Editors Blog

HR directors call out for more talent

A straw poll of the 100 or so HR directors attending the Human Resources Forum 2009 has found 38% believe a lack of talent in the workforce is the biggest problem facing their functions at the moment. Their concerns over the...

Posted by Kat Baker on May 8, 2009 3:10 PM

Top 10 learning and development tips

Visitors to last month's Learning Technologies conference gave their top learning tips to help share best practice learning and development with peers. Software provider Premier IT asked visitors to its stand provide a top learning tip and a Top 10...

Posted by Mike Berry on February 10, 2009 10:33 AM

Skills tsar Chris Humphries warns against "the wrong sorts of training"

As unemployment hits 1.92 million, and another government minister is criticised as being out of touch with stark reality of the downturn by saying there was "light at the end of tunnel", one man brings a little more sense to...

Posted by Rob Moss on January 22, 2009 10:57 AM

Redundancy tips for employers

Redundancies are difficult for employers, and one mistake may result in severe consequences, financial or otherwise, for the organisation.  Here are some top tips from jobs board Monster and Insala, talent management software provider, on tackling redundancy situations. Establish an...

Posted by Mike Berry on December 10, 2008 2:31 PM

CBI conference news | I was snubbed by the prime minister

Prime minister Gordon Brown today told Personnel Today... well... absolutely nothing. I approached the PM after his keynote speech at the CBI annual conference to ask him about something he'd just said on upskilling the workforce - and he said nothing. Fine,...

Posted by Louisa Peacock on November 24, 2008 11:05 AM

World of Learning 2008

Up in Birmingham this week to catch up on the latest from the world of learning and development. Stalls, speeches and awards all pointed towards a brave new world for training in the upcomin recession.

Posted by Guy Logan on November 23, 2008 2:34 PM

Skills | Chinese takeaway the UK's skills secrets

Imagine Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson on the eve of a massive Champions League game popping over to Spain to give the Real Madrid coaching team a few tips on how to beat his side. Or England cricket coach Peter...

Posted by Mike Berry on July 1, 2008 10:47 AM

Career paths | Schools may soon promote only university

For all the talk recently of apprenticeships, NVQs, skills academies, vocational training and so on, what's all this about potential government plans to rank schools by the number of pupils they send to university? Proposals being put to the prime...

Posted by Louisa Peacock on May 28, 2008 6:00 AM

Flexible working | Employee education is the key

Finally, the eagerly awaited review of extending flexible working rights, by Sainsbury's HR director Imelda Walsh, is out in the open. And it certainly makes a nice change that HR is in the spotlight for leading a government review rather...

Posted by Dawn Spalding on May 19, 2008 3:16 PM

Leitch Review of Skills | A copy of Personnel Today comes in handy

Strolling down to parliament yesterday to watch MPs grill Lord Leitch about his hugely influential report on the nation's skills, I wasn't sure what to expect. What could politicians in the Innovation and Skills Select Committee possibly want to know...

Posted by Louisa Peacock on April 29, 2008 12:20 PM

MoD recruitment | Repeat after me - this is my rifle!

Teaching bosses have been hopping about at the NUT annual conference in Manchester showing more productivity than the Easter Bunny himself. Along with the promise of more strike threats, teachers have vowed to stop military recruitment campaigns in schools that...

Posted by Gareth Vorster on March 26, 2008 5:17 PM

Job swap | Marching orders

Former soldiers should be retrained as teachers who would instil discipline into tough inner-city schools, under a new proposal. A report by think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies says ex-servicemen could have a profound effect on discipline and learning...

Posted by Gareth Vorster on February 18, 2008 3:07 PM

Skills | Brown-sky thinking

The papers are full of Gordon Brown's latest initiative to boost the skills levels of the UK workforce. Poor families are to be paid extra cash if they commit to training or work. Ministers are apparently off on a little...

Posted by Mike Berry on February 15, 2008 10:15 AM

Workplace disputes | Mediation skills crucial to HR

News of the clampdown on unnecessary tribunals could not have come soon enough. The number of employment tribunal cases rose from 115,039 in 2005-06 to 132,577 last year. And with the exception of race discrimination, all areas had an upward...

Posted by Dawn Spalding on February 11, 2008 9:19 AM

'Charm lessons' for airport immigration officials: at last

With all the talk about the UK skills shortage, and the need to smarten up this country's front-line staff in time for the London Olympics 2012, it's good to see the government might finally do about unwelcoming airport border staff....

Posted by Louisa Peacock on September 17, 2007 2:12 PM