General News
CIOB: In a submission to the Government’s Panel on Fair Access to the Professions the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has suggested that what currently constitutes a profession, or more broadly professionalism is outdated. The CIOB has highlighted a number of areas where increased Government funding should be considered and barriers that need to be removed if access to the professions is to be improved.
In particular, barriers that prevent people from retraining & moving in to a new profession must be addressed by government. The lack of career advice to young people has also been identified as a major issue and the CIOB recommends that funding be provided to support the training of career advisors.
Press release ~ Government’s Panel on Fair Access to the Professions ~ CIOB: Fair Access to the Professions
ScotGov: The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS)will receive £25.5m over the next 3 years to buy more than 700 new vehicles. They will include traditional ambulances and paramedic response units, plus patient transport vehicles and support vehicles.
Every 3 years the SAS is required to submit a business case to the Scottish Government Health Directorates for funds to continue the programmed replacement of its vehicles. ScotGov has agreed to provide the necessary funds requested by the Service in full.
ScotGov: New figures published by business advisory service Envirowise show that Scottish businesses saved more than £29m in 2007 (up 100% on 2006) by taking steps to reduce their waste.
ScotGov: Skiers flocked to Scottish ski resorts during the month of February to take advantage of ideal weather conditions, according to new figures, which saw visitor numbers doubling or even trebling.
MCA: Fewer than 2.5% of shore anglers wear lifejackets when fishing according to research carried out by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. The agency is advising all anglers, whether they practice their sport from the sea, on rocks or shore, to carry and wear a lifejacket when near the sea.
Press release ~ Lifejackets save lives ~ General advice & information on lifejackets and how to fit & maintain them
LDA: The London Development Agency and Sport England are running a skills development programme for people aged 16 and over who want to support grass roots sport as a volunteer in one of 17 Olympic or Paralympic disciplines.
‘Official Sports London’ works with National Governing Bodies of those sports to help people gain a recognised qualification and 15 hours officiating experience in roles including being a referee, umpire, line judge, scorer and timekeeper. Those with appropriate national experience may be given the chance to improve their skills to the level that they might be eligible for a role at the 2012 Games.
UKOC: Informal adult learning should target the socially excluded, and make the most of new technologies to level the learning playing field. The message comes from UK online centres, who have welcomed John Denham’s White Paper, which puts informal learning & widening participation back on the adult skills agenda.
The UK online centres network is seen as central to the Learning Revolution being instigated across the country and a clear role is outlined for centres to champion both digital inclusion and informal learning. For more on White Paper, see ‘In the News’ section.
Press release ~ White Paper: The Learning Revolution ~ Fourth National Digital Inclusion Conference (27 and 28 April ~ Uk online centres ~ Ufi
HC: The Healthcare Commission has recently published a report it commissioned from the NHS Sustainable Development Unit, which looks at the data currently available to support NHS trusts being assessed for carbon reduction monitoring by the regulator.
Press release ~ Carbon Reduction Metrics for Healthcare Regulation ~ NHS Sustainable Development Unit ~ Care Quality Commission
MoD: A former Royal Air Force Corporal's dying wish to make Christmas fun for an Army sniffer dog finally came true this week for Jamie the Springer spaniel based in Afghanistan, thanks to the charity uk4u Thanks!
On hearing a report on the radio that Jamie would be out in Afghanistan at Christmas without any toys John Evans decided to approach the Forces Christmas charity uk4u Thanks to send Jamie a Christmas box of his own. Sadly, John was seriously ill with pneumonia at the time and died a few days after sending the parcel.
STFC: To celebrate the International Year of Astronomy 2009, the world’s first Dark Sky Discovery Sites were unveiled last week at Newbattle Abbey College in Dalkeith. The Dark Sky Scotland partnership named the two sites as Newbattle Abbey College and Highland Council’s Glen Nevis Visitor Centre grounds, near Fort William.
The 2 sites, which are relatively free of light pollution, tall buildings and are safe & accessible, were chosen following a winter of community astronomy activities led by the John Muir Trust, the Highland Council Countryside Rangers and the Forestry Commission Scotland.
Press release ~ International Year of Astronomy 2009 ~ Dark Sky Scotland ~ John Muir Trust ~ Highland Council Countryside Rangers ~ Forestry Commission Scotland ~ Royal Observatory Edinburgh Visitor Centre ~ Scottish Natural Heritage ~ Newbattle Abbey College ~ Nevis Partnership
Directgov: Directgov, the government's flagship website, is working with Microsoft to make it easier for Internet Explorer users to find helpful information by using new web tools. Microsoft's new browser Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) includes new 'accelerators': tools which help the user perform simple every day tasks without having to leave the website they are on.
The accelerator will mean that the user will be able to right click on text in any page on the internet and quickly search for that term across the Directgov site.
MoD: The Royal Engineers are getting 60 air-portable TERRIER vehicles which will support infantry by removing obstacles & opening routes, providing vital assistance on operations including peace-keeping and humanitarian missions.
Most tasks can also be conducted by remote control from over 1km away with onboard camera systems providing the operator a close up view. The vehicle is equipped with advanced diagnostic analysis software enabling the crew to keep the vehicle working to its optimum capacity.
NA: The latest Cabinet Secretary's notebook to be released for viewing in the National Archives covers the resignation of PM Sir Anthony Eden due to ill health, military co-operation with Europe and proposals for a Channel rail tunnel.
The notebook is the 16th to be released, covering the period from 8 January to 21 November 1957 and contains the handwritten notes made by the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Norman, Brook at Cabinet meetings. They differ from the official minutes in attributing views to individual ministers and often include incidental discussion, giving more of a flavour of ministers' personalities.
PCS: The PCS union reports that the takeover of EDS by HP has brought renewed threats to PCS members.
Despite the EDS arm of the new HP set up being profitable, staff are being asked to take a pay cut on the back of a wide scale campaign of redundancies. Pensions and a range of other entitlements are also under threat.
WAG: First Minister, Rhodri Morgan began the creation of a new woodland near Tredegar last week when he planted the first tree at the latest site for the Welsh Assembly Government's Plant! project. The project, which will help to create a WelshNational Forest of native trees, was launched in December 2007 and aims to plant a tree for every new baby and adopted child in Wales from 1 January, 2008.
Parents will receive a certificate stating that their tree has been planted for them, thereby forging a link between children and their environment. Already, 35,000 mixed native broadleaf trees have been planted at the first Plant! site at Cefn Ila, near Usk, and nearly 9,000 certificates have been issued for the second site at Ysgybor Wen, Llanegryn, near Tywyn.
