“Groundbreaking” national skills audit published

The first year anniversary of the government's strategy to put Britain at the cutting edge of industrial development has been marked by the publication of a “groundbreaking” national skills audit. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) audit of UK skills sets out current trends and what skills will be needed for the economy to grow in the coming years. View More >

New award recognises organisations that invest in employee wellbeing

Investors in People (IIP) this week launched a new award aimed at recognising employers who have strengthened their organisation by investing in their staff's health and wellbeing. IIP says the new Health and Wellbeing Good Practice Award is the result of five years research with UK employers that found proactive management of health and wellbeing can improve business performance by increasing productivity, reducing absenteeism and enhancing employee retention. View More >

Employers failing to Integrate talent management and diversity

Organisations are failing to embed diversity into talent management strategies in a way that would give them an advantage during the recovery. According to research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) diversity should be threaded through all talent management activities so employers can reap the benefits of accessing and developing talent from the widest possible pool. View More >

Health sector workforce skills need to be utilised more effectively, report finds

Skills for Health, the sector skills council for the UK health sector, says employers must find new ways to utilise the skills of existing staff if they are to deliver greater productivity and higher quality care. Its Sector Skills Assessment 2009/2010 report says that while the sector enjoys a high skills base, employers urgently need to consider how these skills can be utilised more effectively in preparation for a period of further financial restraint. View More >

Millionth worker completes training through Train to Gain

A chemical manufacturer’s worker, Chris Scott, has become the millionth person to gain a qualification through the government’s Train to Gain programme. The process operator at William Blythe Ltd, in Accrington, completed his level 2 NVQ in Business Improvement Techniques earlier this year. View More >

Last week to apply for cash in return for help in NEET survey

Cash incentives are being offered to learning and skills providers who can help in a research project into why a record number of young people and adults are outside of education, employment or training (NEETs). A sample group of the one million NEETs in England will be interviewed as part of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) research in a bid to find out their aspirations and help them back in to training and education. View More >

On demand software training company bought by compliance specialist

Training company Cobent Limited has been bought by software as a service (SaaS) compliance specialist Access Intelligence PLC. Cobent was acquired for £5.2m comprised of shares in Access Intelligence and £3m in cash. View More >

‘Inpats’ increasingly being used by organisations to bridge skills gaps

One in five personnel development professionals believe immigrant workers bring a higher level of experience to their jobs than UK recruits. The NatWest survey of more than 100 companies also found British businesses are hunting globally for fresh talent in an effort to bridge the domestic skills gap. View More >

New academic centre to boost employees’ performance at work launches this month

City University London is set to launch a new interdisciplinary Centre for Performance at Work, in recognition of the billions of pounds that organisations spend every year to recruit, develop and retain staff. The centre hopes to work with businesses to shape new thinking and develop evidence-based solutions on leadership, performance, well being at work and talent management. View More >

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