Death of bank intern raises concern over working hours

A 21 year old intern working at Bank of America in London was found dead after reportedly working 72 hours in a row. Moritz Erhardt, an exchange student from Germany, was found collapsed in his shower following several days of working until 6am. He is said to have suffered from epilepsy and was pronounced dead […]

News: Internships in London ‘out of reach’ of young people

Unpaid internships are often the only option for young people desperate for a job and struggling to find employment. But research published recently Trades Union Congress found that close to four in five (78 percent) of 18-34 year olds could not afford to take up an unpaid internship in London. The research, undertaken for Unions21 […]

Interview: Jenny Westworth, 2013 Apprentice Champion of the Year

BAE Systems apprentice Jenny Westworth, 23, was recently announced as the first Apprentice Champion of the Year, an award which recognises inspirational role models that champion the benefits of apprenticeships in the UK. She talks to HRZone about her journey so far and the ways in which HR functions can better attract and nurture apprentices. […]

The Lowdown on National Apprenticeship Week

With National Apprenticeship Week just round the corner the media buzz is beginning to mount. If you’re unsure what the event is about or what’s going to be happening, read on to find out more. What is National Apprenticeship Week?National Apprentice Week, coordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), is put on once a year […]

Vocational training wins SME backing

Vocational qualifications and apprenticeships are gaining popularity with smaller employers as a means of recruiting, training and retaining skilled employees and boosting business performance.    A survey of 1,000 SMEs by a group of further education organisations found college leavers were better prepared for the workplace, with a better attitude and higher motivation than school […]

News: work experience and a vicious circle

Many young job seekers are finding difficult to break through the cycle of ‘no experience, no job’ and kickstart their careers.   A study of 2,000 UK people by defence recruitment firm Advanced Resource Managers (ARM) found 70% of young adults knew someone who’d been told by potential employers to go away and get experience […]

News: Underlying joblessness worsens despite official figures, warns expert

Despite apparently positive unemployment figures, underlying worklessness is now much higher than it was in May and could jump quite dramatically in the New Year, according to an employment expert.   The latest Labour Market Statistics report from the Office for National Statistics indicated that the UK jobless rate now stands at 2.51 million or […]

News: Employment market to remain tough until end of decade

Unemployment is unlikely to peak until 2014, with the jobs market expected to remain tough until at least the end of the decade, experts have warned. Even though official forecasts have been showing falls in worklessness lately, an analysis of figures undertaken by think tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, which are due to […]

News: PPMA unveils competition to attract HR talent to public sector

A public sector HR body has unveiled an Apprentice-style competition in a bid to attract new talent to the area at a time when recruitment is proving tricky. Rising 2013, which is sponsored by recruitment consultancy Manpower, is the brainchild of The Public Sector People Managers’ Association.   Although it is open to anyone currently […]

News: Richard Review proposals on apprenticeships widely welcomed

Recommendations that employers should be in the driving seat in relation to apprenticeship design and funding have been widely welcomed. Another proposal put forward by the Richard Review, which was put together for the government by entrepreneur and former Dragon’s Den star, Doug Richard, was that apprenticeships should last for at least a year and […]

News: Local hubs to help employers share under-utilised workers’ skills

A scheme that enables employers to share the skills of under-employed staff was launched today in Northern Ireland and will be rolled out across the UK over the next three years. Skill Exchange UK is a not-for-profit organisation set up by employers such as Royal Mail, Veolia and the Cabinet Office as well as the […]

News: Tech City employers launch apprenticeships for 500 young Londoners

High-profile employers such as Google and Facebook have unveiled a Tech City-based apprenticeship scheme for 500 unemployed young Londoners.   An additional apprenticeship training centre in the Olympic Park broadcasting centre will also provide up to 350 young people each week with suitable skills training to work in Europe’s fastest growing technology cluster.   The […]

News: Apprenticeships review urges reform

Urgent reform of the Government’s apprenticeship programme is needed if it is to succeed, a report by MPs has warned. The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee report into apprenticeships, which follows an 11 month review of the government’s apprenticeship programme, warns that the delivery programme is still too complex and the sheer number of organisations […]

News: Apprenticeship scheme for spooks unveiled

The UK’s top spy agencies are to offer 100 school-leavers a two-year apprenticeship in becoming a spook in a bid to protect the country from cyber-criminals. According to the Foreign Office, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ will all offer on-the-job work placements in an attempt to “harness experts from the ‘X-box’ generation who have grown up […]

CEO Insight: Employer Pool’s Chris Murray on ethical recruitment

Over the last 10 years, corporate social responsibility has increasingly found its way onto the board room agenda. Because of its links to staff retention and helping to generate positive external and internal relations, CSR is now widely regarded as a business priority by many private and public sector organisations.   As a result, the […]

Dragon’s Den’s Dupsy Abiola on internships

On Sunday (7 October), Dupsy Abiola, founder of InternAvenue.com, became the first participant in the BBC’s Dragon’s Den TV programme to succeed in pitching a recruitment business. Her website enables employers to connect with student and graduate internship candidates online.   Here she speaks to HRZone about her views on the market and how HR […]

News: Employers exploit apprenticeships for cheap labour, claims business owner

All too many employers are simply exploiting short-term apprenticeship schemes in order to get hold of cheap labour, a business owner in the North East of England has claimed. Mike Heslop, who owns supply chain maintenance firm, Centrex Services, said that he was stunned on talking to a good number of young hopefuls that so […]

Christina’s Counsel: How do I get into HR?

Hello and welcome to this month’s dilemma: The challenge   A reader wrote to me recently asking for advice about to switch his career from business administration to HR. Just recently having been made redundant, he wondered if now was a good time to make the move into an entirely new field.     HR appealed […]

In a Nutshell: Five considerations when taking on an apprentice

Jason Holt, who set up Holts Academy, which pioneered formal qualifications and an approved apprenticeship scheme for the jewellery industry, recently published the results of his government-commissioned review into ‘Making Apprenticeships more Accessible to SMEs’.  Based on his experiences, Holt offers advice to HRZone’s community on how employers can ensure that they get the best […]

HRZone Interview: Jason Holt on apprenticeships

Most UK businesses are missing a fantastic growth opportunity by failing to offer apprenticeships, believes jeweller and entrepreneur Jason Holt, who has just completed a government report on how to make such schemes more manageable for small-to-medium enterprises. Holt took over the family jewellery business in 1999 and subsequently set up Holt’s Academy of Jewellery […]