Apprenticeship Revolution: A Comparative Analysis of the UK, US, and India's Journey Towards Workforce DevelopmentThomas Burton discusses how the United Kingdom’s apprenticeship system once hailed as a trailblazer in workforce development, and how it now faces challenges amid the rapid advancements made by two global powerhouses – the United States and India.Four years ago, I embarked on a transformative journey across two continents visiting both India and the United States on trade-supporting initiatives that looked to export the greatest asset of all, knowledge and experience.In the quest for global workforce development and economic productivity, apprenticeships have emerged as a transformative tool worldwide. Over the past four years, the United Kingdom, the United States, and India have each taken distinct approaches to harnessing the potential of apprenticeships. While the UK initially blazed a trail with bold reforms and an employer-led model, its growth has now stagnated. On the other hand, the US and India have continued to embrace apprenticeships and are witnessing adoption and expansion. This article delves into the successes and challenges of each nation’s apprenticeship journey while examining how organisations like Apprenticeships for America and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in India are driving the global apprenticeship agenda.THE UK: A BRIGHT BEGINNING WITH STAGNATED GROWTHThe United Kingdom’s apprenticeship system underwent a revolution 11 years ago with the introduction of an “employer-led model”, facilitated and turbo-charged by the apprenticeship levy. This visionary approach sought to tailor apprenticeship programmes to meet industry demands, empowering businesses to shape the skilled labour force they required. Despite the promising start, the UK’s apprenticeship growth has experienced stagnation in recent years, especially at lower levels.Various challenges, including financial barriers and perceptions of vocational education, have hindered the system’s expansion. Smaller businesses found the apprenticeship levy burdensome, leading to limited participation. Moreover, the perception of apprenticeships as a secondary choice to academic pathways continued to persist, deterring potential candidates and employers alike.Even the recent Skills Bill and the provision of mandatory careers advice on apprenticeships which are essential components in reshaping the UK’s apprenticeship landscape and fostering a skilled and agile workforce seem to be lagging.However, for these initiatives to realise their full impact, a concerted effort is needed to ensure widespread adoption and effective delivery. Collaboration between educational institutions, careers advisors, industry stakeholders, and the government is crucial to successfully implement the mandatory careers advice provision.Moreover, fostering a culture that values vocational education and highlights the numerous success stories of apprenticeship graduates can help break down barriers and boost the appeal of apprenticeships among students and employers alike.THE US: SCALING APPRENTICESHIPS FOR A ROBUST REGISTERED SYSTEMIn contrast, the United States has recognised the propitious time to scale apprenticeships and build a robust registered apprenticeship system. Organisations like Apprenticeships for America are now at the forefront of advocating for apprenticeship expansion and creating a national network of sponsors and advocates.AFA believes that a robust registered apprenticeship system is essential for levelling the playing field for workers of all backgrounds. By not charging tuition or requiring loans and instead paying a living wage from the first day of training, registered apprenticeships enhance equity and reduce inequality across America. The US’s sustained focus on apprenticeships has led to a significant increase in funding, allowing for the creation of more apprenticeship opportunities and further nurturing a skilled and di...

Why representation is critical to achieving equity in educationIn this article, Black Leadership Group Director Amarjit Basi explains why the lack of Black leaders in education is harming the education and employment outcomes of Black students.When considering student attainment within the UK context, it is right that we focus on more than the academic achievements of people. It’s also about their progression from educational outcomes to employment outcomes, to earnings and, ultimately, to career progression. Students’ experiences through formal education are just the beginning of their journey.ETHNIC EQUITY CONCERNSAnd when you adopt this perspective, a concerning picture emerges about ethnic equity in the UK education system. The Black Leadership Group (BLG) uses Black as an inclusive definition for people from ethnically diverse backgrounds who share a lived experience of the effects of racism. It’s a complex situation, but empirical evidence identifies that from the age of 16 onwards, Black groups increasingly encounter barriers associated with their identity, sense of belonging and notion of self-worth as they move through the education system and into their early careers. These barriers block the path for many of our young people towards achieving their full potential, and through this the full potential of the UK economy, too.There are nuances, of course. Using our definition, with some notable exceptions, most Black groups do relatively well through their compulsory schooling. In post-16 education, however, evidence of the attainment of Black students as they enter young adulthood is pointing to inequities along ethnic lines.For instance, published indicators confirm that:- Pakistani, Bangladeshi, African and Caribbean groups are less likely to attain top A level results- Caribbean students do less well at A level and are less likely to be in employment, education or training- Of the 132 UCAS-listed universities in the UK, just nine had a higher offer rate for Black applicants in 2020- Asian, African and Caribbean groups are twice as likely to attend a lower tariff university- Black groups are significantly less likely to get a 1st or 2.1 degree when compared to their White peers- Black groups are less likely to be following Apprenticeships compared to their White counterparts- After controlling for degree subjects, degree classification and socioeconomic background, female Russell Group graduates from African and Asian backgrounds continue to have a lower probability of being in professional employment six months after graduation than their white peers on average – TASO- The unemployment rate for Black 16-24 year olds rose from 24.5% to 41.6% from October to December 2019 to 2020; this compared to an increase from 10.1% to 12.4% for White 16-24 year olds.As Black students start to make their way through further and higher education and into the workplace, their chances of success and progression narrow. This trend is inequitable and clearly has significant implications for a UK plc that desperately needs to harness the full talents of its increasingly diverse population. So, the BLG has sought to challenge why should it be that, from the age of 16, attainment into progression into employability starts to tail off. It is a complex matter with so many factors at play.A PROMINENT THEME IS REPRESENTATION.The notion of identity alongside the sense of belonging is critical to us personally, socially and emotionally in both education and work environments. The resilience and self-motivation we all need to succeed when we face numerous barriers is more difficult to achieve when you don’t see people like you in positions of influence. A central message in our Ethnic Equity in Education campaign is that the lack of Black leaders in education is harming the education and employment outcomes of Black students, impairing their immediate and long-term career prospects. It also impairs the social and...

Bright Futures’ research sheds light on greens skills needed to transform energy workforceCity & Guilds calls for urgent action to help meet workforce challenges as the UK transitions towards a low carbon economy.In April 2022, the Government released its British Energy Security Strategy , setting out its aim for 95% of British electricity to be low carbon by 2030, for full decarbonisation of the electricity system by 2035, and for the UK to reach Net Zero by 2050.MEETING THE LOW-CARBON FUTURE: BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAPPhasing out high carbon energy sources such as oil and gas, and dramatically scaling up low / zero carbon energy sources such as nuclear and hydrogen, is fundamental to achieving this aim.Worryingly, what’s less widely recognised or understood right now is the dramatic shift in skills and labour markets needed to underpin the move to a low carbon future. The impact will be felt across many sectors: according to research by the Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN), around 6.3 million jobs in the UK – roughly one in five – will be affected by the transition, with millions of workers experiencing changes in demand for their skills.To rise to this challenge, it’s clear we need a skills system that’s capable of supporting a broad and diverse range of new entrants into the sector, whilst also helping those already in the sector to transition to high-demand roles; roles where their existing skills – supported by supplementary training and certification – will be essential if we’re to meet our targets as a country.Yet at the moment there is a mismatch between the ambitions for change, and the support needed if our skills system is to get us there.BRIGHT FUTURES: DECARBONISING THE UK’S ENERGY WORKFORCEOur latest report, ‘Bright Futures: Decarbonising the UK’s Energy Workforce’ , explores this mismatch and examines the barriers facing workers in key sectors. The results are concerning, with only 33% of the workers we surveyed believing they have the skills they need to secure a job in the emerging green economy, and only a quarter (26%) of workers saying they know where to go to gain those skills.It perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise that workers are confused when the policy environment itself is so uncertain, seemingly driven by the short-term vagaries of party-politics rather than the long-term planning we need; the headlines following recent bi-election results are a case in point.That’s why City & Guilds is calling for urgent steps to be taken to give the clarity, commitment and collaboration so vital for our skill system to rise to the net zero challenge:- First, Government should lead the charge by providing more certainty about the long-term future direction of the UK’s energy industry, working in partnership with business to unlock the skills required to achieve this. We are calling for a green skills roadmap running to 2035 as part of a national strategy for inclusive growth;- Second (and to support this), there should be a joint minister for green skills development across the Department for Education, Department for Business & Trade, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero and HM Treasury to ensure that the right focus and investment is placed on this agenda and that plans are not created in isolation;- Third, we need clear and transparent monitoring of low carbon skills requirements and developments in line with the move to net zero through a government-backed annual state of the nation report. This should be aligned with national infrastructure plans and reporting from the National Infrastructure Commission. It should include data on investment and skills gaps across sectors and regions, as well as employer progression towards shifting to green jobs, all set in the context of the wider transition;- Fourth, we need real focus on lifelong training pathways to upskill and reskill new or existing employees, with employers opening their doors to a wider pool of diverse cand...

Wales first Anti Racism Curriculum – miniseries: As Wales moves to becoming an Anti-Racist Nation by 2030, this article explores the role of curriculum in ‘rehumanising’ our understanding of the world.How do you create a new curriculum? This was the challenge that befell me in October 2022. I enjoy challenges. I enjoy the struggle; finding solutions to emerging problems and above all, I love working with big ideas, nuancing them, refining and shaping them into reality. Designing a new curriculum, in line with Wales’ Anti-Racist Action Plan certainly ticked these boxes. The opportunity to create and bring people together for a common cause is certainly something I relish!Embracing Antiracism: Navigating Perspectives in a Polarized WorldAs a Muslim, mixed-race, English immigrant, I feel proud and privileged to live in Wales. Currently the only country that has committed at a national level to becoming antiracist by 2030. The term ‘antiracist’ itself can be controversial. There are those who associate the term with specific political ideologies. Others view it as a broader expression that relates to a society become fairer and more just.Whilst, I lean heavily towards the latter, it would be remiss for me not to acknowledge the legitimacy of the former. Indeed, we live in a world of polar extremes. A world where our information is collated from soundbites. Our views are formed and refined at a rapid pace and in a time of information overload, our brains are adapting. The superficial overpowers the meaningful, the quick win, the simple decision usurps the considered complexity in real and tangible action. We naturally gravitate to either ‘the right’ or ‘the left’. The in-between is too messy and inconvenient for us it seems (notice I don’t say ‘the centre’, we’ll come back to this later).Fostering Shared Humanity: An Antiracist Curriculum for Welsh Further EducationThis is the context in which I was asked to lead the design of a new antiracist curriculum for the Further Education (FE) sector in Wales. A challenging environment of extremes where our views (on the surface at least) appear to be spread across a great chasm. As a lover of big ideas, why could this not be an opportunity? A chance to create something that would allow us to reflect. To reflect on who we are, our identities, our responsibilities and our privileges. If we consider the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s The Ten Stages of Genocide, stage four is dehumanisation. It strikes me that in world of fast information, the tendency to filter and make judgements is powerful. The paradox of having plentiful knowledge and a scarcity of wisdom is a plight that everyone of us should consider carefully. To what extent do you hold yourself to account?I am deliberately being personal (and potentially provocative). I am a great believer in the first steps to change starting from within. The society we live in, our institutions, our systems are all a reflection of our collective beings. So, if we want to change things for the better, we need to in the first instance change ourselves. We need to learn how to ‘rehumanise’. It is from this position that this new curriculum has been crafted. It is a curriculum for all of us. One that invites us to rediscover our shared humanity.The term ‘craft’ can be defined as ‘to make or produce with care, skill, or ingenuity’. This three-part mini-series will take you on the journey where a talented team of people came together to craft a curriculum that offers the opportunity to unify. A team of people who come from different backgrounds and who express a range of cultural identities. Critically, a team of people driven by their lived experiences of racism as well as those who have offered immense advocacy and allyship. It will offer an insight into the care, skill and ingenuity of a group looking to inspire a new generation of thinking. Join me in the next article which will explore the role of ‘unfiltering’ in cu...

Further Education in the UK Needs a RebootHadi Moussa, Managing Director (EMEA) at Coursera, discusses how flexible learning models are essential to bridge the digital skills gap and prepare the UK to thrive in the digital economy.Successive governments have not supplied further education the resources and reform needed for the changing world of work. Vocational skills training is still too inaccessible, and divergent perspectives of academic and vocational education remain marked by expensive fees for a range of degrees, averaging £9,000 a year, regardless of market demand. Employers previously expressing concern about entry level hires deficient in numeracy and literacy, are today alarmed by the digital skills gap, in which staff lack skills for the fourth industrial revolution, characterised by technology and data.Last year, according to the UK government, over 80% of all jobs advertised in the UK now require digital skills, however employers say the lack of available talent is the biggest factor holding back growth. Estimates suggest the digital skills gap costs the UK economy as much as £63 billion a year in potential GDP.Likewise, the government’s 2021 Quantifying the Data Skills Gap Report noted just under half of UK companies are struggling to recruit for data roles over the previous two years, with a limited supply of graduates with specialist data skills from universities. Half of all workers surveyed reported they had not received data skills training within the last two years despite having an interest in digital training.COURSERA’S GLOBAL SKILLS REPORT 2023Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2023 also unearthed the skills gap the UK faces when preparing for the future of work. Analysing the career readiness of over 124 million learners worldwide, the report identifies leaders in business, technology and data science skills proficiency among 100 countries supported by Coursera. The study ranked the UK 64th globally in skills development, behind the Dominican Republic and Bolivia, down from 38th place in 2022.Notable deficiencies in the UK’s skills include Technology skills, with UK learners performing badly relative to their global peers in S oftware Engineering (23%), Mobile Development (26%), Security Engineering (33%), and Computer Programming (41%). The UK was also found to be deficient in Data Science , with UK performance lagging behind in key data science skills including Statistical Programming , Data Management , and Data Analysis .TECHNOLOGY SKILLS IN EUROPE COMPARED TO THE UKLeading countries in the Coursera Skills Report were Switzerland, Spain and Germany, with Europe ranking second globally for technology and data science. The report found European learners are more likely to invest in data science skills, including artificial neural networks and deep learning, supporting the emerging AI market.By contrast, UK learners were more likely to take courses teaching entrepreneurship, scoring well in human resources and marketing. Learners scored competitively in technology skills such as web development, yet it was found UK leaders could further invest in software engineering.This disparity has been reflected in the relative performance of the UK and European economies. The British economy grew just 0.1 percent in the first three months of this year; the little growth there was, was partly driven by the information and communications services industries, which includes computer programming and consultancy. By contrast, Germany’s economy grew by 6% during the same period and the Eurozone as a whole outperformed the UK.A misfiring education system in the UK is partly to blame, characterised by a lack of access to affordable, relevant tuition. Just this month, an all party parliamentary group unveiled research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found the attainment gap between poorer pupils and their better-off classmates is just as large...

Teacher Attrition in the UK: Economic Consequences and Implications for the 21st-Century WorkforceTeacher attrition rates in the United Kingdom have emerged as a pressing concern, bearing significant economic consequences and implications for the modern workforce. This blog post aims to delve into the topic, shedding light on the loss of social and knowledge capital associated with teacher turnover and its impact on education and the economy.TEACHER ATTRITION RATES AND LOSS OF SOCIAL CAPITALAccording to recent studies, factors contributing to high teacher attrition rates in the UK include workload pressures, job dissatisfaction, lack of support, limited career progression opportunities, challenging student behavior, and inadequate compensation [1][2]. When experienced teachers depart, it results in the loss of social capital within schools and the educational community. Collaboration, mentoring, and institutional memory are disrupted, hampering professional growth and instructional quality.As Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney from the National Education Union aptly put it, “Losing almost 35,000 teachers in a year is simply unacceptable, and is happening on this government’s watch” [3]. This statement highlights the need for concerted efforts to address the issue and prevent further loss of experienced educators.TEACHER ATTRITION RATES AND EROSION OF KNOWLEDGE CAPITALIn addition to social capital, the departure of teachers erodes knowledge capital within educational institutions. Research by Stern and Macpherson emphasizes that the loss of experienced teachers can lead to a decline in overall instructional quality [4]. The expertise, subject knowledge, and innovative teaching methods possessed by experienced teachers are invaluable assets for student achievement and educational outcomes.Moreover, the financial implications of high teacher turnover in the UK have been explored by Allen and Burgess. They estimate that the costs associated with recruiting, hiring, and training new teachers impose significant financial burdens on educational budgets and government expenditures [5].IMPLICATIONS FOR THE WORKFORCE OF THE 21ST CENTURYTeacher attrition and the subsequent erosion of social and knowledge capital have far-reaching implications for the 21st-century workforce. Reduced educational outcomes can contribute to a workforce with lower skills and competencies, impacting productivity and competitiveness [6]. Mismatched workforce skills may lead to unemployment or underemployment, hindering overall workforce development.Moreover, the societal costs associated with diminished educational quality are significant. Higher crime rates, increased welfare dependence, and reduced social mobility are among the challenges that arise from inadequate education [7]. These factors strain public resources and impede social progress.CONCLUSIONAddressing teacher attrition rates is crucial to mitigate the economic consequences and implications for the workforce of the 21st century. Investments in improving working conditions, providing support and professional development opportunities, and implementing policies to promote teacher retention are essential. Recognizing the value of social and knowledge capital within the teaching profession is key to fostering a strong and effective education system that positively impacts the economy and society as a whole.By Gavin Hoole

Exams Results Time: Options and OpportunitiesThis article reflects on exam results time and provides an overview of options and opportunities. With the unprecedented challenges caused by the disruption of Covid, growth in the 18-year-old population, a cost-of-living crisis and intermittent strike action , students find themselves facing a unique set of circumstances.As the exam results season beckons, students eagerly await their fate. The release of exam results marks a crucial juncture in the lives of young people, determining their next steps and future prospects. Parents’ reactions to exam result day can vary widely, ranging from nonchalance to profound anxiety. The stark contrast in their response reflects the diverse ways in which parents perceive and approach the significance of their children’s academic outcomes. In June 2023, Ucas warned that more disadvantaged students could miss out on university offers by 2030 due to increased competition for places.TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC ROUTES AND ALTERNATIVE OPTIONSThis year amid unprecedented challenges caused by the disruption of Covid, growth in the 18-year-old population, a cost-of-living crisis and intermittent strike action, students find themselves facing a unique set of circumstances. The options and opportunities available to them during this crucial and competitive time can impact significantly on their future prospects, career development and well-being. Let’s consider the various pathways that await students as they navigate the post-exam phase.Traditional Academic Routes: For some students the conventional academic route may be a preferred option. Scoring well in A levels or T levels opens doors to a wide range of higher education institutions across the country. As the competitive landscape becomes tougher with each passing year, universities can call the shots on who they will accept or reject. However, with increased competition, students should be aware of alternative options, including Clearing and Adjustment. Clearing allows for students to find available HE courses that still have places and Adjustment permits high achievers to explore better course options if they exceed their predicted grades.VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION:The growth in higher-degree apprenticeships should not be overlooked in both higher and further education settings. Universities UK has endorsed degree apprenticeships as a “success story” and released a ten-point plan for the government to support their growth. Many students find vocational and technical education (at all levels) better suited to their learning styles and needs e.g. courses that offer hands-on experience, practical skills, and direct pathways to specific industries. Earning whilst learning for some is essential – not simply an optional choice. A school leaver programme is a scheme run by large employers for school students, normally in Year 13, who have the qualifications to go to university, but would rather enter into the world of employment. Traineeships and apprenticeships serve similar yet distinct purposes. Traineeships for 16 — 23-year-olds, and young people with learning difficulty assessments up to age 25, focus more on developing general employability skills, whereas apprenticeships are job specific.GAP YEAR AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:In the aftermath of the pandemic, some students might feel they want to spread their wings and seek opportunities for personal growth and development – or simply find opportunities to find out what they truly love doing. Engaging in volunteer work, side hustles, paid internships, or travel experiences can broaden perspectives and enhance valuable life skills. Many students who opt for a gap year often return to their studies with renewed focus and clarity about their career goals.ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND START-UPS:The rapidly evolving business landscape has sparked the interest of many budding entrepreneurs. For some students, the exam results period acts as a catalyst to...

Tackling education staff shortages can’t be a “one-solution fits all”In this article, Simon discusses how the focus for schools and trusts shouldn’t be on a one-solution fits all approach to the staffing crisis. Instead, a tailored strategy is needed, including leveraging social media, collaborative networks, and data analysis for training and development.Education continues to be one of the sectors hardest hit by staff shortages. Vacancies in English schools have doubled in the past two years, according to recent figures, with some calling the current staffing levels ‘dangerous’.As it stands, both recruitment and retention rates are issues and a recent survey indicates salary expectations are the main retention problem and a key recruitment barrier. On top of this, teacher workload, low morale, workplace stress and competition from the commercial sector are all playing a part.The varied vacancy picture across schools and trusts is fuelled by a supply shortage of candidates in the market and salary pressures brought on by competition from the commercial sector. As a result, the focus should not be on trying to find a one solution fits all, rather looking at what education leaders can do to tackle their staff shortages in the best way for them.IS IT TIME FOR A NEW RECRUITMENT STRATEGY?Overhauling an entire recruitment strategy can seem overwhelming and time-consuming. Nevertheless, the key is for HR leaders in trusts and schools to not just enlarge their recruitment net as much as possible. They also need to understand the different ways to reach the new generation of teaching staff, which may involve updating their overall strategy.Rather than restricting the posting of vacancies to the usual government websites or depending on the same education-specific recruitment companies, trusts and schools should also advertise on local authority-maintained spaces. This could include council owned businesses, youth centres, community hubs, libraries or leisure facilities. Indeed, understanding how and where each generation spends their time, looking for jobs or otherwise, can make all the difference.For example, social media has become a critical channel in reaching younger employees, with research revealing that 96% of recruiters use these channels to find qualified candidates. By adapting job postings to match channels such as LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok, education HR leaders can showcase culture creatively. Whilst enabling them to target candidates based on demographics, interests and other relevant criteria.On top of this, schools and trusts could look at digitising the recruitment process, attending career fairs, and hiring apprentices – to effectively tackle their specific staff shortages from multiple fronts.FOSTER COLLABORATIVE NETWORKSEach education institution will have its own collaborative network that it can tap into. For schools, ensuring this spans across other schools, educational organisations, and local councils, opens up the opportunity to share teacher resource which can help quickly tackle the staffing crisis. Teachers can then split their time between schools, making use of their time as efficiently as possible. With the added benefit of exposing them to further development opportunities, which can help increase overall morale.Within MATs specifically, teachers are employed by the trust and not individual schools. MATs should ensure they are leveraging the opportunities this model provides. With regards to recruitment, MATs can take advantage of economies of scale by centralising their workforce and deploying staff where they are needed the most.Not only does this take the pressure off, recruitment-wise, but working across multiple schools can help new teachers find out which environment would best suit their particular skillset. This makes it more likely they will thrive in their role and improves the likelihood of them staying long-term.STRENGTHEN TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT TO RETAIN STAFFTo better understa...

Employee Ownership - A Better Model for Independent Training ProvidersHIT Training Ltd has recently put a majority of its shares into an Employee Ownership Trust to benefit its staff. HIT’s CEO, Jill Whittaker OBE, tells us why and what it means to her colleagues.You may have read recently that HIT Training has reached a big milestone in its 16-year journey – we have sold a majority shareholding to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), thus making our collective employees the majority shareholders of our company.SO WHY DID WE DECIDE TO DO THIS?When we started HIT in 2006 it was with money we raised from investment from our staff, a few suppliers and some friends. We knew every shareholder (we still do) and it was great that our staff could be part of the success of the business.Over the years, some of those people have stayed with us, some have moved on to pastures new; a very small number have asked to sell their shares, thus presenting an opportunity for existing staff to buy some shares. Fundamentally, though, our shareholding was limited largely to those who were there at the beginning. Back in 2019, we discussed this as a board and decided to look into ways that we could widen our staff participation in the business.We know that cash is tight, so selling chunks of shares at full market value to our colleagues would have meant that only people with deep pockets would be able to afford to buy shares, and we wanted everyone to have a real stake in the company, so that was out of the question.Covid came and went and one day I was having lunch with Amanda who runs Rinova (who we work with on some of our non-apprenticeship programmes) and she mentioned that Rinova was an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). I asked her about it and a plan started to form. Serendipitously, the next day I was in a meeting with our company lawyers and Noel, our legal partner, said “I don’t know why you don’t do an Employee Ownership Trust, it’s right up HIT’s street”. We looked into it, and finally, in April this year, we completed the transactions that mean the EOT is in place.SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN?In total, 61.3% of the shares have been bought by the EOT, and put into the trust.We have appointed a trustee to look after the interests of the EOT and they will make sure that we don’t do anything daft with the company that will be detrimental to the value of that investment.In order to buy the shares back from shareholders and to put them into the trust we have used most of the cash in the business. Those selling shareholders benefitted from a tax free transaction. We have, of course, kept back what we need for day to day.The rest of what we owe for the shares is in the form of loan notes to the shareholders, and that will be paid off out of profits over the next few years at which point we will reach what is known as “Financial Freedom Day”, which means we don’t owe any more to those shareholders.As we get closer to that point we will consult with our colleagues to find out how they you want their interests as shareholders to be represented – that will still be via the appointed trustee who is already looking after their interests, but may also include an employee panel or board.This transaction won’t mean that individuals have shares but that they are owned on trust for the employee as beneficiaries. Leavers will cease to be beneficiaries.A BENEFIT OF EOTOne benefit of the EOT is that staff can participate in up to £3,600 of profit share tax free each tax year. We have decided that this should be on an equal basis whatever the role or salary, and will be pro-rata for any staff working part-time/shorter hours. We hope to make our first tax free bonus payment this year.This gives our colleagues real skin in the game, and an opportunity to not only influence the profits of the company with their great performance but also to share in those profits. Our staff are really happy to be part of the ownership of our funny little company.By Jill Whittaker OBE, Managi...

New insights from BetterUp show that uncertainty in the education sector has nearly doubled in three years. Dr. Kristi Leimgruber, Behavioural Scientist, PhD explains how coaching culture enables workplace success.Recent research from BetterUp’s Coaching Culture Insights Report shows that uncertainty in the education sector has nearly doubled in the last three years, which should come as no surprise given news of debates and strikes over fair pay and workload dominating recent headlines.However, the impact increasing uncertainty is having on staff within the sector cannot be understated. According to the Teacher Wellbeing Index, 72% of teachers report being stressed and overworked, while 77% of teachers report negative impacts on their mental health as a direct result of their work.With poor well-being and excessive workload driving a mental health crisis within the education sector, it is no wonder that engagement and retention are suffering. In fact, recent data from the National Education Union shows that nearly half of the teacher workforce is planning a career change in the next five years.This raises the question – what can education leaders do to combat this? The solution starts with cultivating a coaching culture.Embedding a Coaching CultureCoaching Culture means setting up the foundation – the delivery system and pathways – by which any transformation or organisational needs can be addressed over time. People play an essential role in helping to fuel an organisation’s transformation – whether it be growth and expansion or technological advancement. In order to do so, however, they need to be provided with the tools to navigate change with confidence and clarity.Through consistent organisational, co-worker and managerial practices, an environment of continuous learning and development empowers employees at all levels to address business needs dynamically. However, these benefits are twofold, and while employees gain confidence professionally, an embedded Coaching Culture can also improve psychological safety and a sense of belonging. More than just benefiting business growth, this environment also encourages a renewed focus on the wellbeing and mental fitness of employees.The impact of this on the business is clear, with BetterUp’s recent report showing that an embedded Coaching Culture can drive revenue five-year growth by 21%. At a time when socio-economic uncertainty in the sector is rife, putting processes in place which can help organisations and their people to grow, transform and succeed are imperative.Cultivating Critical SkillsThere are many factors driving uncertainty throughout the education sector, with new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and automation amongst them. And, while they may not pose as much of an immediate threat to job security in the education sector, they will certainly require educators to develop new skills and mindsets to adopt and adapt to these technologies.According to the World Economic Forum, 44% of the skills that employees need to perform their roles will have changed by 2030, resulting in 9 out of 10 workers requiring some form of reskilling. When we compare this projection with the recent finding that three in five employees currently do not feel they have the skills to adapt to future technological innovation, it is blatantly clear that transforming the workforce is essential. In order to do this, organisations need to first shift mindsets and create coaching cultures that encourage personal and professional growth at all levels, from the top of the organisation to managers and teams.Employees in Coaching Cultures outpace their peers in key skills like problem-solving (+14%), self-efficacy (+13%) and future-mindedness (+18%), giving them a clear advantage in preparing for potential challenges and operating at peak performance in the face of uncertainty.Moreover, with 86% of UK workers stating that future-mindedness is not one of their strengths, having a culture of...