When Nikita Taylor began her four-year electrical engineering apprenticeship at the Vauxhall plant in Luton she was one of only a handful of women working at the site. “Over the six years that…Read more…
Culture change call
As people in the UK and the world over celebrate International Women’s Day today (March 8), Unite, the country’s largest construction union, will launch its Women in Construction Network on the first…Read more…
Positive about the future
When 20-year-old Liam McBerney catches up with his old school friends the talk inevitably turns to the future. What becomes apparent, says Liam, is that today’s uncertain and changeable economy is a…Read more…
Blog: A rapid rise in the number of apprentices is on the way
With significant changes on the way, this week is a great opportunity to speak to UNISON members, employers and apprentices and recruit apprentices into UNISON. A rapid rise in the number of…Read more…
Dashing hopes of young must end
Today (Monday March 6) is the first day of National Apprenticeship Week, when industry and government indulges in back slapping and tells up how well they are doing at increasing apprenticeship…Read more…
‘Bonkers’
Although trade unions are at the forefront of delivering and supporting apprenticeships across all industrial sectors, it was revealed on Friday (January 27) that not one trade union representative…Read more…
Confidence vote for young
Defence firm BAE Systems is now offering a record number of high quality, highly paid apprenticeships and last week committed to offering hundreds more this year. At the moment, the…Read more…
‘Short sighted and short term’
Quality apprenticeships granting a proper qualification and offering pathways to high-skill, well-paid jobs – especially amid a sea of bogus training schemes for young people as they struggle…Read more…
For males only?
A cross-party committee of MPs released a damning report today (March 22) into the government’s inadequate response to a yawning 20 per cent gender pay gap that’s showed no signs of abating over the…Read more…
‘Damning indictment’
The government’s productivity plan has been slammed by a committee of MPs as “vague”, and not worth being called a plan at all. The business, innovations and skills (BIS) committee noted in a…Read more…
A levy too far?
Unite is hoping that government plans to create three million apprenticeships in the coming years will lead to a new generation of youngsters being told: You’re hired. But the Chancellor’s…Read more…
Greatest bar to building is…?
Housebuilding in the UK will be severely hampered by skills shortages in the construction industry, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Construction professionals…Read more…
Adult skills and apprenticeships in the #SpendingReview
In one respect the Chancellor’s announcements on skills and apprenticeships in the Spending Review has been viewed as another u-turn with the welcome news that there will not be the degree of cuts to FE colleges and the adult skills budget that was widely anticipated. In addition the Apprenticeship…Read more…
Learning with Unite
It’s only been open a few weeks but already the new Unite learning centre at Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port is proving to be a “fantastic” success. When Unite general secretary Len…Read more…
Boost for building workers
Firms that want to build in Liverpool will have to sign-up to a six-point charter designed to ensure that workers receive the minimum employment conditions. Unite, Ucatt and the GMB drew up…Read more…
Too old to be paid more
Following chancellor George Osborne announcing a so-called statutory “National Living Wage”, it has now been revealed that apprentices who are 25 and over may lose out on his promised wage hike…Read more…
Missing skills emergencies
The UK is now facing an emergency skills crisis in key sectors including manufacturing, construction, science and engineering, the Confederation of British Industry warned today (July 13). The…Read more…
Call to challenge gender equality in apprenticeships
#stuc15 The STUC will press the Scottish government to work with them to tackle gender inequality in apprenticeships and to encourage women to take on apprenticeships in under-represented sectors.
Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary also committed to taking up incidents of abuse in the apprenticeship sector in his capacity as a board member of Skills Development Scotland.
Seconding theRead more…
No muck and bullets
‘Quality and equality’ were the recurring themes during the launch of Thinking about an apprenticeship, Unite’s guide for young women considering a career in engineering and science. The booklet sparked a debate around gender, jobs and education when it was unveiled this week (March 10) at Solihull College. Currently just seven per cent of […]
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Apprentices locked out
It’s the government’s own National Apprenticeship Week – a week celebrating the positive impact training schemes can have for those seeking a way into skilled, well-paying work. While many apprenticeships are little more than exploitative work arrangements, there are some on offer that truly change lives. Building Lives, a construction apprenticeship sponsored by the Construction […]
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