WIREDGOV

New IoC/Deloitte research shows that more than 40% of female respondents would move into the digital sector if they knew how to retrain.

The UK faces a chronic digital skills gap that is only set to widen as the Fourth Industrial Revolution gathers pace and we adopt new technologies.  Why is it then, that even though businesses are crying out for a skilled workforce, diverse groups remain a largely untapped source of talent?  The Institute of Coding (IoC) is undertaking a research project with Deloitte, one of the members of its large consortium, that explores what motivates people to pursue digital education and careers.

As part of the first phase of this research, over 500 employed people (working in tech & non-tech jobs) were surveyed across a range of age groups, ethnicities & backgrounds about their attitudes towards the digital sector and pursuing a career in the industry.  The results show that increased access to digital education is needed, with only 65% of respondents believing they have the right digital skills to progress their career.

A way to combat this is by breaking down the perceived entry barriers into the tech sector. The variety of job opportunities in the tech sector means that there is something for everyone, but people are often unaware of the opportunities available. Launched on Ada Lovelace Day, the IoC’s ‘CTRL Your Future’ campaign champions a cross-section of diverse people making waves in digital and rebooting the face of the industry along the way. This is a key theme of techUK’s Creating Digital Futures conference that looks to highlight that opportunities in tech are open to all.

techUK aims to inspire the next generation of female tech pioneers through a range of programmes including being a key supporter of WISE's My Skills, My Life - a campaign that looks to engage girls with interactive games and connect them to people in STEM careers.

The Surveillance Camera Commissioner has launched Secure by Default – minimum requirements for manufacturers of surveillance camera systems & components.

It was driven by the need to ensure the UK’s resilience against cyber security vulnerability, as well as to provide the best possible assurance that cameras are manufactured to minimum cyber secure requirements. The minimum requirements are an important step forward for manufacturers, installers and users alike. Manufacturers self-certify their products as secure by default.

S.A.F.E systems were the first organisation to be awarded the mark.  Dave Lawrie, director, recently said:

“Given the fact that our main focus is the provision, supply and installation of CCTV systems into licensed vehicles, secure by default is essential not only for driver and local authority confidence in our product and service, but for public confidence in the security of their data”.

Manufacturers can demonstrate they meet the minimum requirements by completing a self-certification form and submitting it to the Commissioner’s office for validation.   To find out more about the Secure by Default certification, how to apply and which organisations have been awarded the certification mark visit the Commissioner’s website.

Public Health England (PHE), in partnership with the NHS, have launched Every Mind Matters to help people take simple steps to look after their mental health, improve their mental wellbeing & support others.

It is increasingly recognised that taking care of our mental health is as important as maintaining good physical health. A new PHE survey reveals 83% of people have experienced early signs of poor mental health including feeling anxious, stressed, having low mood or trouble sleeping in the last 12 months.  While these can be a natural response to life’s challenges, they can become more serious if people don’t take action, and many wait too long.

27% of people who experienced signs of poor mental health waited at least 6 months before taking action to manage their mental health, with 74% of those who waited this long wishing they had done so sooner.

Every Mind Matters shows people the simple steps they can take to be better prepared for life’s ups & downs. The new platform, which has been endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RGCP), will enable people to create a personalised action plan recommending a set of self-care actions to deal with stress, boost mood, improve sleep and feel in control.  You can discover simple steps for a healthier mind and create your bespoke action plan at www.everymindmatters.co.uk.

A special film to promote Every Mind Matters has been written by Richard Curtis and directed by Rankin, narrated by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke & Duchess of Sussex. It shows how we can all look after our mental health and was aired at around 8:45pm on Monday night (7 October 2019) across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky channels.

The launch follows 18 months of planning and local & regional piloting, developed with clinical & academic experts, national mental health charities and input from people with experience of poor mental health. Clinically-assured by the NHS, Every Mind Matters is evidence-based and it shows people how to build simple changes into their daily lives – such as reframing unhelpful thoughts, breathing exercises and increasing physical activity.

The National Child Measurement Programme¹, England – 2018-19 report shows that the prevalence of obesity in 4 & 5-year-olds rose from 9.5% in 2017-18 to 9.7% in 2018-19.  This equates to 58,000 children.

Among year 6 pupils, who are aged 10 and 11, obesity prevalence was 20.2% in 2018-19 (121,000 children). This is similar to the level in 2017-18, when it was 20.1%.  

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) – overseen by PHE and analysed & reported by NHS Digital – measures the height and weight of over 1m children in England annually and provides robust data on the number of children in reception and year 6 who are underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese or severely obese.

Obesity prevalence was at least double for children living in the most deprived areas compared to those living in the least deprived areas.

Landlords are being advised to check that blinds in their rental homes are safe for young children.  Older blinds with looped cords or chains may pose a threat, but you can make them safer.

Changes to standards for blinds in 2014 led to improved product safety, and new blinds with looped cords must have child safety devices installed, either at the point of manufacture, or sold with the blind.

However, the Office for Product Safety and Standards has warned blinds installed earlier may not have these features – and millions of households could be affected.  It has now issued advice for landlords & homeowners.

The RLA has an interactive property safety checklist tool to help you to identify what hazards to look for in your property to ensure that you are renting a safe, legal & secure home to your tenant. To check you are complying with the law click here.

One sometimes wonders if EU politicians always check their facts before commenting on Brexit.

Last week saw a press release from the official EU news website - Deal or no deal: MEPs debate state of play on Brexit talks – which included the following:

Manfred Weber (EPP, Germany): “At the moment, it’s not Britain that is leaving the EU, but jobs and businesses leaving the UK. A third of the British businesses are planning on or already leaving. …..

However, not even the ‘Remainer-biased’ BBC has made that claim and a PR - NIESR Monthly GDP Tracker - GDP data better than expected – seems to rather implode the basis for the statement.  When one adds in the statistics from – BBC Reality Check: How many UK businesses trade with the EU ... – it seems even more ‘remarkable’ to claim that ‘one third of 5.4m UK businesses ‘are planning on or already leaving’.

After all why would millions of businesses that only do business within the UK, move out of the UK?

S&D chief Iratxe García Pérez, from Spain, called on Boris Johnson to guarantee the acquired right of EU citizens living in the UK: “Ordinary citizens should never have to pay the price of the mistakes made by their political representatives,” she said.

With regards to Spain - FCO:  Open letter from the Foreign Secretary to UK nationals living in Spain – answers some points and looking at the EU as a whole - Home Office:  2m applications to the EU Settlement Scheme and Daily Telegraph:  Only two of the 1.5m applicants for EU settlement scheme rejected as unsuitable – we seem to be ahead of the EU’s reciprocal arrangements.

After reading another PR - EU to take action against fake news and foreign electoral interference – one also wonders if it is a case of ‘Do as we say, not as we do’?  This is because, in the same week, the EU published the PR EU News:  President David Sassoli meets Speaker of the UK House of Commons John Bercow, which seems to be a clear case of an EU (foreign) ‘President’ meeting with an ‘impartial non-member of the UK government’ to influence the final outcome of what was a majority public democratic vote for the UK to leave the EU.

However, one MEP seemed to understand the situation better than the others; Marco Zanni (ID, Italy) said that EU institutions shouldn´t give lectures on democracy to the British Parliament: “I am concerned about the fact that decisions freely taken by people, which don´t please the institutions of the EU can never be accepted.” According to Zanni, the EU is afraid of losing Britain because this would be a “demonstration of the errors of the past by the EU”.