January 2009
A New Year, new resolutions and new challenges as 2009 starts with a cold and frosty snap to wake us all up from the post-Christmas slumber. As ever, our aim is to provide you with real news of what has been happening in and what is scheduled for in Business, Administration and Governance for the year ahead. So read on! Our CEO, Jenny Hewell shares her predictions for 2009 and we have the latest updates from the Development team as we welcome a new addition to our group. You will also be able to read more about developments at City & Guilds who are holding a free employers conference in February. Plus, there is a quick dip into the New Years Honours list and a look to see what the highly acclaimed Apprenticeship Week in February has to offer. Please scroll down to see more… If you would like to comment on any of these stories or have a feature of your own to contribute, please contact Helen Gerlach.
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The 2009 New Years Honours List
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Apprenticeship Week – 23rd to 27th February 2009
The week is focused on activities that a) promote the benefits to employers of taking on apprentices and b) champion work-based qualifications. Each activity will be focused on influencing and persuading employers that apprentices work. A dedicated National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) from April 2009 and the Vacancy Matching Service (VMS) launched in late 2008 symbolise the investment and commitment given to Apprenticeships as a valued and quality educational pathway.They are an essential tool for employers in England’s skills set. If you would like to find out more about Apprenticeships, please click here |
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Many sectors are entering a critical period when the ageing “baby boomer” population is approaching retirement and beginning to leave their full time administration posts or reduce their hours to part-time. For some organisations, these phenomena may help create leaner and smarter teams. For others, a lot of capability and experience will leave the business over a relatively short period of time. Currently administration replacement demand is running at 1.2million people over the next five years and that’s a lot of extra people needing business administration skills. With more than 97% of all UK organisations acknowledging the crucial importance of administration functions to business success, the prosperity of individuals, businesses and the nation is going to depend, in part, on the acquisition of professional administration skills. To this end, the CfA will shortly be launching a fantastic online facility that will help businesses recruit and keep people with the right administration skills and knowledge. The tool can also be used by individuals to help plan personal development and make you more marketable during the credit crunch. More on this below. If I had a crystal ball I’d know exactly where the administration employment market was going to be at the end of the credit crunch. I’m sure that if you are at school, college university or work, you will be well-advised to improve your business administration skills, because 75% of the working population already needs these.
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A new face at the development team Anthony Lapsley joins the CfA this month as a Standards and Qualifications Manager. His main project this year will be managing the review of the Business & Administration National Occupational Standards (NOS). This will include work on developing the NOS to ensure they are fit for purpose for Business Administrators working across all sectors in micro, small, medium and large organisations. Anthony joins us from QCA, where he has worked for seven and a half years in various roles and for a number of sectors, including ours. His areas of knowledge cover HR, logistics, communications and marketing, psychology, and the world of the performing arts. We welcome Anthony to our team. |
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CfA Human Resources tool pilot Are you responsible for creating HR documents? Do you have any Business & Administration apprentices who work in HR? Or do you work closely with employers with regards to HR functions? The CfA are piloting a new online HR document tool and we'd like volunteers to help us test the system. The tool has been created to help those who create HR documents and prompts them to fill in the essential information about a role within your organisation. The tool will then create eight key documents based on the following information: job description, person specification, job advertisement, interview questions, selection criteria checklist, appraisal form, and review form and induction/training plan.
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Level 2 BAMA Consultation Workshops in Scotland This month the CfA begins its development of a Level 2 Business & Administration Modern Apprenticeship (BAMA) framework for Scotland. We will be holding two workshops in February 2009. These will be held in:
We would like to invite current BAMA centres, employers and other key stakeholders to the workshops to discuss framework content, access arrangements and progression opportunities for new Level 2 BAMA framework. Please confirm your attendance at these workshops by emailing Uta Sempf by Friday 23rd January 2009. This is an important consultation and we urge learning providers to actively encourage your employers to take part. Apart from Level 2 Modern Apprenticeships, no other Level 2 funding will be available in Scotland from the 1st April 2009. For further information about the consultation or if you have any questions, please contact Uta Sempf on 020 7091 9634. |
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NOS Review During 2009 the CfA will be undertaking a thorough review of the Business & Administration National Occupational Standards. Please watch out for information about how you can get involved in the NOS review through future eBriefings.
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City & Guilds is pleased to announce that it is running a further three of their popular Working with Business Masterclasses. These masterclasses are aimed at training provider staff responsible for promoting and delivering the Business Support qualifications such as Business Administration, Customer Service, Sales and Marketing, ITQ and Contact Centres to employers. During the masterclass, City & Guilds will cover how to engage with employers and demonstrate effective, efficient delivery of the qualifications. All participants will receive a copy of the Essential Guide to Working with Business – a practical resource to help training providers promote and deliver Business Support qualifications to employers. This is a free full day event and will run from 10.30 to 15.30. Materials, lunch and refreshments will be provided on the day. There is a maximum of two delegates per centre. Dates and location:
Further details are available from the City & Guilds Events team please click here. |
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Free Employers Conference City & Guilds, Institute of Leadership & Management in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council, Train to Gain London Brokerage Organisations and the London Chamber of Commerce will be holding a free Employers Conference featuring keynote Speaker Karren Brady on 24 February at the Lords Cricket Ground. The conference will address:
You will be able to share ideas with other businesses over lunch and of course, network! For further details please click here |
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Advice and Guidance NVQs
These qualifications have been developed to address additional demands for high quality advice and guidance services arising from widening participation in learning to raise levels of achievement. There is a greater emphasis on developing learners’ skills to meet the needs of employers which will require good quality, comprehensive and impartial information and advice about local learning and work opportunities and their relevance to the labour market. Learners will have access to a range of information and guidance services through the Skills Account. Equality and Diversity EDI is developing a Level 2 Award in Equality and Diversity to be accredited onto the Qualifications and Credit Framework in the New Year. The qualification will be suitable for learners who are seeking employment or who are already in employment. It is a generic qualification and therefore will be appropriate for all sectors and will cover the following areas:
The qualification will consist of one unit, which is expected to be worth four credits. The unit will be assessed via a multiple-choice test which will be available online or as a paper-based test. For further information please email |
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Q:How and where can I find the Qualification Strategy? A: The CfA have submitted the Qualification Strategy to the UK Commission for Employment & Skills (UKCES). It is awaiting approval and we hope this will be available to you in April 2009.
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To subscribe to the CfA eBriefing, please email Helen Gerlach. The CfA is not responsible for the content of any external links from this newsletter. The Council for Administration is a registered charity, No 1095 809. |
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Where have all the administrators gone?
EDI has developed a suite of National Vocational Qualifications designed for staff involved in giving advice and guidance in a range of settings. The level 2 NVQ is suitable for learners involved in customer service or administrative support, progressing through to experienced practitioners with managerial roles at level 4.
If you would like to submit information to the CfA eBriefing, please contact Helen Gerlach on 020 7091 9620.
© CfA 2009
