via Eurostat Statistics in focus
In January 2009, 20 of the 27 Member States of the EU (Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, Estonia, Greece, France, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic and the United Kingdom), one candidate country (Turkey) and the United States had national legislation setting statutory minimum wages. The minimum wages varied widely, from 123 EUR per month in Bulgaria to 1,642 EUR per month in Luxembourg. When adjusted to take into account differences in purchasing power, the disparities between the Member States are reduced from a range of one to thirteen (in euro), to a range of one to six (in Purchasing Power Standard - PPS) with Luxembourg (1,413 PPS per month) the highest and Bulgaria (240 PPS per month) the lowest.
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Monday, 24 August 2009
Using networks to access international internship opportunities
an article by Mary Loyland and Dee Ann H Ellingson published in International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations Volume 6 Number 4 (2009)
Abstract
As the business world becomes more global, there is an increasing need for students to gain an international perspective and international experience. One way to accomplish this is through international internships. How do students access international internship opportunities? Networks play a key role in enabling students to obtain knowledge and advice, gain self-confidence, and access opportunities. This paper describes the networks used by four students from the University of Shanghai Science and Technology in China to study at the University of North Dakota, and then go on to do an internship with Ernst & Young, a prestigious “Big Four” international accounting firm at their headquarters in New York City. The paper goes on the describe the internship experiences the students had and the benefits gained from the experience including increased self-confidence, communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills, and exposure to business in a different culture.
Abstract
As the business world becomes more global, there is an increasing need for students to gain an international perspective and international experience. One way to accomplish this is through international internships. How do students access international internship opportunities? Networks play a key role in enabling students to obtain knowledge and advice, gain self-confidence, and access opportunities. This paper describes the networks used by four students from the University of Shanghai Science and Technology in China to study at the University of North Dakota, and then go on to do an internship with Ernst & Young, a prestigious “Big Four” international accounting firm at their headquarters in New York City. The paper goes on the describe the internship experiences the students had and the benefits gained from the experience including increased self-confidence, communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills, and exposure to business in a different culture.
Tackling Child Poverty in Hard Times Conference
organised by Inclusion events and training (Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion)
Discount for Early Bookings received before 25 September 2009
Fees range from £165 - £285
The number of people out of work continues to increase. At the same time, the public finances are coming under increased pressure. These are hard times for families, and hard times for those working to tackle child poverty in their communities. With the Child Poverty Bill currently before Parliament emphasising the importance of developing effective local strategies to reduce child poverty, this is a critical time to share analysis, ideas, and best practice.This conference will bring together policy-makers and practitioners from across central Government, local authorities, and key delivery agencies including Jobcentre Plus and from across the third sector to examine how the recession is impacting on child poverty levels and how the challenges faced by local areas can best be met.
Confirmed Speakers:
- Kate Green, Chief Executive, CPAG
- Roger Wilshaw, Deputy Director Regeneration Strategy Local Economic Development and Renewal, Communities and Local Government
- Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families
- Maria Millar MP, Shadow Minister for the Family
23 October 2009
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Birmingham NEC
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Birmingham NEC
More information
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Local workplace employment and the quality of jobs framework
an article by Paul Jones (Sheffield Hallam University) in People, Place and Policy Online Volume 3 Issue 2 (2009)
Abstract
There is an increasing recognition that it is quality as much as quantity of employment which is important in assessing the positions and progress of local economies. Not least of all in light of the Lisbon Strategy and Leitch Report which emphasise world class skills and the knowledge economy. The paper details how the so-called ‘Quality of Jobs’ framework can be adapted to local area data to produce consistent estimates of local area ‘job quality’ through time, based on Census, Annual Population Survey and Labour Force Survey sources. The methodology is described and local area estimates shown for illustration.
Full article
with grateful thanks to FutureSkills Scotland newsletter of 22/08/09
Abstract
There is an increasing recognition that it is quality as much as quantity of employment which is important in assessing the positions and progress of local economies. Not least of all in light of the Lisbon Strategy and Leitch Report which emphasise world class skills and the knowledge economy. The paper details how the so-called ‘Quality of Jobs’ framework can be adapted to local area data to produce consistent estimates of local area ‘job quality’ through time, based on Census, Annual Population Survey and Labour Force Survey sources. The methodology is described and local area estimates shown for illustration.
Full article
with grateful thanks to FutureSkills Scotland newsletter of 22/08/09
Information behavior of people in the fourth age: ...
Implications for the conceptualization of information literacy
an article by Kirsty Williamson (Charles Sturt University and Monash University, School of Information Management and Systems) and Terryl Asla (Health Matters Magazine, Wichita, USA and Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia)
Abstract
The information literacy (IL) needs of people in the fourth age, a stage of increasing dependence and disability, have not been considered in the research literature. Based on the premise that there are relationships between information seeking and IL, this article begins to bridge this gap by focusing on the information-seeking behaviour of the group in an attempt to identify IL needs. It does this through a literature review, particularly drawing on two pieces of human information behaviour research, one a new study focused specifically on the group in question. It also examines existing definitions of IL in order to gauge how relevant they appear to be. The reasons for studying this group include that all stages of a person's lifespan deserve to be studied and that the population size of this group increases dramatically in the developed world. Although information needs and sources used are fewer in the fourth age, they are still important to the people involved, thus making IL a relevant concept. The researchers draw implications for IL from the particularities of the information context where disability and frailty impede purposeful information seeking. The resulting emphasis on incidental information acquisition increases the role for social networks and communication, again with implications for IL. Information grounds, where people congregate for purposes other than information sharing, including artificially created ones, will also be important for information dissemination. The role of the Internet, including assistive technology for its use, is also relevant. The conclusion is that IL is crucial to the well-being of people in the fourth age but that existing definitions need to be adjusted to the specific informational context.
an article by Kirsty Williamson (Charles Sturt University and Monash University, School of Information Management and Systems) and Terryl Asla (Health Matters Magazine, Wichita, USA and Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia)
Abstract
The information literacy (IL) needs of people in the fourth age, a stage of increasing dependence and disability, have not been considered in the research literature. Based on the premise that there are relationships between information seeking and IL, this article begins to bridge this gap by focusing on the information-seeking behaviour of the group in an attempt to identify IL needs. It does this through a literature review, particularly drawing on two pieces of human information behaviour research, one a new study focused specifically on the group in question. It also examines existing definitions of IL in order to gauge how relevant they appear to be. The reasons for studying this group include that all stages of a person's lifespan deserve to be studied and that the population size of this group increases dramatically in the developed world. Although information needs and sources used are fewer in the fourth age, they are still important to the people involved, thus making IL a relevant concept. The researchers draw implications for IL from the particularities of the information context where disability and frailty impede purposeful information seeking. The resulting emphasis on incidental information acquisition increases the role for social networks and communication, again with implications for IL. Information grounds, where people congregate for purposes other than information sharing, including artificially created ones, will also be important for information dissemination. The role of the Internet, including assistive technology for its use, is also relevant. The conclusion is that IL is crucial to the well-being of people in the fourth age but that existing definitions need to be adjusted to the specific informational context.
Saturday, 22 August 2009
Ten trivial (i.e non-work-related) items
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Global warming, says Freeman Dyson, “has become a party line”, promoted by experts crippled by a conventional wisdom they have created for themselves... more
Warning signs for the 21st Century via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
Flickr user Arenamontanus has a great collection of 21st century warning signs that would make the world a much better place.
Stunning!
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Britain cannot forever bury all its waste, nor is it able to recycle what it cannot bury. Why not just burn it?... more
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The Wolfram search engine will allow people to make use of science on a daily basis, just as Google has made billions of people reference librarians... more
Robot Babies in Smithsonian via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz
Smithsonian published a fascinating article about “robot babies”, examining several research efforts to build machines that have good social skills.
A “must read” – and the related posts.
When Google Ads go bad via Phil Bradley's weblog by philipbradley
It's often quite instructive to look at the adverts that Google pops onto pages. As a web author it gives you a very quick feel for what Google thinks your page is about, and they're useful when you're hunting around looking for the information that you need. However, sometimes they do get it fantastically wrong.
Please read it!
Lord of the Rings considered as a D&D game -- webcomic via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
The DM of the Rings is a webcomic that retells The Lord of the Rings as a D&D campaign played by a group of impatient, juvenile (and hilarious) gamers.
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The idea that religion is destined to die out is itself a confession of faith. No evidence will persuade secular believers they are on the wrong side of history... more
Navigation/geometry textbook based on Alice in Wonderland via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow In 1961, a Cambridge don who'd taught navigation to cadets in WWII published an homage to Alice in Wonderland that used the book to illustrate concepts in navigation and geometry. The book, Navigation with Alice, was illustrated with fantastic replicas of the original Tenniel illustrations, recast to accompany the lessons (Anne Scarisbrick, the illustrator, was only 16 when she drew them!).
Alice's Many Adventures - Part the Second (Thanks, Erik!)
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate on 22 December
Awful modernist art can be easily ignored. But disagreeable architecture – concrete façades on a human-repelling scale – is much harder to avoid... more
Global warming, says Freeman Dyson, “has become a party line”, promoted by experts crippled by a conventional wisdom they have created for themselves... more
Warning signs for the 21st Century via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
Flickr user Arenamontanus has a great collection of 21st century warning signs that would make the world a much better place.
Stunning!
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Britain cannot forever bury all its waste, nor is it able to recycle what it cannot bury. Why not just burn it?... more
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The Wolfram search engine will allow people to make use of science on a daily basis, just as Google has made billions of people reference librarians... more
Robot Babies in Smithsonian via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz
Smithsonian published a fascinating article about “robot babies”, examining several research efforts to build machines that have good social skills.
A “must read” – and the related posts.
When Google Ads go bad via Phil Bradley's weblog by philipbradley
It's often quite instructive to look at the adverts that Google pops onto pages. As a web author it gives you a very quick feel for what Google thinks your page is about, and they're useful when you're hunting around looking for the information that you need. However, sometimes they do get it fantastically wrong.
Please read it!
Lord of the Rings considered as a D&D game -- webcomic via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
The DM of the Rings is a webcomic that retells The Lord of the Rings as a D&D campaign played by a group of impatient, juvenile (and hilarious) gamers.
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The idea that religion is destined to die out is itself a confession of faith. No evidence will persuade secular believers they are on the wrong side of history... more
Navigation/geometry textbook based on Alice in Wonderland via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow In 1961, a Cambridge don who'd taught navigation to cadets in WWII published an homage to Alice in Wonderland that used the book to illustrate concepts in navigation and geometry. The book, Navigation with Alice, was illustrated with fantastic replicas of the original Tenniel illustrations, recast to accompany the lessons (Anne Scarisbrick, the illustrator, was only 16 when she drew them!).
Alice's Many Adventures - Part the Second (Thanks, Erik!)
via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate on 22 December
Awful modernist art can be easily ignored. But disagreeable architecture – concrete façades on a human-repelling scale – is much harder to avoid... more
Knowledge Nomads
This pamphlet (at 95pp I would have said booklet but ...) from Demos was published in March this year but made the FutureSkills Scotland newsletter this week. It would appear that there are some interesting ideas in this document – see what you think. Worth £10? I think probably “yes”.The debate about highly skilled migration can be traced back over many decades. But fears about ‘brain drain’ are being challenged by the idea that people flow can be good for global science and innovation. In this pamphlet we identify a new, global breed of scientist: the ‘knowledge nomad’, exploring who they are, what motivates them and why their movement around the world is so important. Knowledge nomads are highly skilled and highly mobile people, open-minded in their choice of home and comfortable moving between different cultures. They are increasingly vital for knowledge economies. Science and innovation now function as global networks, created from the interaction of thousands of highly skilled people. The movement of these people enables these networks to grow and function. They also bring valuable knowledge and expertise home. This pamphlet looks at four case studies where knowledge nomads play a vital role – Pfizer, the UK India Business Council, the city of Manchester and the chemistry department of Imperial College London – arguing that nomads are essential for science and innovation in the UK and beyond. Scientists have always travelled in search of new collaborations, new possibilities and new ideas. We set out how the UK can recognise and build these connections, attract the best people and encourage UK-born nomads to begin their own journeys.
Authors: Jack Stilgoe and Natalie Day
ISBN: 9-781-90669-308-4
Cost: £10
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