27 MAR 2024
FE, HR & Skills News Roundup - March 2024
As we head into the Easter break, here's the top 10 most viewed articles from onlyFE and other news outlets from the past month.
Robert Halfon resigns as skills minister
Robert Halfon has resigned as minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education and plans to stand down as an MP at the next election. He said he “feels it is time for me to step down” after more than two decades in parliament. View article
Luke Hall named new education minister
Luke Hall has been appointed as a Department for Education minister following the sudden resignation of skills, apprenticeships and higher education minister Robert Halfon. The Thorbury and Yate MP was minister for regional growth at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government from September 2020 until September 2021. Full story via FE Week.
UK Minimum Wage: A £6,000 Annual Boost for Low-Paid Workers and a Triumph in Tackling Pay Inequality
The introduction of the minimum wage in the UK in 1999 is the single most successful economic policy in a generation, raising the pay of the nation’s lowest-paid workers by £6,000 a year compared to their earnings simply rising in line with typical wages, according to new Resolution Foundation analysis published today. FE News article.
DfE snatches £1.5m from popular FE leadership and governance scheme
The Department for Education is slashing a near-£10 million popular programme aimed at strengthening leadership and governance in further education. Experts warned last year that nonprotected government budgets are at risk of cuts after chancellor Jeremy Hunt told all departments to “redouble efforts to find savings”. Full story.
HR Mediation: Why Impartiality is Your Superpower
Employees caught in a workplace conflict want fairness and impartiality from you. They want someone to listen, understand, and be objective. But is it realistic to expect absolute impartiality from HR when facing pressure from various sides within the company? Hacking HR Article
Salary information in job postings: it’s important!
For years, job boards have pushed employers to include salary information in job postings. Why? Research has shown that adding a salary (or salary range) to a posting will increase the job seeker response – and often, the quality of response as well. Employers have been…resistant. But the times, they are changing. JBD Blog
An HR things-to-do list for April 2024
Just as you were planning a last-minute Easter getaway, you remember that April is the month when the tax year ends and new employment laws often come into force. Personnel Today provides an HR checklist of things to do in April 2024. Personnel Today blog.
HR & employment experts react to the Chancellor's Spring Budget 2024
Hunt announced a series of changes key to businesses and the HR function, including National Insurance cuts and support for working parents. HR Grapevine have collected reaction from HR professionals across the country. View article.
Hybrid struggle: 53% of professionals would start new job hunt if they had to work more days in-office
The findings are from a recent poll of 2,000 UK professionals & employers conducted by specialist international recruitment company Robert Walters. This comes as a recent survey by KPMG found that 63% of UK CEOs predict a full return-to-office by 2026. View article.
Is flexible working the key to boosting performance and teacher well-being?
There’s no doubt that something needs to change to address the widespread unhappiness amongst teachers and leaders revealed in the latest Teacher Wellbeing Survey which we summarised here. Teachers are leaving the profession and there aren’t enough trainee teachers to replace them.
But is flexible working the answer and how easy is it to implement in the education sector? FE News article.