This
project is financed by the LSC, SEEDA and
the European Social Fund
SPOTLIGHT
ON…..
For the September 2007 edition of Spotlight On, we focus on the role of volunteering, for both adults and young people, including the value gained by volunteers themselves, organisations and employers. Information is provided about reasons for volunteering, rights and responsibilities of volunteers, barriers to volunteering, employer supported schemes, as well as links to key volunteering organisations. Please read the synopsis below and click through to the full feature on the Labour Market Focus Website
Remember, ‘Spotlight on…’ is here to help you. Please feedback your comments or requests for future ‘Spotlight on..’ features through the feedback button on the bulletin.
THE ROLE OF VOLUNTEERING
As well as bringing value to the intended beneficiaries of their volunteering, there is also considerable potential value for the volunteers themselves, the organisations they volunteer through and volunteers’ employers who are increasingly seeing business benefits from encouraging their employees’ volunteering. Through volunteering, people can learn and develop at the same time as making a difference. Companies benefit on many levels: from the employee’s enhanced personal effectiveness; increased commitment to the company; reduction in staff sickness; and improved public image. Many employers actively encourage their employees to volunteer and some run volunteering schemes.
Volunteering is potentially available to just about anyone. Regardless of age, levels of skill, knowledge or experience, and whatever a person’s mental or physical ability, opportunities for volunteering can be found or created. For people facing extra barriers to employment through learning disability, volunteering can be an excellent way to move towards greater independence and avoid the so-called ‘revolving door’ of spending many years at college taking courses at the same academic level. Skills acquired, confidence gained, can progress to paid employment.
Volunteering by young people received a considerable boost following the Russell Commission’s recommendations when the charity v was set up to improve coordination and promote new initiatives, especially involving young people. There is great potential for young people to improve their employability through volunteering. Research in 2007 however indicates that those supporting young people may need to do more to help them reflect on and articulate the increased skills and development they are gaining from their volunteering.
Many not-for-profit organisations are increasingly encouraging older people to get involved in volunteering. VSO no longer only sends school-leavers on its posting. Today the average age of a volunteer is 38, and ages range from 18 to 75, the majority coming from skilled, professional backgrounds.
Many volunteer schemes, especially those for young people, include some form of recognition of volunteers through awards or accreditation schemes. Volunteering England debate the pros and cons of accreditation for volunteers in their information sheet on accreditation in the Good Practice section of their website, highlighting the importance of handling the issue carefully to avoid putting off some volunteers who have had a poor experience of education or simply want to volunteer in a setting where the pressures of assessment and possible failure are not present.
There is a trend towards greater professionalisation of volunteering, for example the introduction by some organisations of Volunteer Agreements. This has pros and cons as some volunteers are put off by greater formality, yet there are benefits for both organisations and volunteers if both have clear expectations from the volunteering. Organisations and volunteers also need to take account of such matters as health and safety, and following good practice when working with vulnerable people.
Making volunteering available in new ways and allowing volunteers to fit volunteering in with their lifestyle is increasingly acknowledged as important.
Please click here to read a full article about volunteering.
MINISTERIAL
AND DEPARTMENTAL CHANGES
Three new government departments were set up by the Prime Minister on 28 June
2007, in a shake up of the work of the previous DfES and DTI. The new departments
are the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the Department
for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Department for Business,
Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). The appointment of Ed Balls, known
to be a very close ally of Gordon Brown, to head up the DCSF shows the importance
the Prime Minister attaches to young people and education issues. Please click
here for the full list of Her Majesty’s Government
The DfES has been split in two,
sharing out its responsibilities between DCSF and
DIUS. Responsibility for science and innovation will
transfer from the DTI to DIUS and the remainder of
the DTI’s roles will be taken on by the new
BERR. Higher education and Lifelong Learning and
Skills directorates move to the DIUS.
Gordon Brown’s intention
to draw on a broader range of talent is reflected
in the announcement in his 28 June statement of two
new bodies: the National Council for Educational
Excellence (NCEE) and the Business Council for Britain.
The move of further education
and lifelong learning from DfES to DIUS has major
implications for 16-19 education funding arrangements.
Previously the responsibility of the LSC, this will
now pass to local authorities. Although all 14-19
funding, apart from apprentices, will now come from
DCSF via local authorities, sponsorship of the FE
service as a whole will sit with DIUS. Much of the
detail of funding arrangements and the timing of
the changes has yet to be clarified, but it is being
assumed that the LSC, one of the biggest quangos,
will lose up to £7bn a year when responsibility
for 16-19 year olds moves to the local authorities.
Please click
here to read a full article about government and departmental changes.
STUDENT
PLACEMENTS – MORE THAN JUST A SANDWICH
Higher Education students, businesses, educational institutions and government
all agree that there are considerable benefits from undertaking some form of
work experience related to a student’s course of study. Along with government
targets aiming to raise participation rates in higher education, and the introduction
of new types of courses such as Foundation Degrees, this means that students
seeking work experience have more options than ever before.
Aside from improving employability
of graduates, there is some evidence that performance
of students on scientific courses is also improved
as a result of work experience. A study of bioscience
graduates at Bristol University in 2004 indicated
that up to a quarter of placement students may benefit
from their sandwich year by crossing a threshold
into a higher degree class. Chemistry students at
Nottingham Trent University between 1998 and 2001
who undertook a sandwich year also gained better
degree results compared with their peers without
industrial training.
However, recent information from
student placement officers at universities and colleges
indicates that many students are reluctant to take
up a sandwich year. The main reason appears to be
financial. For some students, rates of pay for work
experience are too low and they cannot afford to
give up their permanent part time work which is supporting
them through college. Other students have said they
do not want to delay entering the labour market and
want to complete their studies and start earning
more quickly. To ensure that students do take up
the increasing options available, government, businesses
and universities and colleges will need to work together
even more closely to ensure that students are able
to take advantage of work related learning.
Please click
here to read a full article about student placements,
the benefits, and the pressures which are reducing
student take up.
IMPROVING LEARNING PROVISION
FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES AND/OR DISABILITIES There have been numerous policy developments
nationally and at regional and local levels in recent
years to facilitate the transformation of provision
for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities
(LLDD), to significantly improve their life chances.
Within the context of wider strategic thinking
across the learning and skills and health sectors,
the Learning and Skills Council published its strategy
Learning
for Living and Work: Improving Education and Training Opportunities for People
with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities. The strategy sets out national
LSC’s vision for provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or
disabilities (LLDD), and how the FE system in particular needs to respond to
meet the vision under 6 key themes of ‘planning’, ‘quality’, ‘funding’, ‘working
with partners’, ‘communicating priorities’ and ‘learner
progression’.
In line with the Learning for Living and Work agenda,
the South East Learning and Skills Council strategy
Action for Inclusion provides a vision for the
South
East region to improve the post-16 learning and skills infrastructure for learners
with LDD. This includes: increasing the range of high quality learning available
for those with LDD; the development of foundation learning and flexible mainstream
provision for those who are NEET and who are not eligible or suited to E2E; developing
a network of specialist and mainstream providers; transforming the provider infrastructure
through review, collaboration, improved organisation and capital investment,
and; the implementation of a five year £1.4 billion Regional Capital Strategy
which includes learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Please click
here to read a full article on the Labour Market Focus website about emerging
policy on LLDD provision.
FLEXIBLE
WORKING FOR ALL
Beverley Hughes, Minister
for Children, Young People and Families, recently suggested
that workers without children should get the same rights
as parents to request flexible working hours. The minister
said that the move would help all 29 million UK workers
balance their home and work lives better.
Ms Hughes wrote: "We must redefine the 'ideal worker' and accept it is a
fantasy to expect people to have none other than work commitments."
These comments will be published in a new book to be released in May, marking
10 years since Labour's 1997 election victory. In the book, commissioned by the
Institute for Public Policy Research, Ms Hughes argues that the best way to help
children see more of their parents is for Britain's working culture to change.
Please click
here to read a full article on the Labour Market Focus website about emerging
thinking on flexible working practices, and activity in this area in the South
East region.
MATCHING
SKILLS TO JOBS FOR THE SOUTH EAST From the perspective
of those working and living in the South East, identifying
how the local and regional economy will grow, and
which skills will be needed, can ensure that the
economic prosperity of the region is accessed by
its residents. This edition of Spotlight On presents
some of the main information from the Region Profile,
looking at current performance, growth areas and
activity being undertaken to address issues.
The LSC South East has recently
released the Learning and Labour Market Region Profile
for 2006/2007, and we have summarised the key information
relating to skills supply and demand to show target
areas for employment in the South East in the next
seven years. Of interest to advisers and those working
in IAG will be the projected growth in employment
in professional and managerial occupations, and some
decline forecast in occupations in manufacturing
and construction. Please click
here to read the section on the Current Picture
of Skills and Qualifications and to find out more
about growth areas, as well as activity being undertaken
to match supply with demand.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
WHITE PAPER
The local government white paper, entitled Strong and Prosperous Communities
was published on 26th October 2006. The aim of the white paper was to make
changes to local government that would give local people and local communities
more influence and power to improve their lives. This stated aim builds upon
a growing consensus across central and local Government that steps need to
be taken to strengthen local leadership, to enhance the role of frontline councilors
and increase community involvement. The main areas covered by the white paper
are detailed in the full Spotlight On article on the Labour
Market Focus website. The implications on the ground are then considered,
with the reaction from the Local Government Association as well as opposition
groups considered.
THE SOUTH EAST
PLAN The Government’s
South East Plan (SEP) has been in the news over
the last couple of years, as it outlines how
we need to respond to the challenges facing the
region such as housing, the economy, transport
and protecting the environment. The SEP also
includes improvements that need to be made to
ensure that the South East remains economically
successful and an attractive place to live. With
the SEP about to be scrutinised by a series of
public examinations, we felt it would be an apt
time to highlight some of the content, why it
is needed, and the effect of it’s implementation
the on the local labour market. A few case studies
have been chosen to outline the types of job
opportunities and careers that will be in demand
as a result of the SEP. Click
here to go through to the website for the
full Spotlight On article.
LONDON
2012 OLYMPIC GAMES As the excitement of London’s success
in becoming host city for the 2012 Olympic Games
fades, the focus now turns to the task of delivering
a world class event. The Olympic Delivery Authority
has begun recruiting for a range of roles. However,
putting on a world class event will involve more
people than those working directly for the ODA. In
this Spotlight On we highlight what is happening
in the South East to get the most benefit from the
Games for the region. This includes a look at a dedicated
multi-agency skills and employment group and also
the WorldSkills games which will be held in London
in 2011.
Click
here for the full Spotlight On article
on
the website which covers the possible impact of the Games on jobs, skills and
tourism in the South East; the work of multi-agency groups to progress the
skills agenda; opportunities for young people from the Games and an introduction
to WorldSkills 2011.
OLDER PEOPLE IN THE WORKFORCE
Britain has an ageing population. The government, alongside governments in
other developed economies, is trying to encourage people to work longer. Companies
are also experiencing skills shortages and recruitment difficulties. The environment
as well as forthcoming legislation is making employers increasingly look to
the older workforce in their human resource strategies.
In the South East Region, there
are 1,424471 people between the ages of 50 and 64
(NOMIS, Census 2001). Under the new Employment Equality
(Age) Regulations 2006, businesses may only target
a certain age group if they are under-represented
in the workforce, but they must be careful not to
exclude other groups.
Click
herefor the full
Spotlight On article on the website which covers
barriers to the labour market that might face
older people, recruitment, information advice
and guidance issues as well as other information.
THE GRADUATE LABOUR MARKET
Motivations for Entering Higher Education
Students state that
their primary motivation for going to university
is to improve their job or employment prospects.
The Sodexho/Times Higher University Lifestyle
survey revealed the next most common reason to
be that a degree is essential for their chosen
profession. In fact, three of the top six reasons
relate directly to future employment. Unsurprisingly,
future earning potential was also a common reason.
For the full feature on the graduate labour market,click
here
Graduate employers are increasingly looking for new
graduate employees to bring transferable skills with them and to slot straight
into the workforce without intensive training. Skills gained through part-time
work during student years can have long-term benefits in a competitive graduate
employment market. The Graduate Prospects website contains student employability
profiles for twenty subject areas. It’s not only part-time work that
can give students valuable transferable skills, many organisations offer work
experience opportunities from a week or two, to a whole year: more information
can be found by contacting the National Council for Work Experience (NCWE)http://www.work-experience.org/
Information about the Graduate
Labour Market
The Higher Education Careers
Services Unit’s (HECSU) ‘Graduate Market
Trends’ comments on the latest data about graduate
employment,. Find these no-nonsense articles on the
Prospects website.
Did you know that …
More
than three fifths of UK-based graduates are in
paid employment within six months of graduating.
Almost
a quarter (23.9%) of graduates return to study
after graduation.
Female
graduates are slightly more likely than male
graduates to either be employed or be undertaking
further study.
The
number of graduate level vacancies is expected
to grow for the third year in a row.
The
average starting salary of graduates is around £17,000,
but can be more than £30,000 in top city
firms.
Find out much more about graduates’ first
jobs by reading the full feature click
here
Graduate Employment
in the South East
The South East region has campuses of 24 higher education institutions, and
almost fifty further education colleges in the South East also offer higher
education courses. BUT, only a third of young students from the South East
undertake their degree within the region. More than half (53%) of those graduating
from South East HEIs find employment within the region, but more than a fifth
find work in London.
The Association of Graduate Careers
Advisory Services is the professional association
of careers professionals in Higher Education. http://www.agcas.org.uk/
The Skills for Business network
comprises the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). Sector
Skills Councils are employer-led, independent bodies
that operate UK-wide and are, unsurprisingly, sector
based.
The SSCs are regulated and funded
by the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA).
The Sector Skills Matrix provides
a range of economic, employment and skills data by
sector.
SECTOR SKILLS COUNCIL IAG PROJECT – BRINGING
INDUSTRY AND IAG SERVICES TOGETHER
The project is funded by the
SSDA (the Sector Skills Development Agency) to test
the capacity of SSCs to develop and offer IAG services.
In particular, the project will focus on the accessibility
and interpretation of sector-specific labour market
intelligence in enhancing IAG provision to clients.
Click
here for the interview with Ann Mason from
the Sector Skills Agency for Audio Visual Industries
who is Project Manager for the IAG Project.
