A fall in youth joblessness but an increase in students

At first reading, the 12,000 fall in the number of 18-24 year olds unemployed between Jan-March 2012 would seem consistent with the general fall in unemployment of 45,000. At the same time however, there has only been a 3,000 increase in the number of 18-24 year olds working. This discrepancy reveals significant changes in … Continue reading A fall in youth joblessness but an increase in students →

Young people and the ‘ageing’ workforce

It’s certainly true that if you go into any supermarket these days you will find far fewer young people on the tills. As Will Hutton observes ‘Talk to Sainsbury’s or any other major retailer and they say that they like older workers. They are more reliable, their absenteeism is lower, customers like them’ (quoted in … Continue reading Young people and the ‘ageing’ workforce →

Mayors make a mockery of our local democracy

Patrick Ainley Guardian letter May 7th 2012 Your extensive coverage of last week's near unanimous rejection of elected city mayors in local referendums (Editorial, 5 May) missed the point made by Peter Latham in his authoritative book, The State and Local Government: "US-style directly elected mayors with cabinets are the optimal internal management arrangement for … Continue reading Mayors make a mockery of our local democracy →

Part-time Britain

Even though the Coalition has claimed that over 500 000 new private sector jobs have been created since it came to office, a large number, a majority in fact, have been part-time. The monthly labour market figures from ONS regularly confirm the significance of part-time working in the UK economy. Figures for Dec 2011 -Feb … Continue reading Part-time Britain →

What next for teacher unions?

Attacks on teachers employment conditions and the undermining of their ‘professional autonomy’ are hardly new, but education minister Michael Gove has intensified the assault, pushing through major changes to the pension scheme, introducing new ‘performance management’ regulations -making it easier to dismiss ‘incompetent’ teachers and threatening to impose ‘regional pay’. Teachers are threatened further; by … Continue reading What next for teacher unions? →

Back to the grammar school

Martin Allen Education for Liberation Issue 5 April 2012 ( ed4lib@yahoo.co.uk)Since coming to office Michael Gove has set out clear proposals for learning and the curriculum. No more so than for the upper secondary years. Most significant is the emphasis on traditional academic learning - the 2010 White Paper and the more recent National Curriculum … Continue reading Back to the grammar school →

A level of discontent

Michael Gove’s call for increased involvement by elite universities in formulating A-level examination questions attracted both media attention and considerable controversy, yet it’s consistent with Gove’s more general intentions for A-level - replacing modular assessment with end of course examinations, ranking some subjects above others in terms of difficulty and reducing the importance of ‘process’ skills in favour … Continue reading A level of discontent →

Unemployment ‘stabilises’

New unemployment figures might show relatively small increases – a 24 000 rise in the total jobless total up from 8.3% to 8.4%, though women continue to be hit hardest making up nearly 80% of the increase. If according to government minister Chris Grayling unemployment is now ‘stabilising’, then the figures mask clear trends reflecting longer-term … Continue reading Unemployment ‘stabilises’ →

‘Education is like trying to run up a down escalator’

If Michael Gove gets his way, more teenagers will fail their GCSEs and A-levels. Gove intends to make exam questions harder which will mean pass rates will fall after increasing every year for a decade. At GCSE level, coursework will be phased out and more emphasis placed on written tests. Modularisation will be ended and … Continue reading ‘Education is like trying to run up a down escalator’ →

Regeneration e-book now available

Martin Allen and Patrick Ainley 'Overqualified and underemployed' : young people, education and the economy http://www.lwbooks.co.uk/ebooks/Regeneration.html Regeneration focuses on the question of intergenerational justice. Defining the world's young people as those born after 1979 - a hugely symbolic moment in the history of globalisation - it reflects on the massive growth in generational protest … Continue reading Regeneration e-book now available →