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CIOB:  The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is set to partner the Leonardo da Vinci funded project ‘PROCONSTR’, which aims to improve vocational education in the construction industry by identifying & recognising qualifications across the European Union.  The CIOB will be responsible for preparing the syllabus & training materials.
 
The program of vocational training will be based on European regulations for certifying & qualification.  The initial focus will be on 8 selected construction professions for graduates from vocational schools & technical secondary schools.  As well as employees who are professionally active and want to increase their skills.
Press release ~ Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) ~ PROCONSTR ~ European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme
 
STFC: UK astronomers, using a telescope aboard the NASA Swift Satellite, have captured information from the early stages of a gamma ray burst - the most violent & luminous explosions occurring in the Universe since the Big Bang.  The work was published on 27 February in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
 
Swift is able to both locate & point at gamma ray bursts (GRBs) far quicker than any other telescope, so by using its Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) the astronomers were able to obtain an ultraviolet spectrum of a GRB just 251 seconds after its onset - the earliest ever captured.  It is currently thought that some GRBs are caused by immense explosions following the collapse of the core of a rapidly rotating, high-mass star into a black hole, but there are still many mysteries surrounding them.
Press release ~ NASA Swift Satellite ~ Royal Astronomical Society ~ Illustration of a gamma ray burst ~ Science and Technology Facilities Council
 
HO: A new state of the art £8m national ballistics service to assist police in solving gun crimes has been officially opened (it went live on 3 November 2008). The National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) provides a specialist 'CSI-style' analysis of all ballistics - effectively giving guns & bullets a 'fingerprint' which can be tracked.  This means that police across the country will be able to quickly match guns to offenders and trace which gun a bullet has been fired from when criminals are using it more than once.
 
NABIS will support the police to solve crimes where firearms have been used quickly, identify the few individuals who import, store & supply illegal firearms and track down the people involved in illegally converting or adapting firearms.
 
The government & police are also concerned about the use of deactivated firearms in crime.  The concerns are on two fronts: the reactivation of deactivated firearms and the misuse of firearms while in their deactivated form to threaten and intimidate people. A new consultation paper (closes 25May 2009) seeks views on which of several possible options represent the best way forward.
Press release ~ National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) ~ Tackling Gangs Action Programme ~ Consultation on regulations to control the use of deactivated firearms
 
MoD: The strategic missile submarine HMS Vigilant will be kitted out with updated weapons systems and a new nuclear reactor core under a refit contract worth in excess of £300m. The 16,000 tonne submarine is expected to spend around 3.5 years under refit by Babcock at Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth.  The work is expected to sustain employment for around 1,000 people in the dockyard and another 1,000 across the industry at its peak.
Press release ~ HMS Vigilant ~ The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent: Defence White Paper 2006 ~ UK Nuclear Weapons Programme ~ Britain's Nuclear Deterrent
 
TfLTransport for London (TfL) is encouraging people to visit its Oyster online shop to find out about the benefits of managing Oyster via the web.  The Oyster online shop enables you to purchase pay as you go credit, Travelcard and Bus Pass season tickets from the comfort of your home or workplace, whenever is convenient for you – enabling you to beat the queues at ticket offices or ticket machines.

Online customers can also access a range of services, including: checking their pay as you go balance, protecting their card if it is lost or stolen and setting up Auto top-up so that their pay as you go credit automatically tops up whenever their balance drops below £5. First time customers can also purchase an Oyster card online and have it sent to their home.
Press release ~ Oyster online shop ~ Win an iPod Touch
 
NA: Throughout March 2009, specialists are sharing their knowledge & expertise in free talks at The National Archives, providing a wealth of help & ideas to family historians, offering research advice and revealing the truth behind historical fictions. Subjects include:
* Catching Victorian and Edwardian criminals on paper
* Nonconformist genealogy
* The Great Escape: you've seen the film now hear the truth
* Charles Darwin and the Beagle
 
Also, why not join one of their daily drop-in sessions, which introduce first-time visitors to the services available at The National Archives and how to make the most of their resources.  These free sessions start at 11:30 and last approximately 30 minutes; pre-booking is not required.
Press release ~ Free talks ~ Podcasts of talks & lectures
 
MonitorMonitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts has confirmed that East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has been authorised as from 1 March 2009. The announcement means there are now 115 NHS foundation trusts in total, of which 32 are mental health NHS foundation trusts.
Press release ~ Monitor
 
MonitorMonitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts has taken the decision to use its formal powers of intervention to appoint - with immediate effect - an interim Chair at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.  In addition, they will be requiring the trust to appoint an interim Chief Executive to be chosen by Monitor.
 
This follows notification from the Trust’s Chair of her intention to resign immediately and notification from the Trust’s Chief Executive of his expected departure. Monitor’s Board has found that under section 52 of the 2006 Act, Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust is in significant breach of two conditions of its authorisation and that discretionary intervention is necessary.
Press release ~ Monitor entry ~ Letter to board of governors ~ Statutory notice of intervention
 
SE: More of us now live within 20 minutes travel of quality sports facilities - according to new Audit Commission statistics.  41% of people in England live within a 20-minute walk in urban areas, and drive in rural areas, of three different types of sports facilities, one of which has to be quality assured by schemes such as Sport England’s Quest programme.  In 2006, the figure was just 23%.
 
Sport England is working with national governing bodies of sport, local government & other partners to create a world leading community sport system capable of getting 1m people playing & enjoying more sport by 2013.
Press release ~ SE Strategy ~ Audit Commission CPA scores
 
SESport England recently unveiled a £10m investment fund that will create sporting opportunities for people in rural areas. Sport England’s Active People Survey 2 shows that two thirds of the local authorities with the lowest sports participation rates are in rural areas.
 
The first in a series of themed funding rounds, it will open for business on 1 April 2009.  A detailed application prospectus for the Rural Communities Themed Round will be available on Sport England’s website by 1 April 2009, and there will be a 3-month window for outline applications.
 
Themed rounds is intended to enable SE to tackle specific challenges & opportunities that they know exist in grassroots sport as well, as helping to ensure that their investment is effectively distributed across the country and across different communities. The second themed round will be announced by 1 September 2009 and will open for business in October 2009.
Press release ~ SE: Active People Survey 2 ~ Funding sport in the community ~ Commission for Rural Communities
 
LDA: The London Development Agency (LDA) has provided £2.35m in funding towards a new centre to open up products & services for the elderly and people with disabilities to perform tasks they would otherwise be unable to do – known as ‘assistive technology (AT)’.  One of the products the centre will specialise in is a new paediatric wheelchair called the Wizzybug that will allow disabled children to control their mobility from the age when they would otherwise be crawling.
 
A new report published by ATcare highlights the need for better co-ordination of assistive technology development, which the LDA’s funding aims to address.  Products that will broaden leisure and work opportunities are being developed to address a range of needs such as visual impairment, long-term health conditions and mobility challenges.
Press release ~ ATcare Design and Development Centre ~ London Development Agency ~ Co-ordination of assistive technology development report available on request from: info@atcare.co.uk
 
ScotGov: The first automated recycling centre at a Scottish supermarket has been opened.  Items accepted include cans, plastic and glass.  Waste is then crushed & compacted on site resulting in fewer lorry collections and reduced carbon emissions. Under Tesco's current promotion, recyclers will receive one Green club card point for every two aluminium cans recycled.
 
The TOMRA machines were designed by Scandinavian engineers and are already used with success in many European countries.  Recyclable items are dropped one at a time into the machine and lasers scan & identify the material being deposited.  These are then transferred mechanically onto a conveyor system and crushed and/or shredded prior to being deposited into collection bins.
 
The TOMRA machines can recycle glass bottles & jars, steel & aluminium food and drink cars, plastic bottles, yoghurt pots and plastic food trays. 
Press release ~ TOMRA machines
 
LLUKLifelong Learning UK has launched a nationwide programme to connect teachers, tutors, and trainers in the further education sector with business & industry employers, helping them enhance their vocational skills.  Business Interchange encourages & supports tutors wishing to take part in a work placement with a local business, helping them gather continuing professional development (CPD) experience.
 
Tutors in the further education sector need to undertake a minimum 30 hours professional development per year to maintain their competencies & learning potential.  Business Interchange provides a way for them to make the most of their CPD time and bring sharper skills & knowledge back to their learners, whilst also linking with the employers whose needs they address.
Press release ~ Business Interchange ~ Lifelong Learning UK
 
ScotGov: Schools Minister Keith Brown has just opened a new Confucius Classroom Hub covering Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus and Moray. This is Scotland's eighth hub, fulfilling an agreement that Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) signed with the Chinese authorities in April 2008 to open eight Confucius Classroom Hubs within one year.
 
The latest hub is based at Hazlehead Academy in Aberdeen and will provide a central learning point to primary & secondary schools across the North East for Chinese culture, language, heritage, history, art, food, music and sport.
 
To help overcome the wide geographical spread of the region, the North East Hub will use Glow, the innovative intranet for Scottish schools, to share resources.  This will also allow inter-school video communication to share the best approaches in implementing Chinese learning.
Press release ~ Confucius Classroom Hub ~ Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) ~ Glow ~ ScotGov - Schools
 
DIFD: The Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, and Comic Relief supporter, Reggie Yates, have marked the start of a new education initiative that's all set to make a huge difference to some of the 35m children across Africa who can't go to school.
 
As part of this year's Red Nose Day campaign, schools across the UK are being asked to choose how the cash the raise gets spent to help overcome three of the major barriers that prevent kids across Africa from going to school.
 
In Africa some children's families are too poor to afford school.  Other children aren't able to go because they have to help at home when a family member is sick.  And some are so busy fending for themselves away from home that they just can't go to school.  UK schools are helping to break down these barriers when they fundraise this Red Nose Day.
Press release ~ Resources for Teachers ~ DIFD Discovery Zone ~ Red Nose Day fundraising kit ~ Education and poverty
 
TfL:   Ahead of the clocks going forward on 29 March, Transport for London (TfL) has launched its spring campaign to cut the number of motorcyclists killed & injured in the Capital.  The TV ads, which remind drivers to ‘give motorcyclists a second thought’, highlight an optical effect that psychologists believe could put motorcyclists at risk. 
 
This optical effect, caused by the way the brain assesses approaching objects, could cause drivers to underestimate how much time & space they have available when pulling out in front of approaching motorcycles.  Known by psychologists as the ‘size-arrival effect’, the phenomenon has now been demonstrated in a number of independent studies.
Press release ~ ‘Motorcycle accident risk could be inflated by a time to arrival illusion’ ~ TfL motorcycles ~ Watch the March 2008 Motorcycle safety advert
 
ESRC: Students from 13 secondary schools in & around the Peak District National Park are taking part in an investigation to better understand the role the park plays in climate change.  Groups of students will measure the quality of the moorland as part of the Festival of Social Science which is organised by the Economic and Social Research Council from 6 to 15 March 2009.

 The investigation, known as the Moorland Indicators of Climate Change Initiative, will see students test samples back at school, as well as passing on information to scientists for further analysis.  The research results will enable scientists to map the quality of the moorland in the Peak District and identify the areas that contribute to climate change and the areas that actually slow global warming.
Press release ~ ESRC Festival of Social Science ~ Moorland Indicators of Climate Change Initiative ~ Peak District National Park Learning Team ~ Moors for the Future Partnership
 
PCS: The PCS union has echoed concerns expressed recently by the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee, that contractors delivering the Flexible New Deal could ‘cream’ the easy cases of helping people back into work, whilst ‘parking’ those who are harder to help.
 
The select committee report, DWP’s Commissioning Strategy and the Flexible New Deal, also expressed concern about the lack of evidence in the UK on the performance of the private & voluntary sectors when compared to the public sector.
 
Whilst sharing some of the committee’s concerns over the funding for the programme, the union disagreed with the committee’s endorsement of contracting out the Flexible New Deal. PCS questioned whether there was the capacity & skills in the private sector to successfully deliver the Flexible New Deal.
Press release ~ WPC’s press release ~ DWP’s Commissioning Strategy and the Flexible New Deal – Vol. 1 ~ Vol. 2 ~ Flexible New Deal ~ Flexible New Deal: Making it Work
 
Dstl:  Students from Larkhill Primary School recently enjoyed a fun-filled & informative Science and Engineering Day, courtesy of the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).  Scientists from Dstl’s headquarters at Porton Down visited the local school in the run up to Science and Engineering Week.  This national initiative is a celebration of science, engineering and technology, running from 6 to 15 of March 2009.

The purpose of the day was to introduce school children to science, engineering & technology in a way that would show them the relevance of these subjects to every day life.  Workshops included a microbiology activity called ‘Grubby Hands’ which saw students counting the number of germs on their hands and ‘Protecting the Soldier’, an interactive science show which helped explain the importance of Dstl’s work to protect front line troops.
Press release ~ Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) – Education Outreach ~ National Science and Engineering Week (NSEW)