Keep up-to-date with the latest L&D trends and research

Almost 9 in 10 employers plan to maintain or increase the number of apprentices they take on in the next 12 months, according to the results of a new survey of more than 600 employers in England.

The Open University (OU) is marking National Apprenticeship Week with new insights on how employers value apprenticeships and the benefits they offer in diversifying the workforce.

Local authorities, like most organisations, require a range of skillsets across a diverse workforce.

Frankie didn’t have a good experience of school and became a qualified dance teacher when he left. Later, he took over the dance business. Frankie later joined the railway industry as a driver and enjoyed it, but soon aspired to become a manager.

Apprenticeship Week is taking place in Wales soon (February 7-13). To mark the week-long event, The Open University (OU) spoke to Stephanie Williams, a project manager in the second year of a Degree Apprenticeship to find out how it’s going, why she chose to study for the apprenticeship and what she hopes to achieve as a result.

When Martyn Carroll left school at 16, he didn’t realise he had dyslexia and simply thought higher education wasn’t for him. He’s now proving just what he’s capable of thanks to a degree apprenticeship with The Open University and South Western Railway.

Ever since she was a child, Fola Yusuf-Adewuyi wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a nurse. Years later, and now a mum of three herself, Fola is living her dream and is one of the first Nursing Associates to qualify through an innovative Open University apprenticeship.

The first Nurse Associates have qualified from Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT), through its new Nursing Academy in partnership with The Open University (OU).

The UK skills shortage is being felt across every sector, region and nation of the UK. In Northern Ireland, 69 per cent of employers report a skills shortage in their organisation, with nearly half (46%) saying their biggest challenge over the next five years will be their ability to find staff with the right skills. These findings are taken from The Open University’s (OU) latest Business Barometer report, published in partnership with The Institute of Directors (IoD).

With research suggesting an organisation’s level of psychological know-how can improve its response to disruption, this whitepaper will explore how business and HR leaders can draw upon psychological resources as part of their crisis management strategy.