Fiona Wilson

A-level students grappling to deliver higher than ever grade expectations to secure places at university may not need to worry, as more employers say that higher education is only ‘somewhat’ (39%) or ‘not at all’ (12%) adequately preparing new talent to enter the digital workforce. O’Reilly conducted research in September 2024, surveying 500 employers in large UK companies with more than 250 employees. It set out to identify how UK employers are acquiring new talent amid a widening skills gap and economic flatlining. https://bit.ly/3YfkJD4 #Reed HR #Apprenticeships #Skills #EarlyCareer #Workforce Maxine Ettridge Gemma Colman (nee Carver) Shania Fearn Michelle Topley Carol Smith Stella Snelling Melanie Marjoram Carolyn Thompson FIRP Sophie Clarke Mariana Lee Steph Thompson Daniel Bray Cal Lowden Allie Spillett Lucy Curtis Gavin Watson

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All eyes on Labour's first budget in 14 years this afternoon 👀 For those of us in the Skills & Education sector, the budget represents a pivotal opportunity to reshape and strengthen our approach to lifelong learning, apprenticeships and vocational training. With record numbers of Skills Gaps affecting UK industries, it's crucial that today's budget not only acknowledges these issues, but prioritises investment into practical education pathways. Ensuring robust support for Apprenticeship Programmes and digital up-skilling will be essential in future proofing the workforce and creating a resilient and inclusive economy. If Labour's approach prioritises a skilled economy - One that combines academic knowledge with hands-on experience, this could be the turning point for skills parity and access to quality training. Here's hoping that Rachel Reeves delivers the right policies which will pave the way for a future where everyone has the opportunity to learn, adapt and excel. Roll on 12.30 #Budget2024 #Labour #Skills #Education #Apprenticeships

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🚀 Is Your DEI Strategy Ready for What’s Next? The DEI landscape is always evolving, with emerging focuses like neurodiversity, digital inclusion, and accessibility now taking centre stage. To stay competitive, organisations need a DEI strategy that’s adaptable and ready to meet future demands.Is your current approach up to the challenge? 🌟 Find out with our free DEI Knowledge Check, a quick assessment that will show how prepared your strategy is for tomorrow’s world Link in comments below

Thrilled to share the launch of our new Apprenticeship campaign 👏 Management and leadership apprenticeships are one of the most effective ways to develop capabilities and boost performance as a leader - and by partnering with CMI, you and your learners have our support every step of the way! Learn more below 👇 #CMIPartner #ChooseCMI #Apprenticeships

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Today I tuned into Liz Kendall on the Today Programme BBC News discussing the new Government's vision in tackling unemployment. I welcome the plans to bring careers into a big new role for Job Centres - it's critical to use the face to face infrastructure as effectively as possible. It was also great to hear that by the end of this term the plan is for all young people to be in work, education or training - shockingly 1 in 8 young people aren't right now! Kendall needs to take note of the importance of community based provision of digital skills training and digital inclusion for unemployed people. Our UK Community Renewal Fund pilots involved communities across three northern Combined Authorities. People involved were seeking work and economically inactive, and a whopping 75% didn't have a laptop for learning nor job searching. After their involvement on the community based digital skills pathway, 47% progressed onto further learning, 44% reported better employment prospects, and 33% applied for a job. Fixing the digital divide helps people find work and grows our economy: https://lnkd.in/gkNSST9q The Labour Party #digitalinclusion #employment #economicgrowth

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How do we make better decisions about investing in skills and apprenticeships? By looking beyond costs to understand the social return on investment (SROI). Jo Bishenden, Managing Director of Apprenticeships at QA, shares her insights on why SROI must be at the heart of education and skills policy to ensure we’re creating value not only for businesses but for society as a whole. Explore Jo's vision for a smarter, more impactful approach to policy in her latest article for FE Week: https://ow.ly/Sa8v30sIm6P #Apprenticeships #SkillsPolicy #Education #SROI #LifelongLearning

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How can Further Education keep moving forward? Mark Dawe, CEO of The Skills Network, discusses how the FE sector should continue embracing technology and developing new ways of working to deliver better outcomes for students. https://bit.ly/3QaMGZE #ReedFurtherEducation #furthereducation #technology #students #outcomes

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The Benefits of Valuing Potential Over Experience in Recruitment 🚀 Hiring for potential can transform your recruitment strategy. Here’s some key benefits: 1. Expand the talent pool 2. Drive innovation 3. Reduce turnover 4. Save money 5. Boost culture Is hiring for potential right for your business? In this blog, we explore how focusing on potential over experience can change up your hiring approach and lead to sustainable growth. Read more 👉 https://bit.ly/4bCEgC6 #Recruitment #HiringPotential #ReadOurBlog

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The Career Development Professional 6 apprenticeship is at RISK! IfATE is proposing that the CDP 6 be 'retired' from March 2025! There are a number of reasons why this is a BAD idea! 1) If the CDP 6 option is withdrawn, then it takes the only funded option for careers practitioners away. This will put increased pressure on individuals self funding or employers budgets which have varying demands. 2) The career development sector has a supply issue with qualified practitioners. This could reduce the pool of possible staff further and undermine the important work being done. 3) It takes away a proven, quality learning experience and increases the risk of the training of careers practitioners becoming even more of a lottery. 4) Schools and colleges will find it harder to achieve the Gatsby Benchmark 8 and be at risk of a poor grading from Ofsted visits. 5) At a time of economic and political uncertainty, career development support is essential, from informed and qualified professionals. Furthermore, why consider this option when there may be a change of government and focus in the coming months. As a leading provider of this apprenticeship we request a full consultation with all parties across the sector to find a sensible solution. This idea is ill-conceived and the proposal needs tearing up and throwing into the bin, where it belongs! Please support career development, stand together and oppose this proposal. AC Training Roddy Christie Claire McKelvie Tony Lloyd Helen Birchall Paul Workman #careerdevelopment #careers #CDI #employability #nhscareers #apprenticeships #careerdevelopmentprofessional #universities #colleges #studentservices #workforcedevelopment #careerleaders

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