What happens if we don’t reach net zero by 2050? FE Soundbite 709

Welcome to Soundbite Edition 709, 25th August 2023, brought to you by Finley & Holly.

This is the weekly e-newsletter and e-journal brought to you by FE News: ISSN 2732-4095. We know life is busy, so here is a snapshot of the latest announcements and epic thought leadership articles, from sector influencers and cool thinkers across FE and Skills this week on FE News.

In this soundbite, we will give a rundown of this week’s exclusive articles, our personal top three and even a quick rundown of this week’s major news and announcements!

Our top three this month

What happens if we don’t reach net zero by 2050? by Andy Rayner, Director of Apprenticeships and Early Careers at the Travis Perkins Group. He discusses how in order for us to meet Net Zero we need to transform the way we build, but the UK construction sector is poorly equipped to meet this need. He delves into how we can utilise Apprenticeships to fix this.

Embracing AI in higher education by Kenrick Cabrera, CTO of Oxford International Education Group (OEIG). In this article, Kenrick discusses the ramifications of artificial intelligence technology on the higher education sector, including the challenges, opportunities and urges the sector to embrace it.

Revolutionising Employment Opportunities for Neurodivergent Talent Post-Education by Colin Willis, IO Psychology Program Manager, HireVue. In this article, Colin highlights hiring challenges for neurodivergent candidates. Traditional methods exclude them, while inclusive practices like game-based assessments and AI implementation can promote diversity and equity in hiring.

This week, we have also had some other epic exclusives:

• AI in Education and the Journey Ahead
• How GCSE and A-level exams are marked – some consequences
• Is The Rise And Rise Of Homeschooling Explained By Failing Schools?
• Virtual Apprenticeships: How Technology Can Help Facilitate Remote Skill Development

GCSE Results Day 2023

This week we had GCSE Results Day. We saw results go back to pre-pandemic levels as grading returned to normal . Check out our Sector Response piece with all of the key figures and facts about this years GCSE Results Day and 25 comments from epic people in the FE industry!

Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Bridget declared the Conservatives’ pledge to “level up” education “dead and buried” after the Schools Minister admitted that rising regional GCSE attainment gaps confirmed that the Conservatives’ agenda had “absolutely” failed.

Latest Findings and Research

30-year-olds without any qualifications are more likely to be disabled than university graduates in their 60s! New research, by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, finds that differences in rates of disability between education groups are larger than differences by age. 

Stronger August for hiring hints at labour market resilience and possible recovery, finds the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and Lightcast’s latest Labour Market Tracker. There were 189,888 new job postings in the week of 7-13 August 2023 – 3.5% higher than the week before (31 July-6 August 2023) and 28.8% higher than the year before (8-14 August 2022). The figure has remained stable around and above 1.4 million since February 2022. New job postings have remained stable above 140,000 since January 2022.

Technical Teaching Fellowships: Encouraging applications from across the UK

With the deadline to apply for the 2024/25 Technical Teaching Fellowships now just three months away, Cerian Ayres has written an article to encourage applications from across the UK. Check it out here.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed this week’s soundbite. Now that you’re all caught up on what’s going on in the FE Sector this week, we hope you have a restful weekend! 

This week’s Soundbite is brought to you by:

Finley Vile, Platform Growth Manager, FE News

Holly Wheaton, Digital Project Manager, FE News