Apprenticeship providers are rightly interested in tracking learner progress. But what kind of data and tools do management need to get the facts rather than a well-meaning fiction?
Continue readingHow technology can deliver diversity and inclusion in employability
Diversity and inclusion are pressing issues in employability. Technology can help deliver on this agenda by permitting real flexibility and personalisation. Read on to find our how.
Continue readingLightening the load: how future technologies could support work coach effectiveness
The emergent technologies of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) have produced anxieties about change and potential job losses. But can we see these advanced technologies as assisting and enhancing our jobs? In this article, we look at how new technologies could enhance the effectiveness of job coaches.
Continue readingDesigning a data strategy for the employability sector
Understanding human psychology is invaluable when supporting someone effectively on their journey into work. Employability providers possess increasingly large datasets that, if used well, contain significant insights that could support the provision of a better service. The challenge for a sector under increasing pressure is knowing how to extract meaningful direction from the mountains of data at their fingertips.
Continue readingSupporting effective personalisation in employability services
Personalisation has become a buzzword in employability. But has the employment sector achieved personalisation and, if not, what should it look like?
Continue readingSolving unemployment at scale – a response to ONS data
As the ONS has reported, unemployment is rising. The 16-24 age group, who typically occupy roles in some of the worst hit sectors including hospitality, entertainment and the arts, have been particularly affected. However, the spike in unemployment caused by COVID-19 is pan-generational. In August 2020, the claimant count reached 2.7 million people, an increase of 120.8% since March 2020. Notably, there is a significant rise in the number of people unemployed for up to six months, up 202,000 over the year to 988,000. This poses an additional challenge; it’s widely recognised that the longer someone is out of work, the harder it is for them to re-enter the workforce.
Continue readingSkills sector is vital to the Covid-19 unemployment fall-out
GDP is sharply down, and unemployment is rising. Big sectors which have helped many enter the labour force such as hospitality are hard hit and not likely to perform the same role in the next recovery. How bad could unemployment become, and what can we do to arrest its growth and help the out of work redeploy their skills? In this piece we look at the ONS forecasts, compare them with previous recessions and recoveries and seek to draw conclusions relevant to skills training.
Continue readingCybersecurity functionality critical for CAEHRS digital employability solutions
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), as part of its Commercial Agreement for the Provision of Employment and Health Related Services (CAEHRS), prioritises the role of digital solutions to employability programmes. How do providers ensure that the digital solutions they offer are cybersecure?
Continue readingTechnology is a core part of the CAEHRS framework
Digital services are one of the criteria for the Department of Work and Pensions CAEHRS framework for employability procurement. So how can you access the technology you need to ensure a viable bid?
Continue reading‘Kickstart’ the economy with Apprenticeships and Traineeships
The Chancellor’s summer statement focuses on three things:
1. Support jobs
2. Protect jobs
3. Create jobs
This government clearly acknowledges the role for continued work-based skills development, through apprenticeships and traineeships.
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