build up your construction skills with edudo

Recently, The Guardian reported a skills shortage in the UK construction sector. City economists had expected a 1% rise in output in August, but were surprised when it actually fell by 4.3%. Senior political figures and top names in the construction industry have called for an increase in infrastructure spending, with a large focus on skills training to place the right people in the right jobs. 

At edudo, we aim to equip people with the skills they need to get on.  With years of experience in the construction industry, we specialise in construction learning programmes. We want everyone to have the same opportunity to improve, which is why we provide our employer customers and employed individuals independent information, advice & guidance on what funding supports may be available. We are always happy to assist with securing funding for your learning programmes, where it is available, at absolutely no cost to you!

Check out our construction courses here and find out about funding availability for employers and employed individuals.

Contact the edu4work team today on 0330 20 20 20 3

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highfield quality inspection commends edudo and its business partner steve henderson

awarding body - Highfield - were pleased to advise today that edudo has achieved Direct Claim Status for both Warehousing Principles, Level 2 and Lead IQA, Level 4 as well as to commend edudo for both its very inclusive workbooks and the exceptional support processes it stated are in place to ensure edudo learners are given the most appropriate support during delivery of education provision. 

singling out edudo partner - Steve Henderson - for special commendation; the Highfield report described the Level 4, Lead IQA portfolio they quality reviewed during a recent inspection visit as "phenomenal", "rare" and "beyond reproach"! 

the report went on to say that Highfield: "would like to commend Steve Henderson for what I can only describe as nothing short of an outstanding Level 4 Lead IQA portfolio. There is evidence of robust assessor to learner engagement, formative and summative IQA, & skills scanning. Assessment planning is extremely strong and clearly sets out the learner targets. Product evidence is absolutely relevant. The learner has fully achieved! I would like to also mention that I rarely see portfolios at this standard - I can see that the learner has had a fully recorded journey and the portfolio truly reflects this. The support and guidance offered has been beyond reproach".

at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. it's what people do when they want to make sense of the world! 

edudo gets an "outstanding" from the Skills Funding Agency

edudo has again achieved an "outstanding" from the Skills Funding Agency’s (SFA) as part of its recent due diligence grading issued today: September 4th, 2015. 

Results of due diligence	Pass
Organisation details	Pass
Grounds for mandatory exclusion	Pass
Grounds for discretionary exclusion	Pass
Technical and professional ability - Compliance	0
Technical and professional ability - Delivery	0
Declarations	Pass

Results of edudo's financial health assessment grade

: Outstanding

The score required to pass the technical and professional ability section (compliance and delivery) is between 0 and -99. 

at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. it's what people do when they want to make sense of the world! 

well, the budget announcement came out and there wasn't a lot of news for the adult learning sector

what we heard about, in summary, was the introduction of an employer's levy, a "youth obligation" which will cut benefits to those who "do not engage", and the news that cuts will continue, albeit at a slower rate than had originally been anticipated. In general its fair to say that the sector was underwhelmed! yes, apprenticeships are about skills but skills are a lot more than just apprenticeships – however edudo is not clear this is widely understood. The Government appears to have just realised that employers tend not to invest in skills - whoopee! How many years has the sector been saying that? The Government also appears to have woken up to the reality of the inadequate quality of education offered by some of our peers in the sector. When there is a failing shop on the high street it doesn't matter how it got to that stage: it simply closes!. edudo recognises that the adult learning sector is not as simplistic as that, but it needs to get a damn sight closer to it.

at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. it's what people do when they want to make sense of the world! 

CBI say UK “Skills Emergency” holding back economic growth

A new report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Pearson UK has found that over half of firms fear growth in key sectors is being impeded by a “skills emergency”, revealing that a growing number of employers are struggling to recruit staff with the required numeracy and STEM skills.

A survey of 310 companies, which together employ over a million people, found that 68% expect their need for highly skilled employees to grow in the next few years, but are not confident that they will be able to recruit employees with the necessary basic maths and science skills. Demand is particularly strong in sectors critical to economic growth, such as engineering, science, hi-tech and construction, where two-thirds of employers are already reporting skills shortages.
CBI deputy director general Katja Hall called for the Government to urgently tackle the issue, saying “Firms are facing a skills emergency now, threatening to starve economic growth. Worryingly, it’s those high-growth, high-value sectors with the most potential which are the ones under most pressure… We betray our young people if we fail to equip them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to progress in work and life.”
These concerns are shared by National Numeracy and adds to increasing evidence that an overhaul of functional skills is essential to UK growth, with research from Pro Bono Economics last year finding poor numeracy is costing the UK economy an estimated £20 billion each year.
at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. it's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!

edudo awarded the matrix standard

edudo has, today, been accredited with the internationally-recognised, quality standard: matrix, following a robust external assessment, for the quality of advice, guidance, information and support it offers to individuals to make learning and work more accessible.

the matrix standard, owned by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, UK, is a UK Government accredited, quality framework for the effective delivery of information, advice and/or guidance on learning and work. It promotes the delivery of high quality information, advice and/or guidance by ensuring organisations review, evaluate and develop their service; encourage the take up of professionally recognised qualifications and the continuous professional development of their staff. It is the unique quality standard for education organisations to assess and measure their advice and support services, which ultimately supports individuals in their choice of career, learning, work and life goals.

ronan smith, managing partner at edudo, commented: “Achievement of the matrix standard by edudo is international verification of what more than 5000 edudo graduates already know; that edudo people are extremely effective in helping learners improve their life chances. It is great to be recognised for the commitment and hard work that the whole team puts into delivering the highest-quality service.”


the findings of the assessment included the following observations:

• across the whole Accreditation Assessment, feedback demonstrated the positive and inclusive culture of edudo service.
• the learner is at the centre of all aspects of edudo.
• edudo is very highly regarded by employers and learners recognising the emphasis placed on excellence in well delivered programmes of learning.
• leadership and management support is strong and focused, setting the tone for the culture of continuous improvement and the climate of success.
• edudo is highly regarded by learners, employers and partners, in particular the culture and ethos of the ‘learner at the centre’ of every part of the planning, delivery and forward direction.
• edudo is trusted to deliver and ‘do what is promised’.

at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. It's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!
for more (including the full matrix report) see documents/quality area of this website.

UK faces a shrinking pool of skills

A major international comparison of adult literacy and numeracy skills by the OECD shows the UK (England and Northern Ireland) performing significantly below average in numeracy – with particular problems among the 16-24 age group where the UK came 21st out of 24 industrialised countries.

the Survey of Adult Skills was carried out as part of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). OECD says the survey measures the key cognitive and workplace skills needed for individuals to participate in society and for economies to prosper.
the survey showed that almost one in four adults in England and Northern Ireland scored at the very lowest level, compared with the OECD average of fewer than one in five.
the OECD says that the UK faces a shrinking pool of skills, with England the only country where the skills of young people are below those of older people.
the UK’s poor results show the urgency of the need to improve everyday english and maths skills in this country.
the last time Britain took part in an OECD survey of adult skills – the International Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Survey published in 1997 – it came 11th out of 13 developed countries for both numeracy and literacy.
at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. It's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!