Earlier this month the AEBP hosted the first of a series of online “Microsoft Teams” events. Members and non-members shared ideas and thoughts on a Post Covid School and Workplace environment and the products and services that are being offered to schools including new virtual options.

We had 36 delegates attending and everyone left positive comments (see below) and said they were looking forward to another event in the near future.

Just following up from the virtual AEBP Work Experience Meeting this morning and our conversation later, I thought it was a really useful and thought-provoking meeting with great input from different practitioners and education business professionals.  Although we work for a large organisation with lots of supportive colleagues, we don’t get to share our work with people that really understand the breadth of our experiences and challenges in the WEX world, so it was really refreshing as most of us are facing the same problems. Catherine

Thanks so much for organising this it has been very useful and I would like to be included in any future sessions – Lesley

Thanks to all, it was really useful, stay safe all – Charmian

Thanks Kevin and everyone, really interesting – Corinne

Thanks for hosting Kevin. Very useful session – Gavin

Thanks for that Kevin, interesting session. Very useful so in the future would be good – Jamela

Great to hear sharing of ideas – thank you. Also keen for another in the future – Faye

Very useful, great to do again. Thanks everyone – Sarah

Very useful thanks Kevin would be useful to attend another meeting – Keisha

A useful discussion and hope we have some more in the future. – Catherine

I found it useful! if there is anything else to discuss, I’d be happy to join another session – Georgia

Really useful to hear from people with different experiences – Sally

Thank you all. Really informative and appreciated. Yes, please to scheduling another event – Afet

Really useful – thank you. Might be good to do this again – Alex

Very useful, thank you – Kim

Thank you, Kevin, and all on the call for sharing your experiences. It has been really interesting to hear what is happening around the country – Imelda

Great session, helpful and informative. Thanks everyone – Michelle

I am a school governor  as well as being a youth engagement officer in the British Army, and a civilian teamwork/leadership facilitator working with young people from all backgrounds and all nationalities.  I am passionate about young people achieving their potential – and to do that, they need to know all their options.

Please find information about Army careers for young people age 16+.    In these uncertain times, the army is seeing a huge increase in applications as it offers job security for life.   This is information all SLT and careers officers need to know and ensure is passed on to ALL students in secondary school, to advise young people of their options.

As you may know, only 8% of secondary age children are aware of the career opportunities available to them in the British Army.  As someone who didn’t have this information when I was at secondary school, I felt cheated – and now it is my mission to ensure ALL children know about these opportunities, regardless of social background, religion, ethnicity, gender or anything else. Everyone is equal in the army.

Only 30% of army careers are in combat roles which means the vast majority are careers that are found in civilian life (mechanics, teachers, doctors, nurses, vets, dentists, engineers, IT/tech, chaplains, lawyers, HR, PR/media  etc.) – the only difference is the army has higher pay, more opportunities, guaranteed continuous training and qualifications, transferable skills for life, plus adventurous lifestyle, fun and friendship.

Please find below links to films about scholarships, bursaries, and apprenticeships (finance is available from £3k – £75k per student). The first video is the most informative and most important to share  – the others will give you more insight from the student’s point of view.    If this information can be shared with all secondary schools and their students that would be great – and I believe it’s our duty or we are letting our children down.

https://apply.army.mod.uk/what-we-offer

On 1 July, changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) saw flexible furloughing introduced, so employees will no longer have to be furloughed for a minimum period of three weeks.

Following the change the CJRS has more flexibility to allow claims on a pro rata basis. Employers will be able to permit employees to work some of the week and be furloughed for the rest.

An employee needs to have been furloughed for at least three consecutive weeks between 1 March and 30 June to be eligible for furlough from 1 July. Additionally, after 1 July, employers may be subject to a cap on the number of employees that can be claimed for in a CJRS claim they are able to make.

The CJRS changes have effect from 1 July until the closure of the scheme on 31 October.

Parents returning from statutory maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, shared parental leave and bereavement leave are broadly exempt from the CJRS furlough changes. So parents who are returning to work over the coming months will be eligible for the CJRS despite the scheme closing to new entrants on 30 June.

Additionally, from 1 August, the level of the grant will be reduced each month. From August the employer will need to pay employer national insurance and pension contributions for the time the employee is furloughed. For August, the government will continue to pay 80% of wages up to a maximum of £2,500 proportional to the hours the employee is furloughed. For September, the government will pay 70% of wages up to £2,187.50, and for October, the government will pay 60% of wages up to a maximum of £1,875. During these months employers will have to top up employees’ wages to ensure they receive 80% of their wages up to the £2,500 cap.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-which-employees-you-can-put-on-furlough-to-use-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

Great article on the skills crisis long pre-dated COVID19 from Olly Newton over at the AOC.

Check out the link below

https://www.aoc.co.uk/blog/the-skills-crisis-long-pre-dated-covid19

A brilliant bulletin from Edge. Well worth a read!

See the article at

https://www.edge.co.uk/news/edge-news/skills-shortages-in-the-uk-economy-bulletin-7 

or download the bulletin at

https://www.edge.co.uk/sites/default/files/documents/skills_shortage_bulletin_7_web-final.pdf 

This looks really interesting. Well spotted Emma at EBP NW. We need to see how many of our members are also FSB members. Lets chat on the AEBP linked in members forum!

https://grants.fsb.org.uk/ 

The information and guidance from the Cabinet Office public bodies on payment of their suppliers is very clear that they should be paying suppliers as normal (even if their delivery is disrupted or suspended. The majority of EBPs are not centrally funded and are operating as small businesses who need the support from public bodies to ensure they are still in a position to resume normal contract delivery once the outbreak is over.

The full information and guidance are detailed clearly in the Procurement Policy Note 02/20 released in March. Available  HERE

Today the AEBP have released its now “Proud Member” logo available for all our members to use on emails footers and other promotional materials.

A special logo for its members to use was asked for by many of our members at our two most recent events and is something we are delighted to make available.

It utilises our existing logo with its striking colours and is available in three different sizes.

The logo’s are available in the new “resources” section of the website. Which can be found by clicking HERE

Running low on ideas to keep the kids entertained? Look no further than Heathrow’s fun, new educational resources aimed at 7-11 year olds.

At Heathrow, our number one priority is always the safety of our passengers and colleagues. Our colleagues and partners are working around the clock to respond to the fast-moving impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), whether that be helping our passengers get to where they need to be as safely as possible or rearranging their travel plans.

We are also doing our part to help the local community during this challenging time. We have produced a number of fun and engaging educational activities to help primary schools and parents with at-home learning. These activities are suitable for children aged 7-11 and feature exciting aspects of the airport such as cargo and communications. Each activity takes around 45 minutes to complete.

Please access and download the Heathrow At-Home Learning Resources at www.heathrow.com/education:

• Cargo Challenge
• Communications Challenge
• Quiz

Please share these activities with pupils, parents and any community organisations which may benefit.

We will be adding further activities in the coming weeks, so do check the website regularly for updates.

If you use these activities, or have any feedback, we’d love to hear from you at education@heathrow.com.

These activities form part of Heathrow World of Work, a youth employment movement to inspire future careers at the airport and beyond.

Best regards,

The Education & Skills Team

Heathrow Airport

Find out if you’re eligible and how much you can claim to cover wages for employees on temporary leave (‘furlough’) due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

If you cannot maintain your current workforce because your operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19), you can furlough employees and apply for a grant that covers 80% of their usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions (up to the level of the minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contribution) on that subsidised furlough pay.

This is a temporary scheme in place for 3 months starting from 1 March 2020, but it may be extended if necessary and employers can use this scheme anytime during this period. It is designed to help employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) to retain their employees and protect the UK economy. However, all employers are eligible to claim under the scheme and the government recognises different businesses will face different impacts from coronavirus.

For full up-to-date information check out the government website and advice

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme