Browsing: Professional development

I was recently fortunate enough to be invited to Downing Street for a reception on apprenticeships. It was an event attended by the prime minister and a number of other ministers (what is the collective noun for government ministers?).

Only 11 per cent of the logistics workforce is under the age of 25. Conversely some 42 per cent are over the age of 45 with a large proportion of them over 55. This is a demographic time-bomb prImed to explode. That’s one million people destined to leave

At the time of writing, we have just emerged from a week where two well-known high street names, Woolworths and MFI have called in the administrators. Again, by the time you read this, there’s a fair chance that the former will be part of one of our leadi

First the bad news. Our bid to have a national skills academy for logistics recognised by the government fell at the last hurdle as we came a “very close fifth” with the first four only awarded the status. It’s little consolation, but we fight on.

DHL Express is the latest and the largest logistics company to sign the Skills Pledge, an initiative under which employers promise to train their staff to at least a NVQ Level 2 (the equivalent of five GCSEs).

At the time of writing we seem to be teetering on the edge of a combination of global financial meltdown and a situation where, across the world, banks are effectively nationalised. It’s enough to make Marx and Engels dance a jig.

The government is keen to introduce National Skills Academies across the English skills landscape. The initiative was introduced in 2006 and around 12 have been approved to date in three tranches covering sectors as widespread as construction, financial s