Latest information and actions from the Education and Skills Funding Agency for academies, schools, colleges, local authorities and 
further education providers.
Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Anne Milton unveils new qualifications based on rigorous national standards to give adults the digital 
skills they need.
Free courses will be offered to thousands of people to help the 1 in 5 adults with no or low basic digital skills learn how to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
The new qualifications, unveiled on 23rd April 2019 by Apprenticeship and Skills Minister Anne Milton, will be based on new, rigorous national standards and will be available for free to anyone over the age of 19 from 2020.
They have been designed to help adults learn the essential skills, such as sending emails, completing online forms or using a tablet, that many people take for granted.
Research shows that digital skills have become as important in getting a job and being part of society as English and Maths. An estimated 90% of all jobs in the next 20 years will require some form of digital knowledge, but one in five adults still lack these skills. Read more
The job search can be tough. Jobseekers may face rejection after rejection, without knowing why. These talks offer tips to help make the process a little 
easier and offer some insights into the hiring process.
How to make applying for jobs less painful
This brief video by technologist Priyanka Jain examines the new hiring landscape, in which more and more companies are using tech-forward methods to identify candidates. She explains how candidates can leverage technology to benefit them in their job search. Read more
The latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs showed that heightened uncertainty towards the outlook underpinned the fastest decline in permanent staff appointments since mid-2016 in March.
Brexit-related uncertainty also contributed to a further steep decline in staff availability.
Key findings
- Permanent placements fall at quickest pace since July 2016
- Vacancies increase at slowest rate since August 2016
- Availability of candidates continues to decline sharply
If you want to show older people how to use the internet for the first time, or help someone to improve their skills, this guide, produced by the Centre for Ageing Better and the Good Things foundation, 
is for you.
It doesn’t matter if you’re helping a friend or family member, or someone you support as part of your job or volunteering role. Inside, you’ll find lots of tips on how to get started.
There’s also advice if you’re interested in setting up long-term learning for a group of older people. You don’t need to be a computer expert to be able to provide good help. If you feel confident using the internet by yourself, you know enough.
The Assessment Services Awards are back and nominations are open!
Through our work in assessing organisations against a variety of quality standards, we recognise the impact that using different frameworks can have on performance and customer experience. The Assessment Services Ltd Annual Awards seek to recognise those organisations who have gained demonstrable benefits from using one or more of our quality standards.
There is no limit to the number of categories that can be entered, although only one entry per category will be accepted. There is no set format for entries, however, each entry must not exceed 1,000 words. When considering an entry please ensure your organisation is accredited/certificated to the Standard Award within the categories.
THE CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES IS 31st MAY 2019.
View the categories and information on how to enter HERE
Latest information and actions from the Education and Skills Funding Agency for academies, schools, colleges, local authorities and further education providers.
The latest Skills Shortage Bulletin from The Edge Foundation. Links is now available.
OLLY NEWTON, Director of Policy and Research, Edge Foundation explains what is in the bulletin:
In this edition, we look at the current state of the labour market through research by CIPD. This suggests that, with so many graduates in non- graduate jobs and workers not making full use of their skills, as many as half (49%) of UK workers could be in the wrong job, based on their skill level.
ARTICLE BY: Stephen Isherwood |
APPRENTICES NEED TO WORK A LOT HARDER ON DEVELOPING THEIR PROFESSIONALISM AT WORK COMPARED TO GRADUATES, BUT THERE ARE LITTLE DIFFERENCES IN KEY SKILLS SUCH AS RESILIENCE, LEADERSHIP AND DEALING WITH CONFLICT. CONTRIBUTOR STEPHEN ISHERWOOD, CHIEF EXECUTIVE – ISE.
Employers are also twice as likely to report that apprentices lack presentation, analysis, IT, writing, problem solving and interpersonal skills. However, there are few differences between graduates and apprentices in relation to resilience, managing up, leadership, dealing with conflict, self-awareness, career management and emotional intelligence.
Institute of Student Employers (ISE) asked its members about the 76,000 entry-level staff they have hired over the last three years, including graduates, apprentices and school leavers. The Survey revealed that employers are almost four times as likely to raise concerns about how apprentices dress for work in comparison to graduates.
Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express, has launched the UK’s biggest rail recruitment campaign to attract more women and young people to consider a rewarding career in rail.
In the UK, just five percent of Britain’s 19,000 train drivers are women, but GTR is committed to changing this and has already taken steps to address the imbalance. Last year, 30 percent of Southern’s trainee driver roles were taken up by women, up from 18 percent in 2017. In addition, a class of new trainee drivers on both Great Northern and Southern had a 50:50 gender split in 2018.
GTR now has over 2,000 qualified drivers across the Southern, Great Northern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express network, the first train operating company (TOC) ever to reach this milestone.
