Skillstories

Maths made interesting

Can maths be fun?

Maths has long been associated with difficult school lessons and dreary household calculations, but for Rob Eastaway, author of How Many Socks Make a Pair, this does not have to be the case. See if you can answer this surprisingly interesting maths puzzles.

Brits waste an average of two and a half hours a day faffing

New research reveals the vast majority of Brits (80 per cent) admit to wasting time everyday.

Just under half estimate they ‘faff around’ for as much as 2-3 hours a day.

Waiting around for the kids, colleagues and queuing top the list of how Brits waste their time.

Skilled to go – Learning everyday consumer skills - a teachers’ toolkit

Skilled to go – Learning everyday consumer skills - a teachers’ toolkit

OFT and LLU+ at London South Bank University have organised a series of events across the UK to launch ‘Skilled to go’, a free web-based toolkit using everyday consumer situations as contexts for learning literacy and numeracy.

Developed for use in further education settings, the toolkit develops consumer skills, knowledge and confidence and has been successfully piloted in two colleges.

Skilled to go is designed for learners at Entry 3 - Level 2 (Access 3 and Intermediate 1 and 2 in Scotland), and includes content for ESOL learners. It has tailored versions for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

To find out how Skilled to go can be used to motivate and engage learners, book your place on a free launch event by contacting Trevor Jones at LLU+ on 020 7815 6260 or jonest2@lsbu.ac.uk

 Wednesday, 10 September - London
 Friday, 12 September – Edinburgh

For more information, please check out www.oft.gov.uk/skilledtogo or contact Sam Brew, Consumer Education Manager
sam.brew@oft.gsi.gov.uk

National Apprenticeship Services to ensure Apprenticeships top of the bill

Measures to ensure that apprenticeships are of a high quality have been announced by the government. The Apprenticeships Bill aims to guarantee that by 2013 there will be enough apprenticeship places for all suitably qualified young people. The Bill will establish the first statutory basis for the apprenticeships programme, and redefine the “blueprint” outlining what apprenticeships should contain. 

John Denham calls on Employees to Consider Higher Education Again

The Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham, calls on employees to grasp the opportunity to improve their job prospects and increase their earnings by taking one of the wide range of qualifications that higher education has to offer.

Adult Learners’ Week Awards for 2009 are now open

As you will know, The Learning and Skills Council, as part of their campaign ‘Your Life in Your Hands’ advocating learning at work, says to employers……..
‘If your staff don’t have the right skills for the future then neither does your business.
It may not seem an obvious link but Adult Learners’ Week nominations support this statement by celebrating the success of employees (and their employers) from the widest of fields to encourage more learning at work to take place.
In the West Midlands this year almost every winner of an Adult Learners’ Week award did so because of their personal effort and the time taken to improve their employability, or to enhance the skills of their staff.  Bob Lawrence, Director of the West Midlands Wildlife Park, having worked in the ‘wildlife industry’ for 35 years, won the national Learning Works award for encouraging his staff to improve their qualifications but also for putting into practice what he was preaching.  He studied for his degree after a 12 hour shift in the Park every day. Robert Galloway was celebrated for his efforts on moving from a truck driver to an archaeologist, Clare Harris was a cleaner and is now a classroom assistant heading nicely towards being a teacher and Isiah Williams, having started off as a DJ and street seller, found his niche working for the Youth Justice Board in Coventry and has successfully passed his Professional Certificate in Effective Practice.

LSC says that 1 in 5 people find holiday sums puzzling

1 in 5 people in England struggle with converting currencies when abroad and admit it is their top maths worry. With school summer holidays now getting;underway, the Get On campaign is urging sun seekers to brush up on their maths skills to avoid bringing home debt, as well as a tan.

90% of learners satisfied with their Further Education, LSC reports

The FE system continues to make a significant contribution to the skills of the nation, with success rates in FE at record levels (78 per cent) as shown in the LSC’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2007-08 Learning and Skills: changing lives, improving work and learner satisfaction remaining high at over 90 per cent.

Regional Development Agency helps boost East Midlands economy

The East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has once again exceeded its expectations, with new figures published by BERR today showing that their performance had helped boost economic development in the East Midlands.

‘It’s Time to Talk Training’ guide launched to promote dialogue on training in the workplace

A new guide, designed to help employers work to improve staff skills and training, has been jointly published by the Department for business, CBI, TUC and Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). The guide, ‘It’s Time to Talk Training’, is intended to inspire UK employers and workers to engage in effective two-way dialogue on training and skills, to assess staff training needs and consider how training can fill an organisation’s skills gap.