CEL Equality and Diversity Conference

The Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) is holding its first Equality and Diversity Conference on 21 May 2008. The conference offers the opportunity to engage with the sector on equality and diversity matters; hear the findings of CEL’s equality and diversity research, soon to be published; participate in workshops with key sector agencies to capture and share good practice; and talk about and work through challenges and the strategies to address them.

More details can be found on the CEL website.

Male Apprentices Better Paid than Women

Female apprentices are still being left far behind their male counterparts according to a new TUC report.

The report Still More (Better Paid) Jobs for the Boys shows that while more apprenticeship places have opened up for women in general, this has not happened in better paid male-dominated sectors such as engineering and construction.

The TUC report shows that little has changed - and in some cases the situation has worsened - in the three years since the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) completed its report looking at this issue in detail.

The proportion of men and women entering into apprenticeships overall are fairly even - 54.2 per cent of people starting apprenticeships in 2006/07 were men, and 45.8 per cent were women - but apprenticeships are still strongly divided along gender lines. In 2006/07, the worst industry culprits were construction with only 1.3 per cent women apprentices, vehicle maintenance (1.4 per cent female apprentices) and engineering (2.5 per cent).

During the same period, 97.1 per cent of apprentices in childcare were female and 91.7 per cent of hairdressing apprenticeships were women, the two lowest paying sectors. This divide was identified by both the EOC and the Women and Work Commission, but this new TUC report shows that there has been virtually no change since 2002/03. In engineering the situation has actually worsened, with the proportion of women apprentices falling from 4.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent between 2002/03 and 2006/07.

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Apprenticeships are an excellent route into work and we want to see more and more employers offering high quality places.

“But this report shows there is still a huge gender divide in apprenticeships. Too many young women are being limited to apprenticeships in low-paid traditionally female occupations like childcare and hairdressing, and are unable to break into better paid male occupations like engineering.

“Low pay in apprenticeships happens much along gender lines. Women receive on average 26 per cent less pay than men so action needs to be taken now to tackle this divide once and for all. Government and, in particular, employers need to take this seriously and make equality a major priority.”

The TUC report also shows that big employers - often said to be better at tackling issues such as occupational segregation - are amongst the worst culprits. Of the large employers who contract directly with the Learning and Skills Council’s National Employer Service (NES), women only comprise around one fifth (20.1 per cent) of all apprentices taken on.

Of the ten most popular apprenticeships taken up by NES employers, six had less than 11 per cent female apprentices. Even more strikingly, four of the five most popular apprenticeships taken up via the NES have less than four per cent women - construction (1.2 per cent), vehicle maintenance (1.3 per cent), engineering (3.5 per cent) and electro-technical (1.5 per cent).

The TUC report suggests a six-point plan to tackle this growing inequality:

• The Government should set a national equality and diversity strategy to target particular groups, sectors and localities where gender divides exist.
• The Government should make more use of means such as procurement policies to promote equality and diversity in apprenticeships and could put targets in place for Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), linked to Government funding of SSCs.
• As women are more likely to be in low paid apprenticeships than men, increasing the £80 minimum pay rate for apprenticeships would benefit women most. The minimum apprentice wage should urgently be raised to £110 per week.
• Joint work between unions and employers on equality and diversity should be encouraged and supported by the Government.
• Adult apprenticeships should be expanded. Research shows older women are more likely to take up apprenticeships in non-traditional female roles, so expansion of the programme would help break down occupational segregation.
• The Government should fully explore how the public sector gender equality duty can ensure gender equality in apprenticeships.

To view the report in full please visit: http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/genderreport.pdf

TUC Reaction to White Paper

Commenting on the Government White Paper Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver announced today (Monday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

“Many of the proposed reforms, such as giving local authorities a greater strategic role for young people, should help more employees get the skills they need. But with two in five workers still not getting any regular training at work, this organisational reform must not divert attention from the wider skills challenge - getting more employers to offer quality apprenticeships and training opportunities.

“It’s vital that as well as meeting the skills needs of employers, more individual employees are helped to get new skills under these new arrangements. Unions can help to do this, both at a strategic level and on the ground, through the 18,000-strong network of union learning reps.

“The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has played an important role in supporting the Government’s skills strategy in recent years. Ministers must ensure that the expertise built up by LSC staff is utilised in any future arrangements, without recourse to redundancies.”

Plans Published To Raise Particpation Age

LSC to be abolished in major shake up

The Government today set out the details of the transfer of £7 billion to local authorities to help colleges and sixth forms deliver the reforms needed to raise the education and training leaving age to 18.

At the same time the Government will direct £4 billion a year through a new agency to provide training and skills for adults. The intention is to transform the system to be responsive and demand-led.

The proposals were published in a by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in a joint White Paper, Raising Expectations: enabling the system to deliver.

The plans will mean the dissolution of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) by 2010 and instead make local authorities responsible for offering all young people in their area a full menu of choices - both the new Diplomas and Apprenticeships alongside GCSEs and A levels.

The DCSF, DIUS and local authorities will work together to deliver the main points set out in the White Paper.

For 14-19 year olds:

• It will put local authorities firmly in the driving seat to deliver education and training for children and young people aged 0-19, supporting the Government’s commitment to raising the participation age to 18 by 2015;
• It will make local authorities responsible for delivering the full range of 14-19 entitlements including the new Diplomas, Apprenticeships and the Foundation Learning Tier;
• Local authorities will be able to commission provision to meet demand from young people and employers.
• Local authorities will work together with national agencies and the Regional Development Agency who will co-chair the regional level, to provide a coherent planning and funding system for FE colleges and providers.

For adult learners it will mean:

• the creation of a streamlined Skills Funding Agency to route funding to FE colleges and other providers to meet the demands of employers and learners;
• giving the Skills Funding Agency the lead role in sponsoring colleges and providers
• the new Agency managing the creation of the new England-wide adult advancement and careers service, which will play a key role, with Jobcentre Plus, in boosting individual demand for skills and guiding people to the right training to meet their needs and help change their lives; and
• the new Agency eventually taking over from the Learning and Skills Council the management of the new National Apprenticeship Service, with end-to-end responsibility for the Apprenticeships programme, including ultimate accountability for national delivery of targets.

The White Paper was presented to Parliament in Written Ministerial Statement by Ed Balls.

He said, “We want every 16 and 17 year old to participate in education and training. And we want every adult to have the chance to improve their skills to get a job, a better job, or have a more successful economic life.

“The key proposals in the document will help to deliver our ambition to raise the participation age and transform attainment by age 19 and underpin our aim of a demand led system and the integration of employment and skills.

“The consultation document sets out how for young people, we aim to place leadership of the system, accountability for outcomes, duties and the funding to deliver, at a local level - local authorities will have the responsibility and duties to deliver for everyone from birth to 19.”

The White Paper is now out for consultation and comments must be submitted by Monday 9 June 2008.

UCU strike ballot before pay talks start

Although pay negotiations have yet to start between the Association of Colleges (AoC) and the six FE unions in England, the UCU today began balloting members on possible industrial action. If the ballot supports industrial action, UCU’s FE members in England will be asked to begin this with a strike on Thursday 24 April, 2008.

The UCU move is unilateral. There has been no consultation with the other five unions, including ACM, who are party to the joint FE pay claim; and the fear now is that employers will refuse to negotiate until the action is lifted.

Meetings with the employers have been scheduled, and any subsequent pay increase would not take effect until August. The claim is for a 6% increase or £1500, whichever is greater.

UCU are seeking to co-ordinate their action with the National Union of Teachers. The NUT are also balloting for strike action on 24 April, in pursuit of their pay claim for school teachers.

Disabled FE Staff Face Discrimination

There has been a systemic failure to take disabled staff working in lifelong learning seriously, which has led to widespread institutional discrimination. That is the headline finding of the NIACE-led Commission for Disabled Staff in Lifelong Learning in its final report to be published today, Wednesday 5th March 2008.

The report – From Compliance to Culture Change – illustrates how many disabled staff members are reluctant to disclose impairments because they fear discrimination. 20 per cent of the adult population have a disability, however the disclosure rate among staff in lifelong learning is only 4 per cent.

The Commission was struck by the ‘fatalism’ of many disabled staff about promotion and career progression. There is a culture of low aspiration among disabled staff, exacerbated by a systematic failure to address their requirements and a lack of consistency in employment practice. Few organisations employ disabled people in senior or strategic positions. This leads to a waste of talent and untapped potential and a lack of role models throughout lifelong learning.

The Commission recognises how well institutions have responded to student needs which makes the treatment of staff all the more striking.

However the Commission did encounter evidence of good practice and of ‘reasonable adjustments’ in recruitment, induction, employment and promotion practices. Practical support for disabled staff would include funding ‘reasonable adjustments’ from a central budget and trained disability equality officers or staff with a responsibility for disability equality.

Above all, the Commission found a lack of consistency in the lifelong learning sector – in terms of recruitment, induction, employment and promotion of disabled staff – that amounts to institutional discrimination.

The first recommendation of the Commission is that a disability equality implementation group should be convened and serviced by Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) to ensure disabled staff are treated as fairly as students in lifelong learning.

Leisha Fullick, from the Institute of Education and Chair of the Commission, said:

“There is a clear problem about the under-representation of disabled staff in lifelong learning. And we saw little evidence of organisations adopting a strategic approach to current and future disabled staff. At the very least this represents a huge loss of potential and is not a sound business approach. It is also an indication that, 10 years on, the legislation designed to reduce discrimination against disabled people in the workplace is not having a sufficient impact on employment practice in lifelong learning. This is in marked contrast to the very evident and positive changes that have taken place for learners and students in the sector over the same period.”

Peter Lavender, Deputy Director of NIACE, said:

“We’ve not done well by disabled staff in lifelong learning. We found a confused picture: reluctance to disclose disability, hesitant management support and little real disability equality. This report helps unpick the problem and suggests ways to change the picture to improve disability equality.”

That Was Apprenticeships Week

Last week was the first ever apprenticeships week. Below we take a quick look at the coverage and comment from those involved…

The Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills announced that some leading employers are creating some 4000 new places for apprentices. On the same day the LSC was highlighting research that shows how apprentices benefit business performance.

One sector known for offering apprenticeships is the automotive retail industry. In promoting apprenticeships week they were keen to highlight their commitment to apprenticeships.

ATL reported that LSC Director of Apprenticeships Stephen Gardner said that apprenticeships should not be associated with just the traditional industries, as they offer a number of opportunities in a range of potential career paths.

Of particular significance was a call from the TUC, and backed by the employers body FSB, calling for an increase in the minimum weekly wage for apprentices from £80 to £110, once legislation has been passed to extend wage contributions to small employers who are taking on an apprentice.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, “Apprenticeships are a great way for people to earn and learn, while employers benefit from skilled workers. The quality and diversity of apprenticeships must improve if they are to grow over the next decade. Completion rates are an important indicator of quality, and improving pay is crucial to ensuring that people can afford to complete their course. Increasing the minimum pay for apprentices to £110 a week will boost their reputation and convince more people to train.”

Trade union Unite called for more action on apprenticeships by urging the government and employers to agree a national training levy to fund more apprentice places. The UK’s largest trade union siad the fall in the number of apprenticeship places will create massive skills shortages in key industries.

Work Related Stress Responsible For Sucides

Work related stress could be responsible for as many as 250 suicides each year, more than the total number of fatal accidents at work recorded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

These alarming figures are highlighted by the trade union Hazards magazine in a recently published report called Crying Shame. They are based upon statistics in Japan where an estimated 5% of suicides are considered work related.

In their report, Hazards magazine refers to the case of three teachers, all of whom found the pressure of their jobs too much. They also point out that figures released by the HSE in November 2007, showed a sharp upturn in cases of work-related “stress, depression or anxiety,” with the total affected up to 530,000 in 2006/07 from 420,000 the previous year.

In a related matter, the House of Laws recently ruled in the case of Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd. It found the employer liable for Mr Corr’s suicide where it directly resulted from foreseeable depression caused by an accident at work (House of Lords on 27.2.08).

ACM Members’ Excessive Working Hours

ACM members regularly work excessive hours in order to fulfill their management duties; yet colleges appear unmoved by what is clearly a widespread disregard of the Working Time Regulations. These are some of the findings, just published by ACM, taken from results of their survey of members’ working time.

The 2007 Survey, which was undertaken last term, found that two out of three ACM members are working in excess of the average 48 hour week limit set by the Working Time Regulations, but only 4% have signed a working time opt-out that allows them to do so. This suggests colleges are ignoring safe limits on working hours in order to ensure targets are met.

In addition, 90% of ACM members have so much work that they regularly take some home, while 81% describe the demands of their job as high. And as we have already reported on this blog, an alarming one in eight members has been diagnosed by a GP as suffering from work related stress in the 12 months before the survey was undertaken.

Indeed, exposure to factors that can cause stress is high. One in four members described their role at their college as not clearly defined, and a further quarter described their role as conflicting. Two thirds of members also said they had experienced substantial change in the last 12 months.

Sadly, the 2007 survey results are almost identical to those of the previous survey carried out in March 2004. The implication is that moves to improve work life balance in the UK have simply by-passed the Further Education sector.

ACM Head of Employment Relations David Green said, “These figures ought to be shocking, but sadly they come as no surprise. They do underline though, just how much pressure is placed upon college managers. Indeed, add in the fact that colleges restructure regularly and it is hardly surprising that stress is such a big problem.

“Unfortunately colleges are reluctant to tackle the problem. They have LSC targets to reach; and the effect on their staffs’ work life balance and even health simply isn’t a big enough priority.”

ACM has been pressing the Association of Colleges to negotiate national guidelines on reducing working time.