Blog

Schools’ career services are not up to standard, according to education watchdog Ofsted. Three quarters of schools visited were reportedly not delivering effective careers advice and Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw commented, "It’s worrying that the new arrangements are failing to provide good guidance." The main concerns were around a lack of employer involvement and a propensity to promote academia over vocational training, resulting in young people leaving education unaware of the full range of options available to them.

Tagged:

Tweet

Welcome back and we hope you enjoyed a relaxing break. It’s the start of a new session – a time to look to the future and plan for a successful year ahead. There’s been a lot in the news this summer about the class of 2013; the young people who’ve received their GCSE and A-Level results and are looking to the next stage in their education and career. It can be a stressful time as teens face a daunting unemployment rate of 40%. There’s been a drop in the proportion of GCSE exam entries awarded top grades for the second year in a row and the overall pass rate also fell slightly, for the first time in the exam’s 25-year history. There’s also been a fall in the proportion of A-levels awarded top grades for the second time, after years of steady increases.

Tagged:

Tweet

As youth unemployment in the UK remains high, national schemes to tackle youth unemployment are coming under fire. The LGA (group representing English councils) has criticised the current system as over-complicated with 35 different national schemes across 13 different age boundaries. The cost of the schemes is around £15bn a year. However, a representative for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has said that although youth unemployment remains a problem, the level has fallen by 38 000 in the last year.

Tagged:

Tweet

According to a recent survey for the Confederation of British Industry, 93% of 294 firms felt they knew best what employee skills they needed and would like qualifications to be better tailored to their needs. Almost half of those surveyed (45%) stated that many applicants with the right skills did not have the right mindset for work, while 39% said they often lacked any general work experience. The survey also revealed that 62% of organisations are worried about poor computing skills, 55% about literacy and 51% about numeracy.

Tagged:

Tweet

A recent report, commissioned by independent education charity, the Edge Foundation, has established a link between low take-up of vocational courses in Britain and high levels of youth unemployment. In the UK, one in five (21%) young people were out of work in 2012 in contrast to just 9.5% in the Netherlands. Interestingly, in the UK only 32% chose vocational options in upper secondary education compared with 67% in the Netherlands. Is this link significant?

Tagged:

Tweet

A recent report, commissioned by independent education charity, the Edge Foundation, has established a link between a low take-up of vocational courses in Britain and high levels of youth unemployment. In the UK, one in five (21%) young people were out of work in 2012 in contrast to just 9.5% in the Netherlands. Interestingly, in the UK only 32% chose vocational options in upper secondary education compared with 67% in the Netherlands.

Tagged:

Tweet

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.

Tagged:

Tweet

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.

Tagged:

Tweet

By David Grailey, Chief Executive An 11 month review into Apprenticeships has concluded that urgent reforms are required to the government’s Apprenticeship programme in order to boost economic growth.

Tagged:

Tweet

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.

Tagged:

Tweet

Schools

Colleges

Training Providers

Employers

Learners

NCFE is a national Awarding Organisation

Blog posts for tag:unemployment

Is careers advice failing our young people?

Giving learners 'added value'

Youth unemployment schemes - are they working?

UK employers want more control over training

Link between low take-up of vocational qualifications and high levels of unemployment

Report establishes link between low take-up of vocational courses and high levels of youth unemployment

Teenagers' 'mismatched' job ambitions

Can the Work Programme succeed?

BIS report on Apprenticeships highlights need for change

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

Authors

Lindsay Plumpton

David Grailey

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Esme Winch

Michael Lemin

Categories

Archive

Blog posts for tag:unemployment

Subscribe

Authors

Lindsay Plumpton

David Grailey

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Esme Winch

Michael Lemin

Categories

Archive