Welfare Reform on the Web (June 2004): Education - UK - Training

ALL WHITE AT THE TOP

S. Hoare

Education Guardian, May 25th, p.16

With 400 colleges and only five ethnic minority principals, inequality in further education is worse even than in the police force. The article asks why colleges, which have always made a lot of their efforts to attract a wide cross-section of the community as students, have failed to recruit and retain ethnic minority staff.

ATTRACTING MICRO-ENTERPRISES TO LEARNING: COMMUNITY INITIATIVES OR GROWTH INCENTIVES

L.M. Martin and A. Halstead

Community, Work and Family, Vol. 7, 2004, p.29-42

Micro-enterprises, firms employing less than 10 people, are least likely to participate in government sponsored training programmes. The article presents a case study of a community based initiative aimed at training parents in computer skills which attracted 30 micro-enterprises to participate in learning for the first time. The companies had avoided similar local initiatives which emphasised business growth, and had only participated in the ICT skills training because of their children.

CAN'T PAY, WON'T PAY

P. Kingston

Education Guardian, May 25th 2004, p.2-3

A college principal has quit because he says his staff deserve higher salaries than he can offer. The article asks if this was an empty gesture, or if the government should sit up and listen?

TIME TO BE PRACTICAL

P. Kingston

Education Guardian, May 11th 2004, p.14-15

Article looks at the government's latest revamp and expansion of apprenticeships, including the creation of adult apprenticeships.