This week’s news in brief
Checks lead to bias
Employers who check
CVs with the Criminal Records Bureau could end up discriminating against people
who have committed minor misdemeanours, claims prisoner resettlement charity
Nacro. From this summer, a wider range of organisations can run criminal checks
at a charge of £12 each.
The fourth Employers’
Law briefing, in association with Rowe & Maw, takes place on 9 May at the
British Library in London.
Graduates opt for FO
The Foreign Office has
replaced the BBC as graduates’ top choice of employer. The Virgin Group was
runner-up for the third year in a row, according to the Universum Graduate
survey. The BBC dropped to fifth.   www.universumglobal.com
Uni leavers find jobs
Nearly 70 per cent of
last year’s UK-based graduates are in full-time employment according to a
report.
The report, by the
Higher Education Funding Council, claims that only 6 per cent of students that
graduated in 2000 are unemployed.  www.hefce.ac.uk
Aid agency ‘racism’
The first audit of HR
practice in aid agencies, called Ahead of the Field, has shown that local recruits suffer institutional racism. Staff
recruited from the charity’s own country are favoured when it comes to
training, salaries, job opportunities and the use of appraisal systems.  www.peopleinaid.org
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Skills gap rises again
Nearly two-thirds of
British firms are experiencing skills shortages, according to a report. The
Reed Skills Index claims that this is the third consecutive year-on-year
increase. The survey, of 1,500 organisations, revealed that 60 per cent of
companies are finding it difficult to recruit qualified and experienced
staff.  www.reed.co.uk
