News & Events

November sees us continue to focus on improving the platform to support virtual management and delivery whilst increasing flexibility so you can deliver your operating model in the best possible way. To that end, we are pleased to include two significant upgrades in Aptem’s November update – the introduction of Multi-Factor Authentication and the release of the Employer Console.

The emergent technologies of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) have produced anxieties about change and potential job losses. But can we see these advanced technologies as assisting and enhancing our jobs? In this article, we look at how new technologies could enhance the effectiveness of job coaches.

The Independent Commission on the College of the Future has published the findings of its investigation into how FE colleges should be structured to address the skills deficit and transform the life chances of individuals in the UK. 

We are now half-way through the first term of the new academic year. Despite the new lockdown, the government has resolved that schools, colleges and universities will stay open. Of course, things may change as has proven to be the case thus far.

Understanding human psychology is invaluable when supporting someone effectively on their journey into work. Employability providers possess increasingly large datasets that, if used well, contain significant insights that could support the provision of a better service. The challenge for a sector under increasing pressure is knowing how to extract meaningful direction from the mountains of data at their fingertips.

We are pleased to announce that the Aptem Development Team pushed lived October’s update which included the new Aptem Employ Dashboard and a number of major enhancements to our onboarding process.

Personalisation has become a buzzword in employability. But has the employment sector achieved personalisation and, if not, what should it look like?

Just IT selected Aptem as the platform to deliver its innovative IT and Digital apprenticeships. Sam Tobin, Service Delivery Director at Just IT, explains the reasons for their choice: “We wanted to source an intelligent, end-to-end system. The look, feel and usability of the interface was a critical factor for us. The Aptem platform is essentially our customers’ experience of Just IT.” In this article we explore this very successful implementation and key learnings for anyone considering an end-to-end system.

As the ONS has reported, unemployment is rising. The 16-24 age group, who typically occupy roles in some of the worst hit sectors including hospitality, entertainment and the arts, have been particularly affected. However, the spike in unemployment caused by COVID-19 is pan-generational. In August 2020, the claimant count reached 2.7 million people, an increase of 120.8% since March 2020. Notably, there is a significant rise in the number of people unemployed for up to six months, up 202,000 over the year to 988,000. This poses an additional challenge; it’s widely recognised that the longer someone is out of work, the harder it is for them to re-enter the workforce.

When you mention apprenticeships to most people – unless they are in the skills sector – they immediately think of physical, hands-on activity like carpentry or car maintenance. But while there are still many manual apprenticeships on offer, today’s apprenticeship standards also include subjects like data science and advanced forensic practitioner.
Given words have meaning, is it time for apprenticeships to have a rebrand?

GDP is sharply down, and unemployment is rising. Big sectors which have helped many enter the labour force such as hospitality are hard hit and not likely to perform the same role in the next recovery. How bad could unemployment become, and what can we do to arrest its growth and help the out of work redeploy their skills? In this piece we look at the ONS forecasts, compare them with previous recessions and recoveries and seek to draw conclusions relevant to skills training.