Unemployable underclass? Doesn't have to be this way, argues Perspective

Recent reports suggest Britain is at risk of creating a new ‘underclass’ of individuals who are permanently omitted from the prospect of gaining employment.

But it doesn't have to be this way, points out Perspective, a leading UK provider of learning management software, apprenticeship schemes could provide an outlet for those struggling to find work and so prevent the formation of the new class.

A survey conducted between July and September 2011 showed that of the 1,000 UK employees and 500 employers which took part, 73 percent of businesses and 84 percent of workers believe there is a permanent, unemployable underclass forming as a result of poor education and background.

Paul Davis, managing director of Perspective, commented: “Some employers are reluctant to hire individuals who leave school at a young age and without particularly good grades – which to an extent is understandable but these people need to work to live and prevent this new underclass forming.

"Apprenticeship schemes could be part of the answer as not only do they allow a business to expand cost-effectively, they are also heavily backed by the Government. Furthermore they allow businesses to form and mold their staff to best suit the business, while the apprentices themselves are earning and learning in a subject which they have chosen and hopefully enjoy.

“However, like many education programmes, student tracking and monitoring is essential if the schemes are going to deliver to their full potential. Certainly for schemes where the learners are taught in multiple locations such as work and college, having an effective student management system in place can often be the difference between success and failure.”

Despite the positives that apprenticeships can bring to all parties involved, the survey also revealed that 57 per cent of employers do not have an apprenticeship program and just over half, 51 per cent, think they are cost-effective.

Paul continued: “Apprenticeship schemes had a difficult start in life and some of the negative stigma from those early days is still, wrongly, attached. I know the Government believes in the schemes as I do but, they need to educate prospective employers as well as apprentices if they’re going to succeed and prevent the new underclass from forming.”

For more information about Perspective, please visit www.perspective-uk.com

The easy, green and friendly way to school fundraising

Schools are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to raise funds. The traditional school fairs and cakes sales can no longer be relied on by schools to raise all the money they need. A new community-based website MYGYKO is offering a new way to approach fundraising, which allows both parents to benefit as well as the school. 

Parents help raise money for their school by simply passing on their children’s uniform, sports equipment etc that they no longer use to other parents. When a parent lists an item on MYGYKO, the company will donate 50p to the school.

MYGYKO enables parents to pass on the items their children have now outgrown with other families at their school. The site is easy to use and allows parents to both, sell, give away and swap items. The site opens up the trading that often goes on informally between a few parents at the school to the whole school community. The site is free to use for both the parents listing items and the parents acquiring items.

There are not many fundraising initiatives that enable parents to benefit their pocket whilst also benefiting the pockets of their school.

Parents can earn some extra cash by selling on quality items their children no longer use and numerous items can be given away or swapped rather than parents buying brand new whilst other parents thrown away items that have plenty of use left in them.

MYGYKO has the majority of schools within the UK listed so all parents need to do is register their own personal account under a school. Teachers and Parents’ Associations need do nothing but simply promote the website to parents and then sit back to wait for a cheque to be sent on a termly basis.

GYKO offers way of fundraising that is simple and easy, eco-friendly and parent friendly.

The website MYGYKO has more information about how your school and earn up to £200 per term.

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Job Centre Should Push Apprenticeships Harder, Says Perspective

As recent reports show that one in five 16 to 24 year olds are classed as ‘NEET’ – not in education, employment or training – Perspective, the Midland- based pioneers of student tracking systems, says that knowledge of the benefits of apprenticeships isn’t prevalent enough amongst youngsters and that the Job Centre should do all they can to educate ‘NEETs’.

The new figures show the volume of NEETs has hit record heights as 1.2 million people are now without education, employment or training, up by 137,000, over 12 per cent, in the third quarter of 2011, compared with the same period a year earlier.

Paul Davis, managing director of student management system provider Perspective, commented: “I fully appreciate youngsters are continuing to bear the brunt of the job shortages issue in the downturn, but, I do feel more should be done by those who come face-to-face with ‘NEET’s’ to educate them about apprenticeships and how they can quite literally change people’s lives. The government continues to invest, and being government ran, the Job Centre should be on the frontline of the push”.

Indeed, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has stated in a recent interview that a new £1bn plan to provide subsidised work and training placements will "provide hope" to thousands of young people. The youth contract scheme will give employers subsidies worth £2,275 to take on 160,000 18-to 24-year-olds, for six months, over three years. As a result, up to 410,000 work and training placements will be created in England, Wales and Scotland by giving employers wage incentives equivalent to half of the youth national minimum wage.

Paul continued: “This level of investment can’t be taken lightly. To ensure that the money is best spent and returns the desired ROI, it again comes down to reaching out and educating people. Apprenticeships can definitely help reduce NEET figures, but they need all the help they can get.”

For more information about Perspective’s learning management software, please visit www.perspective-uk.com or call 0121 506 9540.

Newham College streamlines purchase-to-pay processes with Version One

Newham College has significantly streamlined its purchase-to-pay (P2P) processes with Version One’s document imaging system, DbArchive, and automated invoice processing solution, DbCapture. Newham College has also implemented Version One’s recently developed DbCapture PDF solution to further streamline P2P. DbCapture PDF is the latest addition to Version One’s document management suite, enabling invoice information to be captured and processed directly from a PDF invoice.

Version One’s solutions, which are integrated into Newham College’s Symmetry Financials accounting system, have significantly reduced paper usage across the college and cut invoice approval times. Version One’s software has also freed-up document storage space and eliminated document archiving costs.

Purchase invoices received in paper format are now imaged using DbArchive and key data on the invoices is automatically extracted and verified against the accounting system using Version One’s DbCapture solution. The imaged invoices are then automatically linked to the appropriate records in Symmetry. Using Symmetry’s integrated workflow functionality, invoice approvers are automatically emailed with a link to the invoice enabling them to approve, reject or query it on-screen with just a click of the mouse. This replaces manual and time-consuming P2P processes involving circulating paper invoices for approval.

Imaged documents can now be accessed directly from the Symmetry system by authorised Newham College staff, significantly cutting time-consuming administration. Version One’s software has also reduced Newham College’s reliance on paper, supporting its environmental agenda.

Ray Benn, Financial Account Manager from Newham College says, “With seven sites spread across 15 learning centres, the finance department was wasting both time and money by manually filing and circulating paper invoices. Using Version One’s software, we have significantly improved our purchase-to-pay efficiency by eliminating the paper trail.”

Using Version One’s DbCapture, Newham College has accelerated the capture of purchase invoice information. This system uses optical character recognition (OCR) technology to automatically capture purchase invoice data. The effect is to reduce manual data entry by up to 50% and replace with the more efficient process of scanning, checking and data transfer to the Symmetry system.

The addition of Version One’s DbCapture PDF solution is enabling Newham College to electronically process purchase invoices in PDF Format, eliminating the need for a paper invoice. DbCapture PDF automatically imports purchase invoices attached to email into Version One’s OCR system where the invoice information is extracted and verified before being uploaded into Newham College’s Symmetry Financials system.

Benn continues, “Version One's software will deliver considerable cost savings as we no longer have to post and photocopy invoices and will not be paying a third party document archiving facility. We have also reduced the time it takes to approve an invoice, so as to save potential late payment penalties.”

Benn adds, “Since implementing Version One’s software, staff no longer have to print out and photocopy invoices several times over, which has dramatically reduced our impact on the environment.”

FACTFILE:
www.newham.ac.uk

Newham College is one of the UK’s leading further education colleges. It has invested millions of pounds in creating world-class facilities with the aim of achieving the best standards of academic and vocational training. Ofsted awarded it ‘Outstanding’ status in 2009 and also noted its strong partnerships with businesses and the local authority.

Other awards it has gained over the years have included Beacon Awards for Employer Engagement, Heist Awards, a Queens Award and a Champion status in Investors In People. The College operates an open access policy setting it apart from other FE colleges. All sections of the community are encouraged to study and, using objective criteria, all applicants are offered places to match their needs and aspirations. Students can enrol at entry level and gain useful basic skills, progress to higher level courses and finally enrol for graduate degrees at its Newham University Centre (formerly the University Centre Stratford).

www.versionone.co.uk
Version One Ltd is the author of electronic document management and imaging solutions. These solutions enable the electronic storage, retrieval, management, enhancement and delivery of business documents such as invoices, purchase orders and statements. This 'paperless office' technology is seamlessly integrated into all major ERP and accounting systems and with a typical ROI of less than six months, Version One's solutions are enabling thousands of organisations to cut paper consumption whilst saving dramatic amounts of time and money.

Forward-thinking school adopts Bradford/Meru implementation

Forward-thinking Beaconsfield High School in Buckinghamshire has become one of the first schools in the UK to adopt a combined Bradford Networks and Meru Networks secure wireless solution. Designed to offer Sixth Form and Year 9 and 10 pupils access to a more independent and personal learning environment, the implementation paves the way for state schools to go wireless by encouraging pupils to bring their own devices (BYOD) to school and save on increasingly scarce school IT resources.

The network, which sees Bradford’s Network Sentry NAC (Network Access Control) solution implemented across a Meru wireless network, enables pupils to register their own mobile devices and provides secure access to the school’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) via Buckinghamshire’s Grid for Learning (GFL).

Acceptable usage policies allow pupils who have registered to connect up to a maximum of three devices and to access authorised websites depending on their curriculum and status. A monthly anti-virus and OS patch check ensures all devices, including tablets, smartphones and laptops, are fully up to date. If failures are detected, Network Sentry points them to a remediation portal to resolve issues before access is allowed.

Managed and implemented by Bradford and Meru partner, EAC Network Solutions, the whole school was mapped out to ensure the Wifi network could operate at optimum levels at all times. The Maths Department was first to go wireless, maximising the use of mobile devices across the department and negating the need for a dedicated fixed IT resource, followed by the new Sixth Form College and communal areas, including the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) and Dining Room.

Recent additions to the network include Physical Education (PE), which enables PE staff to register pupils on their handheld devices while in the sports halls and outside on the field and all weather pitches, and the Learning Support Department, providing greater flexibility in the use and management of their mobile devices.
“Our aim is to create a highly collaborative and interactive environment for senior pupils to work in, while empowering them to take control of their learning using their own devices at school,” says Beaconsfield High School Head Teacher, Owain Johns.

“Education is now a competitive ‘industry’ and it’s our job to attract bright, ambitious individuals, as well as encourage them to stay on to the Sixth Form. We are constantly looking at ways to innovate and educate using the very latest technology, and the concept of pupils bringing their own devices to school to use as educational tools is simply the next step in that evolution.”

For Ray Oakley, IT Manager at Beaconsfield High School, the Bradford/Meru combination provides the best possible solution: “We needed to ensure our network security was not compromised with the addition of wireless technology, and the combination of Bradford and Meru ensures that unknown devices, both wired and wireless, cannot gain access to our network.”

“Bradford is the network security specialist and Meru the Wifi specialist – one could not happen without the other. EAC has also made the whole process trouble-free and kept the door open for us to expand the network and open it up to more users and more devices in the future.”

FACTFILE:
Meru and Bradford kit being used by Beaconsfield High School: Bradford Networks S-1400 Campus Manager, Meru MC3000 Wireless Controller, Meru AP320i Access Points.

Beaconsfield High School is a highly successful, happy and exciting girls’ selective school. The School has a distinctive character, which springs from its talented student body, demanding academic programme and its respect for the individual, all of which contribute to an ethos of choice, opportunity, variety and openness.

The School has excellent facilities, including several new buildings, and offers a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. BHS seeks to offer its students imaginative and inspirational teaching to help them achieve the very best academic results of which they are capable. This is within a broadly based educational experience and a well-structured system of supportive and individualised pastoral care. The School’s most recent inspection report, from May 2007, describes BHS as, “an outstanding school where students have keen appetites for learning, flourish and make excellent progress. Their high standards and achievements are a credit to the staff, governors and, not least, to the students themselves who work hard and make best use of the superb academic and pastoral support they receive.”

EAC Network Solutions provides consultancy, design, project management and installation services for all types of schools information technology systems.

The company was founded by two established industry experts to provide a comprehensive, information technology solution provider, with the right skills and attitude to the delivery of the highest quality of solutions and support services.

With EAC expert advice and continuing support, their customers are able to maximise the return on their IT investment and ensure they stay abreast of the possibilities of new and emerging technologies.

Their links with the leading names in IT and telecommunications means we can provide you with hardware, software and services at the best price. At the same time, EAC is proud to be fully independent, able to offer you a solution tailored to your needs based on years of industry experience in providing business solutions.
EAC project managers specialise in providing end-to-end business solutions including hardware and software installations.

Bradford Networks offers the best solution to enable secure network access for corporate issued and personal mobile devices. The company's flexible Network Sentry platform is the first network security offering that can automatically identify and profile all devices and all users on a network, providing complete visibility and control. Unlike vendor-specific network security products, Network Sentry provides a view across all brands of equipment and devices so nothing falls through the cracks. Hundreds of customers and millions of users worldwide rely on Bradford to secure their IP networks. Visit www.bradfordnetworks.com for more information.

Founded in 2002, Meru Networks provides a virtualised wireless LAN solution that cost-effectively optimises the enterprise network to deliver the performance, reliability, predictability and operational simplicity of a wired network, with the advantages of mobility. Meru's solution represents an innovative approach to wireless networking that utilises virtualisation technology to create an intelligent and self-monitoring wireless network, and enables enterprises to migrate their business-critical applications from wired networks to wireless networks, and become all-wireless enterprises.

Meru's solutions have been adopted in all major industry vertical markets, including Fortune 500 enterprises, healthcare, education, retail, manufacturing, hospitality and government. Meru is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has operations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.merunetworks.com.

Exam board OCR’s “pioneering work” – Gove announces changes to ICT curriculum

Education Secretary Michael Gove praised OCR’s “pioneering” work in the field of computer science qualifications, at a major educational technology event in London. OCR - www.ocr.org.uk - is currently the only awarding body to offer a computing GCSE.

During a keynote speech at the opening of BETT 2012, Gove announced the scrapping of the ICT curriculum and withdrawal of the Programme of Study from September 2012. ICT will remain a compulsory part of the National Curriculum, pending the National Curriculum review.

The Education Secretary said he was keen for high-quality qualifications in Computer Science to be developed. OCR was identified as a pioneer in this field.

OCR Chief Executive Mark Dawe, who also addressed education leaders at BETT, commented: “OCR welcomes the Education Secretary’s latest comments which re-enforces the approach we have been taking for some time. As well as our GCSE in Computing, the new Cambridge Nationals in ICT qualifications contain strong elements of programming.”

OCR formally launched its GCSE in Computing in September 2011, after a one year pilot. The rigorous qualification was designed to meet demand for a qualification that gave students an in-depth understanding of how computer technology works and an opportunity to investigate computer programming, including algorithms. It aims to prepare learners for progression to OCR’s A Level in Computing.

Simon Peyton Jones, Chair of the Computing at School Working Group commented: “OCR deserves considerable credit for taking the initiative in developing the first Computing GCSE, back in 2010. Encouraged by the Secretary of State, I hope that other awarding bodies will follow suit, so that we have a broad range of Computer Science qualifications at Key Stage 4, much as we do in Science or ICT.”

See the relevant pages of OCR’s website for more details of OCR’s Computing qualifications: www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/subjects/computing/

FACTFILE:
The Computing at School Working Group (CAS) is a grass roots organisation that aims to promote the teaching of Computing at school. CAS is a collaborative partner with the BCS through the BCS Academy of Computing, and has formal support from other industry partners. www.computingatschool.org.uk/

OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA) is a leading UK awarding body, providing a wide range of qualifications to meet the needs of learners of all ages and abilities. OCR qualifications include AS/A Levels, GCSEs, OCR Nationals, Key Skills, Entry Level qualifications, and vocational qualifications in areas such as IT, business, languages, teaching/training, administration and secretarial skills.

Each year more than three million students gain OCR qualifications, which are offered by 13,000 centres including schools, sixth form colleges, FE colleges, training providers, voluntary organisations, local authorities, and businesses ranging from SMEs to multi-national organisations.

OCR is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. www.ocr.org.uk

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North-West University Implements Open and Secure Network for Tens of Thousands of Mobile Devices

Bradford Networks and Khipu Networks Help University Manage Access for 20,000 Students

Khipu Networks, provider of Cyber Security Solutions within the Education sector, and Bradford Networks, the best choice to enable secure network access for corporate issued and personal mobile devices, today announce that North-West University (NWU) in South Africa has implemented Bradford Networks' Network Sentry Solution to secure and manage network access for their 20,000 student population. NWU selected Network Sentry to automate registration and enforce security policy compliance on mobile devices connecting to their campus and residential networks (resnet).

To accommodate the growing use of mobile devices, including laptops, tablets and smartphones, NWU embarked on a project to provide wireless access to educational resources across its three campuses, creating a distributed network that needed to be centrally managed. As part of their Wi-Fi rollout, NWU had to find a solution that would provide complete visibility of who and what was connecting to their network at all times, ensuring that each user and his or her device was authorised and complied with NWU's network security requirements before gaining access. Whatever solution NWU selected, it had to automate the entire process with little or no intervention between the students and NWU's IT support team.

Prior to selecting Network Sentry, NWU reviewed several Network Access Control (NAC) technologies, including Juniper Networks' UAC and Alcatel-Lucent’s DNAC. Khipu approached NWU with their NAC deployment model based upon six years’ experience implementing the Bradford Networks solution into Education environments. It was the only solution that met and exceeded all of NWU's requirements both on the campus and resnet wired and wireless networks, without the need for complex network redesign, multiple appliances or reliance on specific network vendor functionality. "On paper and having reviewed Khipu's and Bradford Networks’ customer deployments, the solution looked ideal for our environment. However, we still wanted to test the solution in our live environment against all of our requirements and on our specific network setup before making the investment," commented Attie Juyn, IT director at NWU.

Working in partnership with Khipu, NWU undertook an extensive pilot of the Bradford Networks solution, deploying the technology in a live environment against an extensive list of test criteria including;

- support for all types of devices and operating systems
- fits into NWU's environment with little or no network re-design
- is data and wireless vendor agnostic
- is 'out of band', not in-line architecture
- automates the student's registration process
- enforces a security policy that does not affect the students experience or creates additional work for NWU's IT team

“Our campus population has embraced the use of mobile devices, specifically laptops and smartphones. We needed to provide an environment that will enable them to get secure, Wi-Fi access anytime, anywhere. As part of this effort, we had to make sure that these devices also met our IT security policies. Network Sentry was the only solution that satisfied all of our pilot criteria. Khipu proved the solutions fit within our environment, giving us the confidence that it was the right NAC technology to be rolled out across our 20,000 user multiple-site campus environment," said Hannes Kriel, project lead at NWU.

In May, soon after the completed pilot, Khipu and Hannes' team commenced the full NAC roll out using Bradford's virtual machine (VM) Network Sentry solution, enabling a quick and central deployment across NWU's Mafikeng, Vaal Triangle and Potchefstroom campuses.

"Network Sentry provides us with complete visibility of all the devices connecting to our network, while ensuring that the appropriate devices meet the security rules in place for access. By automating the provisioning process for network access, we’ve created an environment that is extremely friendly to our campus population, while ensuring the best level of security to protect our network,” concluded Hannes.

Network Sentry is the first network security offering that automatically identifies and profiles all devices and all users on a network, providing complete visibility and control. The solution provides automatic registration of the users device(s) the first time they connect to the network. If the user/device is valid, the system then enforces NWU's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and security compliance check including; ensuring that virus and spyware protection is present and up to date. Devices without the proper security settings are remediated with simple instructions to 'self-fix' their device before being granted network access. The mobile devices are then able to roam among campuses without having to re-register.

"We are extremely pleased to have completed the project with the NWU team, having met all of their requirements for an open and secure network environment; the project has been a great success. With NWU being our first South African-based University deployment, we believe that other Education Institutions will look to this as a model for providing secure network access to their user populations," said Matt Ashman, director, Khipu Networks.

“As one of South Africa’s top universities, NWU has taken the steps to continue to provide the best services to its students and staff, including providing secure, Wi-Fi access across all of its campuses. This will provide its campus population the opportunity to continue to use the mobile devices of their choice, without comprising network security,” said Scott Tyson, sales director - EMEA, Bradford Networks.

About North-West University
The North-West University is a truly diverse, multi-campus South African university that strives to become a balanced teaching-learning and research institution. In terms of student numbers, it is the fourth largest university in South Africa with more than 55 000 enrolled students, annually conferring more than 13 000 degrees and diplomas. Apart from various accolades like winning the coveted prize of the Most Innovative University in South Africa, sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology's Innovation Fund in 2008, the NWU received the award for the best governed higher education institution (PricewaterhouseCoopers award) for the fifth consecutive year in 2011. More information about the NWU can be found at www.nwu.ac.za/nwu/glance.html .

Khipu Networks are a Cyber Security Solutions provider who have a large presence within the Education Sector, providing Network Access, Visibility and Control solutions. With over 10 years' experience and 400+ Education customer deployments, we have specialist expertise in meeting the challenges when providing an open, flexible but secure network environment to students, staff and visitors.

Bradford Networks offers the best solution to enable secure network access for corporate issued and personal mobile devices. The company's flexible Network Sentry platform is the first network security offering that can automatically identify and profile all devices and all users on a network, providing complete visibility and control. Unlike vendor-specific network security products, Network Sentry provides a view across all brands of equipment and devices so nothing falls through the cracks. Hundreds of customers and millions of users worldwide rely on Bradford to secure their IP networks. For more information, please visit www.bradfordnetworks.com .

A unique residential Military Academy opens at Bicton College in September 2012

The Academy will be the first of its type within a publicly funded college of further education. The Academy programme has been designed in consultation with Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, Lympstone, and has been closely monitored by a number of departments within the Ministry of Defence.

The Academy, based in the outstanding setting of Bicton College, will host a unique 25 week residential preparation course. The course will help provide young learners interested in a career within the Armed Forces with the essential skills, environment and resources, including accommodation, to better prepare them in being successful in the recruitment process and ultimately initial military training in any of the three single services.

The programme will be particularly appropriate for younger or less mature students, providing an essential introduction into the rigours of military life. Highly trained teaching and ex-military staff will use a variety of military training approaches in order to develop students’ self-esteem, independence, maturity, respect and leadership qualities. Although the aim of the programme is to prepare the majority of learners for a career in the Armed Forces, the programme has also been designed to be expansive and progressive, providing opportunities for learners to select alternative courses or career choices.

Bicton College Principal and Chief Executive David Henley said, ‘We believe that this is an exciting and important project, not only for Bicton and the Armed Forces, but potentially for wider society. Students will benefit from Bicton’s unique and supportive learning environment coupled with the benefit of gaining military insights and disciplines.

"Our Academy is set apart from other military preparation courses not just because ex-military staff will be delivering much of the subject matter but because of the fully residential nature of the programme. This approach will better prepare the learners, as separation from loved ones is recognised as one of the major risks for recruits not completing initial military training. Effectively, in the serious pursuit of what the Armed Forces quite rightly regard as “no ordinary career”, where better to prepare than through Bicton “no ordinary College”?

A spokesperson from the MOD added, "This is an interesting initiative over which we will be keeping a watchful eye. We wish Bicton College and the learners, the very best of luck with this exciting opportunity, one from which we hope the Armed Forces will benefit."

Potential students will need to be medically fit, aged up to 25 and have a strong commitment to developing themselves both personally and academically. They will be required to meet specific academic, medical and fitness criteria, as well as following the Academy’s dress and conduct codes. Student fitness will be closely monitored against performance over a 1.5 mile run, basic sit-ups and basic press-ups; they will be required to demonstrate improvement in their fitness throughout their time at the Academy.

For further information on Bicton College please visit www.bicton.ac.uk

Positive Response to the Croydon Riots

Crystal Palace Football Club joins forces with Croydon’s young people and youth support organisations to counter the negative public perception of young people and highlight the positive contributions that they can offer to their communities.

In response to the Croydon riots and to counteract the negative perception of young people in Croydon, an event, "Action for Impact", is being held on 02 February 2012 at Crystal Palace Football Stadium to showcase the diverse range of activities and support available to young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). "Action for Impact" will also focus on the creative work many young people get involved in through community based activities tailored to enhance young people’s professional and personal development.

Following the recent riots, research into Metropolitan Police Service statistics show that while only 0.07% of young people commit serious violent crime [Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS) 2011], this is in stark contrast to recent research findings relating to perceptions of young people and violence.

The 99% campaign, run by the IARS, reported that 44% of the 1000 adults who were asked in a 2010 poll: “How many young people do you think commit serious youth violence” answered between 5%-20%. 25% of those asked thought that over 50% of young people commit serious youth violence (IARS 2010).

The summer riots did little to build local employers’ confidence in employing young people. According to Business & Education London South (BELS), a local youth charity, many young people in Croydon who did not get involved in the riots and who positively engage in services to help them into work, education or training are being tarnished by the negative public perception of young people.

“Most of the young people we work with have disapproved of the riots. Their main concern is to secure their futures through gainful employment." says BELS’ Chief Executive, Michael Manning Prior.

Manning-Prior continues: "The aftermath of the riots has seen a general negativity towards young people and BELS wants to counter this by highlighting the enthusiasm with which the young people of Croydon embrace the support services provided to help them.”

"Action for Impact" is organised by BELS, together with young Croydon people and with the sponsors, Crystal Palace Football Club, who fully support and contribute to youth development in Croydon. Youth service providers such as Croydon Youth Development Trust, Positive Arts and The Crystal Palace Education Centre, supported by local young people, will give attendees the opportunity to have practical experience of film, music, sport, communication and art activities.

"Action for Impact" takes place on 02 February 2012 at 2.00pm in The Players’ Lounge, Crystal Palace Football Stadium. The event is open to all those interested in or working with young people aged 16-19 and each attendee is encouraged to bring along three young people to share in the enjoyment.

To register for the event, email info@bels.org.uk or telephone 0208 726 0700.

Experience the Plague in a New Award-Winning Educational Game for Your iPad2

A year ago Serious Games Interactive released the first episode in the Playing History educational game series, “Playing History: The Plague”. Since then the game has been used in more than 500 schools, won several awards and is nominated to the prestigious BETT Award 2012. Now the game is available on iPad!

Serious Games Interactive is proud to announce their ground-breaking, awardwinning Playing History-series to the Ipad.

The series is a 3D online adventure game series that focuses on presenting world history in an interesting and engaging way. In “The Plague”, the player goes back in time to the 14th century in Florence. The player’s mother has been affected by it too and the player must help her survive! Through the game the player explores the city, talks to the inhabitants and discovers different methods for how to cure the disease and prevent it from spreading. All the while, the player must be careful not to catch the disease.

“Playing History is the result of five years of research and development, where our aim has been to create the best educational game possible. We have worked towards finding the right balance between play and learning and we believe we managed that with Playing History.” says Mikkel Lucas Overby, commercial director at Serious Games Interactive.

“For many children, our past is unknown territory. By giving them the opportunity to replay history in a fun and interactive environment we aim to change the way children think about history, and give them a new understanding of important historical events. Games may be today’s dominant entertainment medium but, as we´re demonstrating with Playing History that they’re also a powerful tool to develop and expand children’s knowledge and competences.”

The game integrates learning and playing to engage children and give them a concrete feel for the historical time and setting. The game series also includes “Playing History: Slave Trade”, which will be available for iPad early 2012.

Playing History: The Plague is available for iPad in English, German and Danish on the App Store for $6.99.

FACTFILE:
Serious Games Interactive is an award-winning, research-based developer of games, simulations and virtual worlds. SGI offer a unique blend of competences within games, learning and storytelling. Since the company’s establishment in 2006 we’ve developed solutions that integrate learning and game elements with the best possible user experience.

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Adult Further Education Figures Down

A recent report has found that there has been a sharp decrease in the number of adults participating in further education courses. Perspective, a UK individual learning plan software provider, is looking to encourage potential adult learners and apprentices to reconsider their options before they decide not to undertake further education.

Government data found that from 2010 – 2011 the number of learners aged 19 and over in government funded further education and skills provision dropped by 11.6 per cent. However, at the same time apprenticeship figures for the same age group greatly increased and represented a jump of approximately 93 per cent.

These figures indicate that many adults desire to study as an apprentice rather than continuing education, thereby earning a minor wage whilst also learning required skills to heighten their chances of finding full-time employment. Further to this, the recession is believed to have had an effect on the number of applicants, with many potential adult learners unable to support themselves through education, as such having to turn to full-time employment.

Paul Davis, managing director of Perspective, commented: “Although it is encouraging to see such a large increase in the number of apprentices, it is important that further education figures don’t decrease further and both school leavers and adult learners alike look to conduct further education training where possible.

“Although apprenticeships enable an applicant to learn on-site skills whilst earning a basic wage, they aren’t always the most suitable options and in some cases further education is a more viable options. Potential applicants must review which education or training courses are most suitable for them prior to applying.”

Perspective provides student tracking software to ensure learning management is an easy process for both training providers and schools alike. For more information, please visit www.perspective-uk.com or call 0121 506 9540.

The Third Annual Top Ten E-Learning Movers And Shakers

The dawn of a New Year means that, once again - based on nothing more than experience and prejudice - it's time to publish lists of the 'Top Ten' most influential people in the corporate e-learning sector, in the World, Europe and the UK.

And - increasing each year since these lists' inception in 2010 - the debate among the judges as to who genuinely warrants a place on these 'top tables' of the great and good in e-learning has been keen. This increasing keenness perhaps indicates that not only is the corporate e-learning world's profile growing generally but also that its leaders' public personalities are becoming more widely recognised.

These lists are compiled on the basis of a person's perceived current influence on the e-learning industry - as a practitioner, commentator, facilitator and/or thought leader. Bob Little, the Senior Partner at the public relations consultancy, Bob Little Press & PR, which has a worldwide reputation for its work in the field of learning technologies, commented: "You probably won't agree with all - or even any - of the judges' decisions but at least you'll know something about what other people think about the personalities who lead the corporate e-learning world."

World List
Elliott Masie. Head of The MASIE Center, a Saratoga Springs, New York, think-tank focused on how organisations can support learning and knowledge within the workforce. (Position last year: 1)
Jay Cross. A writer, commentator and speaker who was a surprise omission in previous years and, thus, is a surprise inclusion in this year's list. He was the first to coin the term 'e-learning' many years ago and continues to promote informal learning. (New entry for 2012)
Fabrizio Cardinali. CEO of eXact Learning Solutions' North America and Australia operations, Senior Vice President of the company's Global Business Development and Chair of the European Learning Industry Group (ELIG). (Position last year: 3)
Cathy Moore. Recently voted third in the world's top ten most influential bloggers about e-learning. According to at least one of the judges of this list, she is 'changing the way we approach instructional design'. (New entry for 2012)
Roger Schank. One of the influential early contributors to artificial intelligence and cognitive psychology in the 1970s and 1980s, he is president and CEO of Socratic Arts. (Position last year: 5)
Tom Kuhlmann. A blogger and host of The Rapid E-Learning Blog (the user community for Articulate) who has developed many hours of e-learning and managed e-learning projects. Having done it himself, he's now teaching others how to do it too. (New entry for 2012)
Anne Forster (Forster and Gibson), one of Australia's foremost independent e-learning consultants. (Position last year: 6)
Massood Zarrabian. CEO of Boston, MA, based LCMS providers OutStart. (Position last year: 7)
Muyiwa Bamgbose, the CEO of Nigeria's Educational Advancement Center (EAC). (Position last year: 10)
Lisa Gualtieri. Formerly an editor of the 'eLearn' website and now editor-in-chief of the new 'Future Learning' magazine, being published in Holland for a worldwide audience. (New entry for 2012)

Europe List
Fabrizio Cardinali. Chair of the European Learning Industry Group (ELIG) and Senior Vice President of eXact Learning Solutions' Global Business Development. (Position last year: 2)
Richard Straub. The Secretary General of the European Learning Industry Group (ELIG), overseeing ELIG's role as advisor to the EU on all things to do with e-learning. (Position last year: 1)
Thea Payome. Editor of the Germany-based CheckPoint eLearning ezine and website (http://www.checkpoint-elearning.com/). (Position last year: 3)
Dr Ladislava ('Vlad'ka') Knihova. A key champion, user and publisher of e-learning applications within the corporate and academic sectors in the Czech Republic. (Position last year: 4)
Christophe Ferrandou, the Paris-based founder and CEO of goFLUENT, an award-winning producer of business English training. (Position last year: 8)
Jane Hart. Recently voted top in the world's top ten most influential bloggers about e-learning. She is the founder and CEO of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies. (New entry for 2012)
Armin Hopp. Founder and President of digital publishing AG/ Speexx and a member of ELIG. (New entry for 2012)
Carin Martell. Business development manager at the LCMS and digital repository producer, eXact learning solutions. (Position last year: 7)
Helge Scherlund, the Denmark-based writer and blogger on e-learning topics. (New entry for 2012 but was 'bubbling under' in 2011)
Elmar Hussmann. ELIG's Deputy Secretary General. (New entry for 2012)

UK List
Donald H Taylor. The power behind the success of the Learning Technologies conference and Chairman of the Institute of Learning and Performance. (Position last year: 1)
Jane Hart. Founder and CEO of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies. (Position last year: 3)
Laura Overton. Managing Director of Towards Maturity, a not-for-profit community interest company that provides research and online resources to help organisations deliver effective learning interventions at work. (Position last year: 4)
Steve Rayson, of Kineo, who is making the UK's most innovative production company into a worldwide player. (Position last year: 5)
Julie Wedgwood. A Towards Maturity advisor and an e-learning developer described, by some, as "the people's favourite when you want to know 'how-to-do-it'." (New entry for 2012)
Clive Shepherd. As shrewd a commentator on the e-learning scene as any. (Position last year: 7)
Piers Lea. A member of ELIG and CEO of LINE Communications. (Position last year: 2)
Martin Baker. Managing Director of LMMatters and the founder and Managing Director of the Charity Learning Consortium (CLC). (position last year: 10 equal)
Ben Betts. Managing Director of HT2 who is gaining an international reputation - and has introduced a highly original product in Curatr. (New entry for 2012)
Donald Clark. A long-established speaker and commentator on e-learning. (Position last year: 6)

Of the 28 names on the three lists (19 men and nine women), only two names appear on more than one list: Fabrizio Cardinali and Jane Hart.

The USA continues to have the largest representation on the 'World' list; while Germany (with four representatives) is the only country with more than one representative in the 'Europe' list. Again, only one British name - this time Jane Hart's rather than Piers Lea's - appears on the Europe list.

Two of the three people who topped the lists this year - Elliott Masie and Donald H Taylor - have retained their positions since the first list was published, in 2010. In the Europe list, for the first time, Richard Straub gives way to his ELIG colleague, Fabrizio Cardinali.

The biggest rise in positioning comes from Jay Cross, who is both long established and well-known in the learning technologies industry but is a new entry at number two in the World list. Others whose 'star' has risen this year are: Cathy Moore, Tom Kuhlmann, Muyiwa Bamgbose and Lisa Gualtieri (World list); Fabrizio Cardinali, Christophe Ferrandou, Jane Hart, Armin Hopp, Helge Scherlund and Elmar Hussmann (Europe list), and Jane Hart, Laura Overton, Steve Rayson, Julie Wedgwood, Clive Shepherd, Martin Baker and Ben Betts (UK list).

Fuller versions of these lists are available at: http://bit.ly/aCIomL