In the news this week it was reported that the proportion of school leavers who got a job last year slumped to the lowest level for a decade amid the uncertainty caused by Covid. The latest official figures show that 47,454 pupils left school last summer, and that nine months after they left 66.5% were in Higher or Further Education, the highest since records began in 2009. However, in contrast the number in employment was down from 28% to 21.3%, the lowest figure since records began. Also more worryingly, the percentage of school leavers who were unemployed increased from 5.8% in 2018/19 to 6.8% for last year's leavers.

Over the past decade there has been a significant rise in the number of pupils staying at school beyond 16. Is this a good thing in itself? Or is the education system simply having to adapt to the fact that in the modern world there are fewer good jobs for young people, and that unskilled jobs are disappearing? It is an interesting philosophical question to contemplate - one quite distinct from the question of ensuring all young people can achieve their potential in education, regardless of wealth or family background. The suspicion of some has always been that the education system has had to soak up youngsters who might otherwise have been unemployed - either because of economic problems or the gradual disappearance of some unskilled jobs. Backed by the fact that the number of so-called NEETs ( youngsters who are ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training) is at a very low level by historic standards. So we return to the question: is a school system where it is unusual for a youngster to leave early and a college system which has to find places for those who would otherwise be unemployed achieving something positive in itself? Or is it merely parking the youth unemployment problem?

Few people would argue that educational opportunities should not be as widely available as possible. But the issue touches on an intriguing question. Once, it was possible to leave school with grades and get a job with prospects. Not so long ago, many good jobs were available to youngsters. Today, other than apprenticeships, most good jobs for young people require a college or university qualification first. So is the education system having to deal with the practical effect of economic change? De-industrialisation and automation mean many of the unskilled, entry level jobs once filled by school-leavers no longer exist. Or what changes are required to help to provide the workforce the economy needs?

The argument is that England, like every advanced country, needs as skilled a workforce as possible to compete internationally and fulfil its potential. A skilled workforce does not just mean turning out scientists and surgeons - it means hairdressers and staff for the hospitality industry too. Once, fewer people in those industries would have received any formal college training and might simply have learned on the job or served a traditional apprenticeship. But the argument is that a proper course and training raises standards and allows the best to shine. Anecdotally, of course, many of the genuinely unskilled jobs which those with few qualifications may once have done (say stacking shelves in the supermarket) are now done by students or those with college or university qualifications who find themselves "underemployed" . Indeed, while the number of young people at university is close to a historic high, a significant proportion of graduates do not secure what would be seen as graduate-level jobs even if few would do unskilled work for long. None of this is to suggest a good education is not of value in itself, even if it does not lead to someone getting a better job than they may have got otherwise. But perhaps it is interesting to reflect on how in the space of barely 40 years since the 1970s, the time someone routinely spends in education has increased. Once, a basic education ended at 15; and now really low numbers are leaving the educational system to take up jobs and apprenticeships.
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Our team at Heyllo! are championing a campaign to help all young people ‘Feel Awesome’ and a core part of this campaign is to ensure all young people have the opportunity and chance to get high quality jobs and apprenticeships. If you want to join the campaign, you can pledge your support by signing up using this link https://www.heyllo.co.uk/pledge.html  

#heyllo #feelawesome #pledge

The Prime Minister has announced the delay in the final step of the Government’s coronavirus lockdown-easing roadmap by four weeks. The effect on our clients businesses could be significant, with some referring to a cliff edge of costs.

It is clearly a huge blow for many businesses, particularly those in the retail and hospitality sectors. With government support for business ending or beginning to taper off, you can definitely see why it’s being referred to as a cliff edge! It is now vital that this government support is pushed out commensurately with the lockdown extension. Such things as the need for businesses to start contributing 10% towards furlough costs from 1 July, all the return to work planning and business rates relief tapering off…..all need to be considered amongst the announcement!

Although the announcement is not a surprise – it will still be disappointing for our clients in certain sectors, particularly for example, those in hospitality. We’ll be supporting our clients to use this extra time to continue supporting their staff and offering them flexible training opportunities. It is important that the sectors like hospitality can retain the talent required to meet the new timescales, considering all the efforts that have gone into recruitment strategies to date. Together, with our clients, we will help engage with all affected individuals to help them use the next 4 weeks wait positively

If we can help you retain your staff across the next 4 weeks get in touch.

In the news today was an article quoting a research finding that suggested a third of workers would leave their job if employers do not continue to provide for flexible working beyond the pandemic.

It seems it is becoming more and more apparent that employee sentiment is perfectly clear and employers could be taking risks by not adopting flexible working approaches. So is flexible working the way forward?

It’s seems hard for us as employers to adopt either a blanket ‘back to the office’ or ‘only work at home’ stance based on these findings. We risk our employees feeling dissatisfied about the company, and in today’s competitive job market, the cost of this decision in recruitment and retention terms far outweighs the cost of a new flexible approach. It is therefore, really important that we carefully consider how to provide more flexible solutions as pandemic restrictions ease, and use this as an opportunity to change outdated ways of working. In real terms more flexible working in all its forms can help to attract and retain people with the right skills for the job and can lead to more diverse and inclusive workplaces, and it can also be good for wellbeing and productivity.
 
It all sounds too good to be true, right? If you look at alternative research to provide a balanced perspective then you’ll also find information on working from home leading to an “ergonomic timebomb”, due to decreased levels of physical activity. Or that while productivity has improved among those working remotely, employees have been working three hours longer on average per week, leading to concerns of burnout. Therefore, flexible working is not a simple equation to solve, and emphasises that employers must review their whole approach to health and wellbeing as more chose to employ hybrid working policies.
 
It is clear that wellbeing and productivity are two sides of the same coin, and in the same way organisations plan for market changes, if the last 12 months has taught us anything it is that the health of our people is the most valuable asset to help businesses recover and grow. Therefore, flexible approaches to achieving this should be a critical element of any employer’s plans as we re-emerge following a challenging year. What works for one employer, won’t work for another – but if ever a time to try and test new approaches has existed, then this is it!

#flexibleworkinghours #flexitime #wellbeing #productivity #growth #policies
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There is no doubt that the pandemic has seen a rise in digital learning (and working) as employers and their staff have had to adapt to the way the crisis has changed the world of work.

In a recent article I read that was published by CIPD, it was reported that 70 per cent of businesses saw a surge in the use of digital or online programmes over the last year. The main reasons for this increase is readily associated with the restrictions the pandemic imposed, but a lot of the credit should be given to all the training organisations and learning professional that have stepped up and delivered, despite the obvious cuts in both budgets and resource. These efforts have never been more important for employers as they reskill and redeploy their workers and adapt to the changing environment. So what now?

How will training in the future look like as we all start to emerge from the restrictions imposed across the last 15 months? Firstly, it is clear that even through a pandemic learning never stops! And the need for learning is greater than ever before, with businesses needing new skills and a fair amount of imagination to face new-world challenges. Only this week we’ve been speaking with a variety of employers who have reported an increased need for mental health training across their leadership teams due to the effects of the pandemic – that didn’t exist or wasn’t as prevalent pre-pandemic. Or a group of employers that require support to upskill their team leaders so they can manage their workforce more remotely using technology solutions – again as a consequence of the pandemic and new ways of working. We truly hope that the digital innovation that has been demonstrated over the past year remains, and it continues to allow individuals and organisations to adjust, shine and emerge successfully on the other side of a turbulent year! If we get this right we will see learning happening more frequently, flexibly and impactfully, whether individuals are at home, in the office or a bit of both.

#digitial #online #learning #development #homelearning #l&d #newskills #adapting #reskill #redeploy
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​The new skills and post-16 education Bill launched last week sets out the government’s priorities, including a skills “revolution” that promises to strengthen jobs.

Perhaps the time has come to realise you can't 'level up' by simply offering more training courses (although part of the solution). This has to be accompanied by clear signposting to high-quality careers support for young people that helps them make successful and sustainable progress into real jobs. The question that needs to be addressed should be 'Where are the highly visible places and spaces for careers and job support or advice for young people in England?’ For example, as a recruitment company we have dozens of apprenticeship vacancies that we struggle (like many) to pass onto young people due to this gap in the system. This is exacerbated by the fact that many FE providers or schools will only allow a recruitment company to share the Apprenticeship vacancies with their learners if they are delivering the training directly……this can’t be right?

The need for more specialist (and potentially independent) careers advisers and coaches, as part of a system that puts young people's needs first, has never been more needed. If the government is willing to commit in skills investment, then it must recognise the need to complement this with a support system of careers guidance and recruitment services. Only by better connecting young people to jobs and careers will we make the lifetime skills guarantee and personalised guidance work for all.

The new skills and post-16 education Bill can be found here https://lnkd.in/eYcufk7
 
#careers #careercoach #jobs #careersupport #work #learning #recruitment