondents thought that reassurance that they
would be better off with a job than on benefits,
would be important in helping them think about
work.
Source: GNN, 22nd February 2007
Unicef study finds UK is failing children
Based on a new Unicef study, Child Poverty in Perspective:
an Overview of Child Well-being in Rich Countries,
the UK has come bottom of a league table for
child well-being across 21 industrialised countries.
The report examines 40 indicators, including
health, poverty, and peer and family relationships.
Under-investment, and a “dog eat dog” attitude
in society were cited as reasons for the UK’s
poor performance. The report categories were:
Material well-being, Family and peer relationships,
Health and safety, Behaviour and risks, Own sense
of well-being [educational], Own sense of well-being
[subjective].
The UK was in the bottom third for five out of
six categories and in the middle third for health
and safety. Click
here to go through to our website for further
details.
Source: BBC online, 14th February 2007
UK employers’ top
concerns are staff retention and absence management
Research involving more than 1,700 UK employers
by Manpower has shown that 72% of employers see
retaining employees as an HR priority for 2007,
while 35% of employers saw it as their key priority.
Adapting to legislation and absence management
were also seen as significant, especially for medium-sized
and large organisations. 71% of businesses said
adapting to legislation was a priority.
The research shows that smaller businesses are
most concerned with holding onto staff (the key
priority for 38% of smaller employers compared
with 23% of large ones), wage inflation (6% compared
with 1%) and poor performance of staff (9% compared
with 4%). While larger businesses also have concerns
about staff retention, they are most concerned
with absence management (21% compared to 2% of
small businesses).
Meanwhile, other research based on response from
more than 800 workers shows that 28% of employees
leave for better career opportunities, while 17%
move for more pay. 22% of employees believe that
improved flexible working conditions would encourage
them to stay, while 18% thought that better communication,
and 17%, a better work environment, would make
them more likely to stay.
Source: hrlook website 12th February 2007
New guide to improve information for disabled
people
A five point guide to improve information for disabled
people has been launched by Minister for Disabled
People, Anne McGuire. The Office for Disability
Issues (ODI) wrote the guide following research
showing that a lack of, or misleading information,
can be an important factor in preventing disabled
people from getting services they need.
The new guide contains five guidelines to improve
information for disabled people:
1. Ensure that disabled people are involved from
the start
2. Provide information through a range of channels
and formats
3. Ensure your information meets users' needs
4. Clearly signpost other services
5. Always make it clear who is responsible for
the information provided.
Source: GNN 6th February 2007
Sure
Start Children’s
Centres working with childminders
Research has been published by the National Childminding
Association (NCMA) showing that 87% of Sure Start
Children's Centres are working with childminders
in their area. Sure Start Children’s centres
were also found to be a good place for parents
to find out more about childminders’ services.
The Government’s ten year childcare strategy
intends that all Sure Start Children’s Centres
should link with local childminders, and commissioned
the NCMA to undertake this research to assess current
progress. The findings show that nearly a third
of Sure Start Children’s Centres were working
with childminder networks and more than 80% provided
training opportunities for childminders.
Chief Executive of the NCMA Liz Bayram said:
"These findings
point to a very positive picture. Registered
childminders are increasingly
becoming involved with their local children's centres,
either through drop-in groups, training days or
as a part of the centre's core offer of services.
Over half of the respondents also said that they
work with NCMA at a local level, which is encouraging.
This is a real sign that centres are working well
with voluntary and private providers.
"There is, of course,
still more to be done to encourage partnership
between children's centres
and registered childminders. For example, only
one third of children's centres are working with
quality assured networks including NCMA Children
Come First (CCF) networks. NCMA would like to see
this increase as networks have been proven to help
registered childminders to increase their qualifications,
which helps to retain them in the workforce. Most
importantly of all childminders provide high quality
childcare and early learning for children."
South East region has heaviest drinkers Choosing Health in the South East: Alcohol is a
recent report published by the South East Public
Health Observatory (SEPHO) showing that people
in the South East drink more often than almost
any other region and significantly more than
those living in London.
Nationally the report found that alcohol consumption
is rising. Generally men drink more than women
and binge-drink more often. 26% of men and 16%
of women in the South East drink five or more days
per week, which is above the national average and
much higher than London figures. Among women, drinking
is increasing, which is likely to have an impact
on their health. Young people in England aged 16
to 24 regularly drink excessive amounts of alcohol
and over a quarter of 15 and 16 year olds say they
regularly binge-drink.
In 2004 there were a total of 3,563 of deaths
in the South East related to alcohol: 55% of these
were men and 45% women. Stroke accounted for the
largest number of deaths in which alcohol was a
contributory factor.
The report also found:
Nationally, 17 million working days are lost
each year due to alcohol-related sickness absence,
costing the country £6.4 billion per
annum;
Over 4,000 people in the South East claim
incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance
related to alcoholism - significantly more
than the national average;
In the South East, alcohol relates to around
17,500 hospital admissions per year;
The South East has a lower rate of alcohol-related
crime than the country as a whole but several
local authorities in the region significantly
exceed the national average.
