The launch of England’s first Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) apprenticeship has been announced. The new scheme has been developed to address the impact that changes in technology and innovation are having on business working practices and to offer an entry level apprenticeship to enable people to start their career in SHE. It will ensure there is a pipeline of trained staff to manage the associated risks of workplace changes, ensuring that employees can continue to work in safe and secure conditions. The creation of the new qualificati... Continue reading

Analysis of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the new Data Protection Act by Nacro has shown that employers across the country will struggle to justify requesting criminal record information at the initial application stage of a recruitment process, if they are to comply with the new laws which came into force on 25 May 2018. The findings highlight that key principles of the ‘Ban the Box’ campaign now appear to be enshrined in law by the changes made to data protection legislation. Ban the Box calls for employers to remove qu... Continue reading

Following the introduction of the apprenticeship reforms in May 2017, the Education and Skills Funding Agency has announced its intention to extend current contracts for training providers delivering training for employers that do not pay the apprenticeship levy for 12 months, from April 2019 to March 2020. “Having listened to feedback about the scale and pace of the apprenticeship reforms that we have introduced since May 2017, we want to make sure that future changes are introduced in a gradual, well-managed way,” said the Agency. “Thi... Continue reading

The Prime Minister has announced the Government will bring forward the first Environment Bill in over 20 years. Theresa May confirmed the Bill at a Liaison Committee of Select Committee Chairs hearing on Wednesday 18 July. She later commented: “Today I announced that the Government will bring forward the first Environment Bill in over 20 years. This builds on our 25-Year Environment Plan, setting out what we are doing to improve the environment for the next generation.” Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, said: “The Prime Minister has ... Continue reading

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Esther McVey, has announced increased funding to support businesses that provide extra employment support for disabled people with the greatest barriers to work. When the Work Choice employment programme ends in March 2019, ongoing support will be offered to individuals working in ‘supported businesses’ through specially designed new elements of the government’s Access to Work scheme. For two years from April 2019, supported businesses will receive increased funding of £5,000 a year from Ac... Continue reading