WIREDGOV

CEL: The Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) has published its report of a policy seminar held on 5 September 2007 to explore the potential benefits of close working between the further education system and local government for the achievement of public service outcomes.

 

The significance of place and the complexities of decision-making at the local community level had previously been highlighted in a series of seminars that looked at the implications of the Leitch review of skills for the FE system and for its leadership.

 

CEL's current policy seminar series, ‘Leading the FE system in a new era of ambition’, began on 9 October 2007 with the first of six seminars, chaired by Fiona Millar. The next one is about ‘Sector-owned improvement – learning from local government’ on 29 November 2007.

Press release ~ Further education, communities and local government – exploiting the potential ~ Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) ~ White paper - Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances – Update July 2007 ~ Secto r-owned improvement – learning from local government (click on November and scroll down)

 

DWP: Two DWP research reports - Health, disability, caring and employment and Disability and Caring among Families with Children have been published. They are based on analysis of the Department's Families and Children Study (and other surveys) and add to their knowledge about how disability in the family interacts with income, employment and caring behaviour.: 

The Families and Children Study is a refreshed panel study of approximately 7000 families in Britain, investigating the circumstances of all families with dependent children.  It covers a range of topics including: health; disability and caring; education; income; childcare; child maintenance; housing; transport; and labour market activity.

Press release ~ Health, disability, caring and employment (3Mb) ~ Summary version ~ Disability and Caring among Families with Children ~ Summary version ~ Families and Children Study

 

ESRC: A project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) on a South London housing estate has developed ways of teaching people the skills they need to make the most of today’s information technology.

 

NIACE, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, will use the findings of the Penceil (How People Encounter E-Illiteracy and how they can take action to overcome it) project in its ongoing work within the government’s Skills for Life initiative.

Press release ~ NIACE, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education ~ Penceil (How People Encounter E-Illiteracy and how they can take action to overcome it) ~ ESRC’s e-society programme ~ ESRC Society Today

 

Defra: Increasing the UK's capacity for Combined Heat and Power generation (CHP) should yield considerable environmental and economic benefits, two Government reports have claimed. The reports, published as part of the requirements of the EC Co-generation Directive, predict that over 10% of the UK's electricity will come from CHP generation by the end of 2010.

 

It goes on to state that the economic potential exists to provide 17% of our total energy requirement from CHP.

 

The report on the UK's national potential for CHP examines how the opportunity to capitalise on this energy source can be harnessed and it outlines the taxation, market mechanisms and policy framework in place to support the growth of Good Quality CHP capacity.

Press release ~ EC Co-generation Directive ~ Evaluation of progress towards increasing share of high-efficiency cogeneration ~ Analysis of the national potential for high-efficiency cogeneration ~ Defra: Action in the UK – Combined heat and power ~ The combined benefits of Good Quality CHP ~ UK's CHP Quality Assurance Programme (CHPQA)