News
| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Employ Ability - A workshop for recruiting and retaining disabled staff | 08/11/2008 |
On the 26th November the Department for Work and Pensions are offering free 'How to Employ Ability' workshops at the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa - from 9 am to 12.45 At the event you will have the opportunity to: Improve your confidence in recruiting and retaining disabled staff Meet businesses who already employ disabled people Find out what support is available and meet the Jobcentre Plus team in your area Improve your understanding of the legal context and theDisability Discrimination Act (DDA) All delegates will receive copies of practical, easy to digest guidance,including material from the Employers’ Forum on Disability and SHiFT. So don’t miss out on the talent disabled people have to offer your business. To register, please e-mail your details to Sue Bale at lincoln.employerengagement@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk |
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| New materials to promote increasing the number of apprentices | 07/11/2008 |
The LSC have recently produced two short reports that will help us to promote Apprentices in the Public Sector. The Executive Summary of the 'Expanding Apprenticeships in the Public Sector' describes how we can overcome the barriers to increasing apprenticeships and how what the LSC can do to promote the increased take up. The other report is a short guide for public sector employers. Both of these documents are available for download from the 'Promoting Apprenticships' section on the Lincs and Rutland page of this web site. |
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| New Vacancies Flyer available for dowload | 01/11/2008 |
One of the most visited pages on this web site is the 'vacancies' page. We now have a distinct URL for this page. It can be accessed directly by visiting www.publicservicejobs.org.uk To advise people of the variety of jobs available from this platform the Compact has created a flyer that can be downloaded, printed and used at Recruitment Events. Visit the Career Opportunities section of the Lincs and Rutland site to view it. |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Feedback from the Skills Pledge Breakfast now available | 01/11/2008 |
At the Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing delegates were asked to identify any potential barriers to committing to the Pledge ... and ... provide solutions as to how to overcome these perceived barriers. This feedback has now been processed and is available for download from the 'Other Documents' section of this web site .. Some very ineteresting comments ! |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing - a great success | 29/10/2008 |
The Skills Pledge Breakast Briefing held at the Sunley Management Centre has been adjudged to have been a great success. The evaluations reveal that the delegates considered all aspects of the event as either 'outsanding' or 'good' and that their expectations were fully met. The Compact will be working with the LSC and East Midlands Business to follow up the enthusiasm that was generated. Pictures from the event are available in the 'other activity' section of the Northants web page - scroll down to see if necessary. |
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| DIUS and DCSF commited to more apprentices in the sector | 27/10/2008 |
On Monday 27 October, DIUS and DCSF are hosting a summit for public sector leaders to launch the drive to increase apprentices working in the public sector. Secretaries of State: Rt Hon Ed Balls MP and Rt Hon John Denham MP will be setting out their vision for Apprenticeships in the public sector to key decision makers and opinion formers, from the NHS, Local Government, Education and the Criminal Justice Sector. Their vision will include the setting of a level of ambition for the number of Apprenticeship starts in the public sector to a level comparable to the private sector; and will provide a call to action to the delegates, many of whom are public sector employers nominated by regional LSC colleagues to work with us to champion Apprenticeships and galvanise activity across the public sector. The summit will also be the formal launch of the Civil Service Pathfinder, which will provide over 500 Apprenticeship places in the Civil Service and provide an opportunity to showcase best practice across the public sector, to hear about barriers which may be preventing take-up, and ways to overcome them. LSC Regional Director for the West Midlands, David Cragg, will be on a panel chaired by Ian Watmore, talking about activity within the West Midlands. Finally, the LSC has produced some leaflets for employers on the benefits of Apprenticeships in the public sector, including case studies, and also an Executive Summary of LSC commissioned research into increasing Apprenticeships within the public sector, both of which will be distributed to delegates at the event.
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| News from Northamptonshire: Graduate Recruitment Fair - 12th Nov 2008 | 20/10/2008 |
The University of Northampton is holding a Graduate Recruitment Fair' on the 12th November open to all final year students and graduates from all Universities. To download a Graduate Recruitment Brochure please go to the Other Documents section on the Northants web page. Many thanks to Lynn Finnof the University for this information. |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing | 20/10/2008 |
| The presentations that will be used at the Breakfast Briefing tomorrow are now available for download from the 'Other Activity' section of the Northants page on the web site. |
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| News from Derbyshire: Compact supports JC+ to develope LEPs in the sector | 15/10/2008 |
Derbyshire currently have 454 employers who have agreed to participate under a Local Employment Partnership (LEP) agreement. In the first 2 week of October 33 employers have agreed to an LEP. This is an aspect of job Centre Plus' work that the Compact seeks to support. Please see the first LEP Newsletter (from the newsletters link) and also see the agenda for the Skills Pledge / Jobs Pledge Breakfast Briefing in the 'Skills Pledge' section. |
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| News from Derbyshire: Skills Pledge / Jobs Pledge Breakfast Event | 15/10/2008 |
On the 14th November at Derby College Conference Centre the Compact will host the 'Derbyshire Public Sector Skills Pledge / Jobs Pledge Breakfast Briefing'. Please see the agenda for this FREE event in the Skills Pledge Group section of the web site. To book a delegate place - please simply email Chris Donkin at chris@donkinitex.co.uk |
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| News from Derbyshire: Targeted Procurement = Local Jobs and Skills | 02/10/2008 |
An Event for strategic and operational staff from regeneration, commissioning and planning backgrounds - at Clumber Park Hotel Nottinghamshire on 12th November 2008. For full details of this event please visit: www.esballiance.co.uk/newsletter/invitation.html |
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| News from Northamptonshire: An addition to our 'shadowing' database | 14/09/2008 |
The Public Sector Compact aims to provide opportunities for professionals in the sector to shadow fellow professionals working in the sector for a day or a half day. We set up a data base of volunteers who have agreed to be shadowed about a month ago. Recently Karen Sanders (the HR Senior Manager at Moulton College) has added her name to our list. To see the full list see the 'shadowing opportunities' page in the Northants section of the site. Many thanks to Karen for this contribution. |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Employer Engagement News from EBLO | 10/09/2008 |
What’s Happening with Employer Engagement in Northamptonshire? Members of Northamptonshire’s 14-19 group have recently hosted two very successful joint employer engagement breakfasts. The first event held at Kettering Park Hotel was attended by over 60 people from the field of education and local business, including: Grant Thornton, Sonifex Ltd, Dawson Books, Cummins UK and Derrick Smith & Co. Delegates gave excellent feedback about this event including: “Helpful information given about the new Diplomas”, “Useful tips about how I can work with schools” and “Great to see how new qualifications are equivalent to traditional qualifications.” The second event was held at the Northampton ‘Saints’ Rugby club. This event was attended by over 50 professionals including companies such as Wyevale, Blue Arrow Catering, British Gas and Impressions. Paul Pritchard from JCB, one of the Keynote speakers has been with JCB since 1988 where he has until recently been Group Head of Learning and Development, heading their Corporate University. Paul is now Project Managing the JCB 14 – 19 Academy and presented an employer’s perspective of working with the school and college sector. Delegates feedback said “Good answers to myths surrounding education”, “Great opportunity to network” and “To gain a deeper understanding of how the diplomas will integrate with employers’ ‘Hearing about the new Diplomas in more detail’ ‘Understanding what steps need to be taken to make sure students have a more tailored set of skills and knowledge’.
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| News from Northamptonshire: Public Sector Employers - Be Engaged with the next generation ! | 10/09/2008 |
Aim Higher have pleasure in inviting you to their 3rd breakfast conference that will outline the way employers have shaped the new 14/19 educational reforms. As employers YOU can engage with and helpshape these exciting developments that will provide the next generation of employees. There will be opportunities to explore good practice and exchange ideas. The Conference will take plave on Wed 1st October at Towcester Racecourse and a downloadable invite is available under the 'other documents generated by Compact activity on the Northants page. |
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| The Skills Pledge - One Year On | 27/08/2008 |
The most recent IiP Newsletter has an interesting article on the first year of the Skills Pledge. A survey of 800 organisations has reported some very positive feedback - including the fact that over 80% of the organisations are likely to reccomend the Pledge to other organisations. The full article is available for download from the Lincs and Rutland page by going to Other Documents housed within the 'Skills Pledge' drop down menu. Thanks to Eryl Prentice of the LSC for supplying the newsletter. |
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| SfL training - funding eligibility rules | 25/08/2008 |
At the last meeting of the Northants Learning and Development Theme Group meeting there was an action point established to find out if those employees who are well qualified are eligible to access free SfL training. On behalf of the group Clare Reynolds of the LSC has provided the answer. In short, if the employee has a properly identified literacy, numeracy or ESOL need then they can access free training. The full eligibility statement is available for download from the Learning and Development section on the Northants page. Many thanks to Clare for supplying this. |
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| News from Northamptonshire: All courses available at the FE Colleges and the University now mapped | 15/08/2008 |
The University and the FE Colleges have worked together to produce a single list of all courses available in the county ... and there are well over 1000 different courses available many of which the sector may wish to access to support their staff development programmes. The full list is available for download by visiting the 'Other Documents Generated by Compact Activity' section on the Northants page. Many thanks to Alison Hope of Tresham Institute for supplying this list. |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Public Sector Employers - Be Engaged with the next generation ! | 14/08/2008 |
Aim Higher have pleasure in inviting you to their 3rd breakfast conference that will outline the way employers have shaped the new 14/19 educational reforms. As employers YOU can engage with and helpshape these exciting developments that will provide the next generation of employees. There will be opportunities to explore good practice and exchange ideas. The Conference will take plave on Wed 1st October at Towcester Racecourse and a downloadable invite is available under the 'other documents generated by Compact activity on the Northants page. |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Shadowing Opportunities Now Available | 14/08/2008 |
The Recruitment and Retention Theme Group have been instrumental in setting up chance to experience other ways of working. The Public Sector Compact aims to provide opportunities for professionals in the sector to shadow fellow professionals working in the sector for a day or a half day. The purpose is to allow sector employees the chance to experience other ways of working and to explore the possibility of sharing good practice The Group called for volunteers to be 'shadowed' and thus far have received responses from: The people who have volunteered are : Mary McGorry the Head of Care Management and Self Directed Support at Northamptonshire County Council Dawn Whittaker the Brigade Manager from the Northants Fire and Rescue Service Lee Jones the Assistant Director of Educational Partnerships at the University of Northampton Rosemary Daniel the Personell Manager from Daventry District Council To pick up the contact details and to find out what you might observe during the 'shadowing' experience please access the shadowing Excel file from the 'Other Documents relating to Compact activity' section on the Northants page of this site |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Graduate Recruitment - You know it makes sense ! | 13/08/2008 |
| The recently updated Graduate Recruitment Action Plan can be downloaded from the Graduate Recruitment page within the Recruitment and Retention section |
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| News from Derbyshire: Signing the Pledge - a possible template | 04/08/2008 |
The recent meeting of the Skills Pledge Group noted an action point to: 'Examine the organisations whom have made the commitment or completed the process to gather examples of best practice'. With reference to this a member of the group has sourced an exemplar from a large organisation giving an inication of the form of words that may be used in making the Skills Pledge committment. This document has been made available on the web site in the Skills Pledge section and can be downloaded. Many thanks to Linda Pearson of East Midlands Business for this contribution. |
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| News from Derbyshire: Skills Pledge Group to arrange Special Event in November | 02/08/2008 |
The first meeting of the Skills Pledge Task Group took place in Matlock recently. A first action plan has now been established. This can be downloaded from the Skills Pledge section on the Derbyshire page. Also available for dowload are the minutes of their first meeting. The main focus of the early work of the group is going to be to organise and deliver a 'Special Event' scheduled for November the 6th to give sector organisations the chance to find out more about the Leitch Skillls Pledge and to showcase some of the sector organisations based in Derbyshire who have made the commitmment |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Messages from elsewhere - the Lancashire County Council Apprenticeship Scheme | 30/07/2008 |
Lancashire County Council have embedded an ambitious apprenticeship scheme that is offering long term unemployed the chance to gain valuable work experience. Please click the link for more details of this interesting initiative: http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=8559085 |
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| News from Derbyshire: Off and Running - It's ACTION time for the Workforce Development Group | 30/07/2008 |
The first meeting of the Workforce Development Task Group took place in Ripley last week. A first action plan has now been established. This can be downloaded from the Workforce Development section on the Derbyshire page. Also available for dowload are the minutes of their first meeting. |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Public Sector Apprenticeships ...up, up & away | 25/07/2008 |
Following the Apprenticeships Event on Wednesday, the organiser (Tracey Lucas Apea) has penned this article for the local WBL providers magazine 'NTDP Spotlight' ================================================== Lord Digby Jones Minister of State for Trade & Investment took it away with his riveting speech to Public Sector organisations within the County. We had originally asked local MP Sally Keeble if she could find us a quote from a minister on how important public sector Apprenticeships are. We were delighted that she came up with so much more than that! The event was aimed at HR professionals who can make a difference to the number of Apprentices in each public sector organization was held at The Guildhall in Northampton. Over 60 people attended the event which was sponsored by Dale Willis, Director of NTDP hosted the event on behalf of NTDP and spoke passionately about Apprenticeships and explained key information that all public sector organizations should know. Namely, ‘How does the funding work & Who is eligible?’ Full details of the presentation can be found at: Delegates also heard from guest speaker Allyson Castle, Scheme Manager from the Foreign & Commonwealth Offices. Allyson spoke of the collaboration between the organisation and training provider, Milton Keynes College who assist in managing their successful apprenticeship programme. Former apprentice Ed Mattacola spoke eloquently of his own experience as an apprentice and the benefits of the programme. He now acts as a mentor for new apprentices sharing his own knowledge and experiences In keeping with the collaborative nature of the event, it was also attended by 14 NTDP members who each spoke of the support they could offer public sector organisations and demonstrated the width and breadth of apprenticeship provision in the county. Dale Willis, Director of NTDP closed the event by calling on all those present at the event to help bring more apprenticeships into the public sector. This call was heeded by a number of people who pledged an interest in apprenticeships for their organisations. A Post Apprenticeship Event Feedback meeting is scheduled in the coming weeks to plan for NTDP members to working collaboratively in taking apprenticeship uptake forward for Public Sector organisations in the County. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in making this happen. Tracey Lucas Apea |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Apprenticeships for the Sector ? - Yes Please says Lord Digby Jones | 24/07/2008 |
Yesterday the Compact sponsored "Apprenticeships for the Public Sector" Event took place at The Guildhall in Northampton. Over 60 people attended and a rousing 'call to arms' was made by the Minister of State for Trade and Investment Lord Digby Jones. This was followed by informative and inspirational presentations from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (a public sector organisation with an established Apprenticeships Programme) and Dale Willis a Director of NTDP. Early feedback suggests that as many as 10 sector organisations may increase their apprenticeships intake as a result of attending this successful mini-conference. Many thanks go to Tracey Lucas Apea of Starting Off for her sterling work in organising this event. The powerpoint presentations used at the event can be downloaded from the "other documents generated by Compact activity" section on the Northants page. |
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| IDeA creates a new online Community of Practice for Apprenticeships in local government | 24/07/2008 |
The Improvement and Development Agency for local government (IDeA) has created a new online Community of Practice to cover Apprenticeships in local government. The network will form a single information site for those involved in the delivery of Apprenticeships within the local government footprint. Join for free now at http://www.communities.idea.gov.uk/welcome.do |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Apprenticeships for the Sector - Special Event - Wed 23rd July 08 | 19/07/2008 |
There are still a few delegate places left for this event which will be allocated on a 'first come first served' basis. The agenda for the event has recently been confirmed and the Key Note Speaker is Lord Digby Jones (The UK Skills Envoy and former Chairman of the CBI) and there will also be contributions from Sally Keeble MP, the Foreign Commonwealth Office (a sector employer with a successful Apprenticeship scheme) and Dale Willis a Director of NTDP. The agenda is action packed but concise - the event will finish at 11.00 am. To book a place - please email Tracey Lucas-Apea (publicsector@startingoff.co.uk) . I (Chris Donkin) am very much looking forward to attending the event personally and hope to see many of you there |
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| News from Northamptonshire: LSC Providers Briefing - More on Apprenticeships and WBL provision generally | 16/07/2008 |
At a Work Based Learning Providers briefing held last week, the LSC gave deatils of the current situation re WBL provision and their role in supporting it. Of particular interest to Compact members may be the description of the National Apprenticeships Vacancy Matching Scheme (NAVMS). The entire presentation, including the in depth coverage of NAVMS can be downloaded by accessing the 'Other documents generated by Compact Activity' section on the Northants page. Many thanks to Louise Flowers-Coburn, the Learning & Development Advisor from the Social Care department of Northamptonshire County Council, for this contribution. |
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| Apprenticeship Brochure for the Public Sector receives favourable review | 13/07/2008 |
As many of you will know there is a set of tailored brochures now available in the East Midlands to support Apprenticeships in the Public Sector.
To see the full results of the survey - please visit the 'other documents' section on this web site. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Apprenticeship Brochure for the Public Sector receives favourable review | 13/07/2008 |
As many of you will know there is a set of tailored brochures now available in the East Midlands to support Apprenticeships in the Public Sector.
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| News from Northamptonshire: Volunteers can access T2G provision ! | 08/07/2008 |
At the last R&R meeting in Northants a query came up: " Can volunteers access T2G ?" This is of interest to many public sector employers (especially sector organisations in the Health arena) as there are lots of volunteers making a contribution within public service. The issue has been clarified and the answer is YES ! ... so if this applies in your organisation please consider making T2G provision available to your volunteers. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Steering Group revise the Terms of Reference | 08/07/2008 |
As part of a review of year one working a review of the Terms of Reference was carried out by a small working party of the Steering Group. At the Steering Group meeting in June the revised version was adopted. The main change is an indication that the Compact will be a 'member organisation' forum. The new Terms of Reference can be downloaded from the Steering Group page on this site |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Equality and Diversity Update | 30/06/2008 |
Lynne Alexander of the local LSC has reported that the National LSC has looked into the potential for an E&D Practitioner’s Association. The outcome was positive, however the LSC itself has no current plans to progress a project of this nature. As yet there is no professional qualification in the pipeline. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Apprenticeships Event heralded as 'Excellent' | 26/06/2008 |
The 'Apprenticeships In the Public Sector' event hosted by the L&R Public Sector Compact earlier this month has been commended by the delegates. The feedback has now been processed and the summary indicates that those attending found the content to be "excellent" and that their 'needs had been met'. One delegate commented that " .. it was great to hear about apprentices from employers themseleves and how their committment had made their programme effective" The key messages from the event are available on the L&R page. Then access 'Special Events' then 'Apprenticeship Event' |
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| News from Derbyshire: Derbyshire Compact - Task Groups for 08-09 formed | 25/06/2008 |
| At the Steering Group meeting held on the 24th June 2008, it was decided to constitute two 'Task Groups' to address the Compact’s annual priorities.
The two groups will be the ‘Skills Pledge Group’ led by Elizabeth Wilson of Derbyshire County Council and the ‘Workforce Development’ Group led by Jackie Hewlett Davies. The first meetings of these groups are scheduled for late July 2008.
If you are interested in joining either of these working groups, then in the first instance contact the Compact facilitator Chris Donkin by email : chris@donkinitex.co.uk |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Draft Local Employment Partnerships Agreement | 22/06/2008 |
At the last Steering Group meeting, it was suggested that it would be useful if JC+ could provide Compact members with a draft LEP Agreement. Jo Stewart of JC+ has supplied such a document. She does sound a word of caution in using this document. She writes: "I would stress that we do not need "formal" sign-up from employers on specific measures. We are simply looking for a commitment from them to work with Jobcentre Plus to support the recruitment of our customers." The draft Agreement is available for download on the "Other documents" section on this web page. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Compact launch the Student Placement Programme | 22/06/2008 |
| Exciting news of an innovative "Public Sector Compact - Student Placement Programme" in Lincolnshite. This programme will enable public sector organisations to access 2nd year undergraduates to work on specific 8 week projects for the summer. Our longer term goal is to ultimately increase the number of graduates recruited to the public sector. Please note the programme flyer is available for download in the "Recruitment and Retention" section and then under "Graduate Recruitment". As it states at the base of the flyer "contact Sara Hobson of Success Matrix for more information" |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Apprenticeship Opportunities for existing employees | 06/06/2008 |
It is often overlooked that existing employees are also eligible for the support available from an apprenticeship programme. Clare Reynolds of the LSC has produced a briefing note to inform sector organisations how they can benefit from supporting current employees by placing them on apprenticeship programme. Download the briefing note - see 'Other documents generated by Compact activity' on the Northants page |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Downloadable Jobs and Careers Sheet now available | 02/06/2008 |
The Compact's Recruitment and Retention Theme Group have decided to produce a downloadble sheet of links to Jobs and Careers in the Public Sector. This sheet will be updated regularly, but the first version containing refernces to jobs/careers in the NHS, local government and FE is available for download from the 'Newsletter' section on this page.
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| News from Northamptonshire: The 'Progression and Inclusion' Event at Sunley in April - plotting the way forward for the Compact | 28/05/2008 |
The Sunley Management Centre hosted our 'Progression and Inclusion' event in late April. This event was effectively the re-launch of the Compact. The keynote presentations from the LSC and from the West Midlands Public Sector Compact are now available for download and/or reference. See the 'other documents generated by Compact activity' section on the home page. |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Review of Year One now available | 25/05/2008 |
Chris Donkin has carried out a review of year one of Compact activity. The full report is available for download in the 'Other documents geneerated by Compact activity' on this site. The recoomendations (to be discussed at the next Steering Group meeting in June) are as follows: It is recommended that for session 08-09 the Compact engages the services of a facilitating agency that are equipped to make a professional input into the work of the Compact in addition to providing administrative and secretarial support.
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| News from Derbyshire: Moving further forward ! - Review of year one working complete | 20/05/2008 |
Later today the Steering Group will consider the report on year one working prepared by Chris Donkin. The review also makes recommendations on how to move forward to ensure that in year two we derive the maximum benefits from collaborative working. The complete report is available for download on this site - please see the 'Other documents generated by Compact activity' section. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Positive About Young People (PAYP) | 13/05/2008 |
Janette Goodchild, the Proect Leader for PAYP will be attending the next R&R Theme Group meeting. She is hoping to engage with the Compact to tell us more about the initiative. Positive About Young People (PAYP) is an initiative which is being developed by a group of See also the PAYP reference document in the 'Recruitment and Retention' section on this web site |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Launching LocalGovTV’s Skills and Apprenticeships series | 25/04/2008 |
Mike Crosby of the LSC has flagged this article (below) as of interest to Compact members While employment rates remain high in the UK, many businesses still testify to there being a lack of adequately skilled workers to recruit from. Launching LocalGovTV’s Skills and Apprenticeships series today, Skills Minister David Lammy addresses this concern and discusses the immense challenge posed by rising competition from India and China. To view this content visit: http://www.localgov.tv/cgi-bin/details.pl?action=pre&id=409 Mr Lammy discusses the pivotal role Local Authorities will play in addressing the national skills deficit and encourages them to act as brokers between employers and their immediate community. He also defends the Government’s decision to allow private sector companies - such as McDonalds - the right to offer accredited training programmes, insisting the qualifications will have direct portability. If your organisation would be interested in participating our Skills and Apprenticeships series, do please email me with a short paragraph outlining your story and any commercial partners you may be working with. Best regards, Gerry Price If you wish to reply then mail to geraldine.price@localgov.tv |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Year Two - Moving On ! | 15/04/2008 |
As we move into year two, the Chair of the Steering Group has this message for all Compact members (also to be found in the April Newsletter) Colleagues |
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| News from Derbyshire: Moving forward .. Derbyshire Compact carries out a review of year one | 14/04/2008 |
The Derbyshire Compact is now taking root and has become established as a forum for professionals in the sector to share good practice and work collaboratively to address issues of common interest. Going forward into year two the Compact has carried out a review of progress made in year one. The interim findings from this review were recently presented to the Steering Group and the key messages can be dowloaded by accessing 'other documents generated by Compact activity' on the Derbyshire page. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Review of first year of activity to be undertaken | 06/04/2008 |
At the recent Steering Group meeting it was agreed that the Compact has made excellent progress during the first year of existence. To build on this and to plot the way forward the SG will be carrying out a 'mini review' of activity including a new look at the 'Terms of Reference' ... if you have any comments on how the first year has been for you then contact Chris Donkin by email - chris@donkinitex.co.uk |
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| News from Northamptonshire: 1/2 DAY CONFERENCE TUESDAY 29th APRIL 2008 - SUNLEY MANAGEMENT CENTRE, NORTHAMPTON | 01/04/2008 |
A CONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYERS IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, AND LAUNCH OF THE NORTHAMPTON PUBLIC SECTOR COMPACT
PLEASE CONTACT LINDA CRUTCHLEY OR SOPHIE PETERS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON 01604 671472 |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Key Messages from the Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing now available for download | 28/03/2008 |
The key messages from the Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing can be accessed from the Special Events tab on this web site. Also contianed in this document is some feedback from the Q and A Plenary |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: HMP Morton Hall staff taught literacy by stealth ! | 25/03/2008 |
At the recent Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing Emma Strafford (The Learning and Development Manager at HMP Morton Hall) told delegates how literacy was taught by being embedded in a 'Beginners Spanish' class ! The contact details for the provider delivering this course have been provided by Emma and they are : Tel. 0115 9146175 email rob.jeremy@snc.ac.uk . This looks like a 'South Notts College' service. If any of the Lincs FE Colleges could also provide this service - please get in touch and I will make your contact details available also |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing 'meets the needs' of the sector | 24/03/2008 |
The Skills Pledge Breakast briefing took place on the 19th March and was heralded as a great success. Feedback from the event is very positive with all delegates complimenting the 'content' of the event and the overwhelming consensus was that the attendees felt that their 'needs had been met'. We are now looking forward to many more sector organisations in Lincs and Rutland signing the pledge. A full e-version of the delegate pack is available for download in the 'Special Events' section of this web site. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: More support available for establishing the employee qualification profile | 20/03/2008 |
The LSC have indicated that they can support two more organisations to help them establish the 'qualifications profile' of the organisation. In the first phase of this 'mini-project' Chris Donkin worked with East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) to help them find out if they were 'Skills Plege Ready'. In both cases the organisations discovered that the number of employees in their organisation qualified at below level 2 standard was less than 20% of the workforce. This has encouraged EMAS and ELDC to consider committing to the Skills Pledge. If you wish to be one of the 'extra two' organisations, please contact Chris Donkin (chris@donkinitex.co.uk) ASAP. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: South Holland District Council know how to attract young people ! | 18/03/2008 |
| Like many other local government organisations SHDC had struggled with the problem of recruiting young people. They think that they have found the answer. Show would-be young employees how exciting it is to work for the council ! Go to this link to see how they have celebrated the working lives of their current crop of young workers |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Positive feedback from 'Clear Wins' | 05/03/2008 |
Clear Wins the event to promote access to LSC funded Work Based Learning Opportunities for the Public Sector took place on Friday the 29th of February at the Sunley Management Centre. The feedback was very positive and many sector organisations are now ready to explore ways of increasing apprenticeships and also considering signing the Leitch Skills Pledge. Please go to 'other documents generated by Compact activity' on the Northants page to download the feedback. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: New Look Web Site Goes Live | 03/03/2008 |
After a period of design and development and a big contribution from Ark ICT Solutions of Spalding, the new look web site has arrived. If you are reading this on the old version of the site .. just click on the Lincolnshire and Rutland tab on the left of the screen to be re-directed. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Skills Pledge Breakfast - still a few delegate places left | 03/03/2008 |
The next major Compact Event is the Skills Pledge Breakfast Briefing on the 19th March 2008. Contact Chris Donkin chris@donkinitex.co.uk to book a place |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: PAYP Event - 14th March - Horncastle | 16/02/2008 |
| An event introducing you to Positive About Young People, a new quality standard being pioneered in Lincolnshire which enables private, voluntary, and public sector organisations to demonstrate they are positive about young people. Click http://www.empscompacts.org.uk/landr/oichildren.asp to dowload the event flyer / invite and also more information about the PAYP initiative. |
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| News from Northamptonshire: Northants to stage a 'Work Based Learning for the Public Sector' Event | 01/02/2008 |
The Compact is hosting "Clear Wins" : Work Based Learning for the Public Sector - A special event. The event will be accommodated at the Sunley Management Centre on Friday 29th February. The event will feature presentations relating to Apprenticeship Opportunities, T2G and Skills for Life. The agenda can be downloaded by visiting 'other documents genearted by Compact activity' on this page. To book a place simply email chris@donkinitex.co.uk |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Increasing Apprenticeships in the Public Sector | 03/01/2008 |
An East Midlands Project funded by the the LSC's Regional Skills Fund is examining why the sector attracts a disproportionately low number of apprentices. Work is underway in each county to look at barriers to participation - both real and perceived. In Lincs and Rutland the investigative phase of the work has been concluded and Chris Donkin has compiled a report. The main findings are as follows: · The take up of apprenticeships in the public sector in the Lincolnshire and Rutland is low compared to the proportion of the workforce employed in the sector. · Public sector organisations sampled are aware of the benefits of apprenticeship programmes. They know that provision could be tailored to their needs and that they now know how to go about accessing support. · For some sector organisations an impediment is that at present established recruitment policies and procedures do not currently accommodate the promotion of apprentice posts. · For some public services engaging with apprenticeship programmes is inappropriate due to the specific nature of vocational training programmes required by the organisation. · Where public sector apprentice schemes have been successful, they have featured: (i) effective links with training providers; (ii) the size of the organisation being large enough to allow for flexible placement arrangements and (iii) the support of the trade unions. · An apprentices recruitment scheme would be thematic with a commitment to the Leitch Skills Pledge and to a commitment to address employees’ basic skills issues. · The work based learning training providers would welcome the opportunity to support more apprentices placed in the public sector. To download a complete copy of the report go to the Lincs and Rutland page and to the 'other activity' section. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: A New Year message from the Chair | 02/01/2008 |
Writing in the December Newsletter published by the Lincolnshire and Rutland Public Sector Compact, Nigel Howells (Chair of the Steering Group and Chief Executive of East Lindsey District Council) sent out the following New Year message encouraging colleagues to participate in Compact activity. Please download the newsletter for updates on current activity. Dear Colleagues, Over the last three months the Compact has grown and flourished thanks to the efforts of many colleagues who are taking an active part in contributing to the work of the Theme Groups and also giving their time and expertise freely to help us stage focussed special events. The ‘Work Based Learning for the Public Sector’ and ‘Approaches to Equality and Diversity Training’ events were well attended and well received. The sector is now in able to progress these issues and the Theme Groups have incorporated the key messages taken as feedback into their Action Plans. The work planned for the coming months includes looking in more detail at the implications of the Leitch ‘Skills Pledge’ for the sector and we intend to stage a dissemination event in March to encourage sector organisations to consider making the Leitch commitment. You will be sent details of how to get involved soon. We will also be looking at tackling graduate migration and how to encourage the increase in apprenticeships within the sector. More generally, we continue to encourage key professionals in the sector to become active players in the Compact. Our two theme groups are addressing “Recruitment and Retention” and “Learning and Development” issues in the sector. Please consider joining either the Steering Group or one of the Theme Groups. We always welcome new members and new ideas. Contact our facilitator Chris Donkin (chris@donkinitex.co.uk) to declare your particular interest.Hope you have a successful and prosperous 2008.
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Feedback from the 'Approaches to E&D Training' Event | 06/12/2007 |
The E&D Event staged by the Compact last week was well received by the delegates. A 'diverse' set of presentations described the various approaches to E&D training at (i) Lincs County Council; (ii) EMAS, (iii) HMP Morton Hall and (iv) The Lincolnshire Partnership Trust. Feedback was very positive with the content of the presentations being acknowledged as 'excellent'. The presentations are downloadable from this site - visit the Lincolnshire and Rutland page and go to 'Other documents generated by Compact activity'. The "Key Messages" from the event are available on the same page in the L&D Theme Group section. |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: WBA Offers Support for Apprenticeship Programmes | 23/10/2007 |
Brian Skinner the Chair of the Work Based Academy sends this message to Compact members : I was delighted to be able to make a presentation to you on the benefits of Apprenticeships at the Public Sector Compact meeting on 26th September. If you do employ young people aged between 16 and 24 who are not engaged in learning, then I recommend you look at Apprenticeships as a way of developing these young people. If you would like more information, or a face-to-face meeting about the scope of apprenticeships and the way they can work for you, please do not hesitate to contact me. (07966247647 - email bryski@btconnect.com) |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Unions to engage with the Compact | 27/09/2007 |
A welcome spin-off from yesterdays Clear Wins Event is that it is clear that the Trade Unions are becoming more involved with the work of the Compact. It is now apparent that the Union Learning Reps can play a major role in supporting our work. For more information on the Union Learning Rep initiative click the link below: |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Clear Wins is a winner ! | 26/09/2007 |
| Earlier today the Clear Wins Event (WBL opportunities for the Public Sector) took place. Feedback from the delegates (in excess of 30 in attendance !) was very positive and many commented that they are now aware of how to tap in to 'core funded' training opportunities available. A full e-version of the delegate pack complete with notes from the event will be published on this site soon ... keep visiting ! |
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| News from Lincolnshire and Rutland: Vacancies in the sector to be advertised on the site | 28/06/2007 |
Please check out the Lincolnshire and Rutland home page. We have established a page to advertise vacancies in the sector. Please click on the link on the L&R page for more details. It is our intention to encourage as many public sector organisations as possible to provide us with the link to their vacancies |
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| News from Derbyshire: Partners Progress the Compact | 13/06/2007 |
On June 13th over 30 representatives from 22 different Public Sector Organisations attended a consulation event at Lumb Farm to explore and progress the Action Plan for the Derbyshire Compact, outlined by the Steering Group. An Open Space forum was followed by two focused discussion groups who considered issues on the themes of Learning and Development and Recruitment and Retention. Notes and a questionnaire from this event can be found in the Learning and Development section of the Derbyshire web page. |
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| Moving On and 'Working Together' | 20/04/2007 |
The Lincolnshire and Rutland Public Sector Compact Steering Group met for an informal meeting earlier today to take feedback from Nicola Marshall on the main issues facing the sector in the two counties. A very informative report was presented. Please access the document and download. It's a rattling good read ! |
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| East Midlands Public Sector Alliance approve Compact developments | 07/03/2007 |
| Yesterday in Derby the East Midlands Public Sector Alliance met for their first quarterly meeting of 2007. The Alliance are acting as the external Steering Group for this project. The Alliance received a report on progress so far and have endorsed the work of the project. |
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| Northants Steering Group on the move as Liz is about to take the Chair | 27/02/2007 |
| Earlier today the first Steering Group meeting in Northamptonshire took place. Considerable progress was achieved in a very productive meeting. Liz Searle (The Area Director of the LSC in Northants) was elected as Chair. The Northamptonshire Training and Development Partnership (NTDP) were nominated and accepted the role of 'faciltating agency' The draft minutes from this meeting have been posted on the Northants page of this site. |
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| Derbys Steering Group elects Roisin as Chair | 23/02/2007 |
| Earlier today the first Steering Group meeting in Derbyshire took place. As in the other counties a lot of enthusiasm for Compact working was evident. The minutes of this meeting will be posted on the Derbyshire page of this site soon.
Roisin Murray of the Business School of the University of Derby was elected as Chair. Best wishes to Roisin and the group.
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| First Steering Group meetings take place | 19/02/2007 |
| Last week the first Steering Group meetings in Notts and L&R took place. A lot of enthusiasm for Compact working was evident and both groups are actively considering ways of engaging with the wider membership of their Compacts. The minutes of these meetings will be posted on this site soon. Keep visiting the county pages for updates. |
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| Four out of four ! A Public Sector Compact in Northants | 13/02/2007 |
| Earlier today, delegates from a variety of public sector organisations decided to go ahead and establish a Compact in the county. The first Steering Group meeting will take place in February. Keep visiting the Northamptonshire page of this site for updates on activity. |
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| E-versions of the delegate packs now available | 09/02/2007 |
| If you missed the launch events or if you simply want an e-copy of the materials used at the events, you can now download a copy of the delegate pack used for your county's event. Visit the relevant county page to collect the documents |
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| A Public Sector Compact in Lincolnshire and Rutland | 25/01/2007 |
| Earlier today, delegates from a variety of public sector organisations decided to go ahead and establish a Compact in L&R. The first Steering Group meeting will take place in February. Keep visiting the Lincolnshire and Rutland page of this site for updates on activity. |
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| Derbyshire Public Sector organisations decide to establish a Compact | 23/01/2007 |
| Earlier today, delegates from a variety of public sector organisations decided to go ahead and establish a Compact in the county. The first Steering Group meeting will take place in February. Keep visiting the Derbyshire page of this site for updates on activity. |
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| Notts Public Sector decide to establish a Compact | 19/01/2007 |
| Earlier today, delegates from a variety of public sector organisations decided to go ahead and establish a Compact in the county. The first Steering Group meeting will take place in February. Keep visiting the Notts page of this site for updates on activity. |
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| Not too late to attend the Launch Event | 15/01/2007 |
| There are still some delegate places available for the Launch Events in each county. To book a place, please visit the county pages on this site, download a fax-back form and fax your intention to attend back to LLUK. |
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| EMPSC News goes live | 08/01/2007 |
| The East Midlands Public Sector Compacts' news page goes live. Keep checking back for up to the minute information about the launch events and more..... |
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