Concrew Training

Preparing for Gender Pay Gap Reporting Mandatory gender pay gap reporting will soon be required.  From next year, the Government will require companies employing more than 250 employees to complete equal pay audits and publish their gender pay gap data. It is probable that public pressure and sub contracting arrangements will  cascade these requirements to many smaller organisations too. Despite the Equal pay act 1970,  the Equal Value Amendment 1984 and the follow on Equality Act 2010 there are still wide variances in pay and benefits.    The Government's gender pay reporting scheme, "Think, Act, Report" was designed to highlight and close the pay disparity between male and female employees but it was poorly supported; only 5 organisations actually published any figures.  The Office for National Statistics calculate the average disparity, for 2014, at 19.1%.  Down, slightly, from 19.8% in 2013.  Pa...

This one-day workshop provide a chance to investigate the potential benefits of using mindfulness within a learning environment. Participants learn how mindfulness practice can assist teachers, trainers and learning support workers in their approach to planning, delivery and assessment of course objectives bringing a fresh way of looking at and overcoming barriers to learning. Delegates explore new strategies and approaches for responding to negative thinking, supporting learning and students’ individual needs. The workshop demonstrates ways to introduce mindfulness techniques into the classroom, encourage students to think differently about themselves and their approaches, aiming for improved levels of course completion and achievement. Continue Reading.... #mindfulness #fe #furthereducation #teachers

Update training on Data Protection and Privacy legislation is fast becoming essential for all managers, HR teams and ITC/data specialists alike.  Firstly, because the amount of data that goes astray each year remains worryingly high and Secondly, because new and profound changes on the use of personal data are on their way, changes that are being driven by a European regulation, The European General Data Protection Regulation (EU regulations automatically apply in member states without being transposed into national legislation) keep reading.... #hr #humanresources #dataprotection #humanrights #privacy #EUdataP

Meeting the demands of the 2015 Common Inspection Framework  Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA) is at the heart of the Further Education and Skills sector in the UK. However, do we truly understand what good TLA looks like? It is much more than the day-to-day activities in the classroom or workshop. The focus of the Common Inspection Framework now places a much greater emphasis on the wider aspects of the learner journey through college, such as constructive feedback, individualised learning, the development of mathematics and English. The list goes on…………. The teacher’s job role has expanded to cover these wider tasks. TLA as part of a good quality programme of learning is now much more than that required to develop the knowledge needed to pass an exam. Observation of teaching and learning is an established feature at most colleges. The best colleges link this to staff appraisal and performance review and at inspection. Ofsted expectation is that obser...

Concrew Training are pleased to announce their new updated training course on Mental Health Awareness.   This one-day course is essential CPD for everyone. Most people experience stress, anxiety and even depression at some stage in their life - issues that affect them and their performance at work, school or college adversely. Ensuring managers and staff can identify those who may need support can reduce the impact and prevent problems escalating. More on our new course HERE  #hr #humanresources #stress #worry #mentalhealth

Keeping up-to-date with the very latest in Employment Law, Rights and Responsibilities is never easy. Concrew Training's one-day course on Employment Law, Rights and Responsibilities provides essential CPD for managers and HR specialists alike.  The changes to Employment Legislation and Employment Rights & Responsibilities continue to be both extensive and significant.   In May, the Government set out a wide range of new laws which will affect employment rights and responsibilities.  Some of the main highlights include:- Employment and Welfare Benefits Bill This proposal aims to reduce the household benefit cap; impose a two-year freeze on most working age benefits, including unemployment benefit & remove automatic entitlement to housing support for 18-21 year olds. The Universal Credit reforms brought in by the Coalition Government will move forward apace and there will be a much tighter regime around Immigration and Social Security Law. Enterpri...

On-going redundancies are helping to keep demand for our Employee Rep training courses buoyant #hr #redundancy #unions

Ofsted inspection places significant responsibilities on the Nominee, the education provider’s representative for the inspection period.   The nominee is responsible for coordinating between the provider and Ofsted.  It is essential that the Nominee knows what inspectors are looking for, how to present evidence to best effect and where necessary how to challenge any interpretations inspectors may make that the Nominee considers to be incorrect. With only 48 hours’ notice there is insufficient time for Nominees to do more than launch their pre-prepared plans, so advanced training and preparation is essential.    Factor in multiple sites, the possibility of Nominees being on away when Inspection is notified and it makes sense to train several managers as potential Nominees. Concrew Training's one day workshop on Nominee Training is designed to ensure potential Nominee's are up to date with the latest approaches to inspection and the role they...

With this years new student intake now settled the educational management teams will need to give more thought to the Common Inspection Frame (CIF) and the specific areas they need to focus on in 2015/16 to ensure their inspection grades are maintained or improved. Self Assessment Reports, Self Evaluation Reports and Quality Improvement plans will need to be updated to reflect the new inspection framework and inspection handbooks Senior management and Nominees will need to ensure they and their teams are fully conversant with the latest inspection framework and that the evidence needed to validate their performance is current and robust. They will also need to familiarise themselves with the Ofsted Inspection Handbooks and ensure they understand how Ofsted will be approaching Inspection in 2015/16. With the inspection teams now under direct supervision of Ofsted a new unified approach to inspection is likely and all providers need to be prepared for it. Whilst it is importan...

quoting from the DFE press release "Young people spend an average of 12 to 13 hours a week online and yet a survey by Ofcom has shown that 1 in 5 parents admit that they do not know enough about how they can help prepare their children for the risks of the online world. We already know that: almost a quarter (23%) of girls between the ages of 9 and 16, say they’ve been upset about something that’s happened online girls are less likely to have a wide range of online safety skills among 9 to 12s, girls are less likely to say they can change privacy settings on social networks (25% of boys compared to 15% of girls), or block messages from someone they don’t want to hear from (30% of boys compared to 17% of girls) " "The government has launched a new online tool for schools to give parents advice and tips on preparing their children for adult life."   Parent Info Schools, colleges and those involved with young people " can easily integrate t...