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Showing posts from February, 2015

Smoking Policies need to cover E-Cigarettes

The recent case of Insley v Accent Catering highlights the importance of ensuring smoking policies make it explicitly clear where they apply to  ‘ vaping’  (smoking e-cigarettes) The Health Act 2006 introduced a statutory prohibition on smoking in public places, including all offices and work spaces. E-cigarettes do not technically fall within the scope of this law and there is no legal requirement to ban them at work.  In the case of Insley V Accent Catering there was no clear distinction and the Employer took disciplinary action against an employee who was "vaping"  Whilst a court ruling on the subject was not reached because the employee resigned before the disciplinary process was concluded the court did raise a "point of concern" Notably: that, while the employer clearly considered e-smoking to be the equivalent of smoking an ordinary cigarette, it was not clear that the employee had breached any policy by using such a device.  The employee had not

One-Day Open Courses from Concrew Training - £239+vat

Following the interest from our employment law open course we have now scheduled 3 more open courses Our open course schedule can be found at http://concrew-training.co.uk/open-courses #fe #furthereducation #education #HR #teaching #training #management #leadership #schools #Teachers 

Open Training Course UK Employment Law Leeds 12 May 2015

There have been significant changes to Employment Law over the past 12 to 18 months and more changes are pending.  The General Election adds a new dimension with a diverse range of initiatives being proposed, many of which impact on employment law. HR Teams, Management, Union and Staff Representatives not to mention staff themselves all benefit from having a robust understanding of Employment Law.   Whilst larger organisations benefit from running in-house staff training days on and around employment law, employment legislation, rights and responsibilities small organisations benefit when a company specialist, for example the HR manager or a senior operational manager can attend an open training course To show case the quality of Concrew Training courses and to provide an opportunity for smaller organisations and businesses to access our support we are running a one-day open course on Employment Law, Rights and Responsibilities in Birmingham City Centre, venue to be finalised, o

Essential Writing Skills - Reports and Proposals NEW COURSE

Concrew Training are pleased to announce their new one-day training course Essential Writing Skills - Reports and Proposals This one-day course is available for delivery on your premises now.    Course Overview Prices Booking Information #management #reports #proposals #hr #training 

A proposal for a radical reform of school inspection and improvement

The Education Union, ATL,   proposes: A radical reform of school inspection and improvement ATL, the forward-thinking union that believes in debate not demand have published their vision for a radical reform of school inspection and improvement Their vision is  for inspection based round five key principles: High quality education would be defined by what is right for pupils in a given school, not by centrally determined criteria chosen because they are easy to measure, nor by benchmarks or a focus for short-term political or media appeasement. Its nature would be supportive not adversarial; advisory not dictatorial; empowering not punitive. Self-assessment and professional dialogue would be central. Data would be used to guide, not decide. Inspection teams would have a continual relationship with schools, supporting the improvement of individuals or teams as necessary, and constituting a type of formative assessment. It would not be necessary to look at all provision on

Developing Students "Soft Skills" Training Course

The British Chambers of Commerce   report   on students' readiness for work highlighted that  88% of businesses think school leavers are unprepared for the workplace, while 54% think graduates are not work ready.   Over half (57%) of businesses said that young people are lacking basic ‘soft’ skills, such as communication and team working, to succeed in the working world. Concrew Training is pleased to announce a new course designed to help teachers and trainers develop more effective soft skills in students Course Overview Here #schools #fe #furthereducation #teachers #vocational #softskills #learning

Data Protection Changes Onerous but Largely Unknown

The proposed changes to Data Protection Legislation are onerous and some might even say draconian.   100 Million Euro fines for breaches !! But more worrying still is the large number of UK businesses who are unaware of the proposed changes. If these are implemented in the way the draft European directives propose then all businesses that store customer or supplier data are likely to be affected and the the impact will be significant. It is imperative that all businesses and organisations ensure they are familiar with the proposed changes and begin to plan for worst case scenarios.   Leaving action to the last minute is likely to be too late. Concrew Training's one-day course on Data Protection brings participants up to date on current requirements and how these may change in the very near future.  In doing so it helps participants understand and prepare for the changes better Data Protection Training Course Information #hr #data #dataprotection #equalitie

Teaching E-Safety to Students a one-day workshop

This new one-day workshop explores how Social Media can be used to develop their research, communication and life skills whilst simultaneously raising their awareness of the potential risks posed by the internet and what to do if they encounter a possible problem. The use of technology, the internet and social media is an everyday occurrence for most of today’s young people and something that they feel comfortable and confident with – but are they doing this in a safe and supportive environment? Online fraud, grooming and graphic images of abuse/pornography are widespread. These present very real risks to all users but conversely the internet and social media provide highly effective opportunities for research and communication both locally and worldwide. Historically many education providers, keen to protect students under their care, placed blanket bans on internet access or social media sites thankfully such approaches are usually seen as outdated. The internet and social

Teaching English and Literacy to Students with Learning Difficulties

A new one-day workshop from Concrew Training Provides practical advice and guidance to staff who are supporting learners either on a one to one basis or planning for inclusive group activities and helps learning to become an enjoyable and inclusive experience for all those requiring support. Staff will increase in confidence as they learn to adjust sessions to make them more inclusive. Reasonable adjustments can be simple to implement but can mean the difference between retaining and supporting learners to achieve compared to losing learners who may feel excluded and unsupported. More information HERE #fe #learning #schools #teachers #furthereducation

Concrew Training: Combating Bullying and Harassment

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/education/too-scared-for-school-quarter-of-children-bullied-in-south-tyneside-1-7083791

Changes to ACAS statutory code on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures

On 16 January 2015 Vince Cable   Secretary of State for Business announced "I am pleased to be laying a new Acas Code of Practice on Discipline and Grievance which includes a minor amendment to reflect the Employment Appeals Tribunal ( EAT ) decision on the right of accompaniment in the case of Toal v GB Oils." official press release here  Changes have been made to take into account of  the Employment Appeal Tribunal ( EAT) decision in  Toal v GB Oils Ltd  that employers are not entitled to reject a worker’s choice of companion (even if they have concerns about the choice of representative), provided that companion is a fellow worker, a trade union representative or an official employed by a trade union (i.e. is in one of the categories in section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999) and the request itself is made in a reasonable manner.  This means that all businesses and organisations need to review their own disciplinary and grievance procedures to ensure