Blog posts for tag:reed ncfe

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Responding to criticism of the FE sector

By , Monday 20 October 2014

The Further Education sector has come under criticism lately as Sir Michael Wilshaw, Head of Ofsted, has suggested that students in further education “are not being well served,” and that there is a “worryingly wide” gap between education and employment. In addition, colleges have been accused of delivering ‘irrelevant’ courses that don’t prepare learners for employment. At NCFE, we know that colleges work incredibly hard in order to prepare their learners for the world of work and we have seen many fantastic examples of this.

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The employability mindset

By Kristina Gray, Communications Assistant, Thursday 20 March 2014

Kristina Blog

The start of 2014 showed some promise with unemployment figures decreasing in the UK. The number of people out of work in the UK fell by 63,000 to 2.33 million which is definitely a positive sign, however 17.9% of young people aged 16-24 who aren’t in full time education are still unemployed. The figures show there are more opportunities for employment, however it may be difficult for young people to capitalise on them and secure a job if they aren’t fully prepared for what’s ahead of them.

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An insight into employment statistics: The McKinsey report

By Nicola Hughes, Communications Leader, Thursday 23 January 2014

Nicola Hughes

At first glance the ONS (Office for National Statistics) figures for employment, covering the last three months, are encouraging, showing a drop of 39,000 in the number of 16 – 24 year olds out of work in the UK. However if we look at the figures for the last twelve months they have in fact risen from 894,000 to 902,000. Meanwhile, McKinsey & Company’s recently published report Education to employment: Getting Europe’s youth into work (January 2014) claims that youth unemployment is nothing new and has been as high as triple the rate of general unemployment in Europe for the last 20 years.  

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Teenagers' 'mismatched' job ambitions

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Thursday 28 March 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

A recent survey amongst young people suggests there's a misalignment between young people's career expectations and the reality of the jobs available. Nick Chambers, Director of the Education and Employers Taskforce, says that the results highlight the need for better careers advice and indicate that teenagers have a weak understanding of the labour market.

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Can the Work Programme succeed?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Wednesday 28 November 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

Official figures this week show that the Work Programme has missed its main target for getting people sustained jobs - only 3.53% of people on the programme have found a job for 6 months or more (the coalition's target was 5.5%). The programme provides tailored support for claimants who need more help to undertake active and effective job-seeking. Joining the work programme is mandatory for people aged over 25 when they have been out of work for a year and for under-25s after 9 months.

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Unemployment rates drop... but there's still room for improvement

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Friday 09 November 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

By David Grailey It’s encouraging to see that the latest reports from the Office for National Statistics have revealed a fall in unemployment, suggesting that Britain’s economy may be on the slow road to recovery. This positive development has surprised economists who’ve been impressed with the resilience of the labour market at such a challenging time. 

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Looking for a job – a job in itself?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Tuesday 30 October 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has highlighted the huge task faced by young unemployed people looking for work and has reinforced the need for rigorous preparation and active job search, in order to be successful. The research was carried out across 3 UK cities, one with a weak supply of jobs, one with a better supply and one in-between. Researchers sent 2,000 job applications from fictional learners with at least 5 good GCSEs and relevant work experience to 667 real vacancies (sales assistants, cleaners, office administrators and kitchen hands).

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Work Programme – a positive impact on employment

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Tuesday 17 July 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

Data published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) this week suggests that the Government's flagship welfare-to-work scheme, the Work Programme, has had a positive effect on the long-term unemployed. The figures reveal that 48% of people who joined the Programme at its launch in June 2011 had a break in benefit claims by the end of 9 months, and almost 25% had stopped claiming benefits for at least three months. The latest stats are encouraging after a National Audit Office (NAO) report earlier this year indicated that only 15% of over-25s would get jobs through the Work Programme in contrast to the official government estimate of 40%.

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Delivering employment outcomes in FE – what’s the answer?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Friday 13 July 2012

Lindsay Plumpton

It’s hard to ignore the challenges faced by unemployed people in the UK today – we’re confronted with an almost daily stream of bad news related to the issue. This week, Ofsted published its report Skills for Employment.  The report was a direct response to the government’s plans for FE providers to offer work-based training to help the unemployed into work and was critical of FE providers. According to the report, only 19% of students were successful in finding a job when leaving college.

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