A round-up of recent news from the UK and overseas.

UK Employment at All-Time High

The number of people in work in the UK is at a record high of almost 30 million and unemployment is still falling according to recent figures.

UK Employment at All-Time High

The number of people in work in the UK is at a record high of almost 30 million and unemployment is still falling according to recent figures. The jobless total in the UK dropped 32,000 to 1.61 million in the three months to January and the number on Jobseeker’s Allowances fell by 2,800 in February 2008. It was the 17th consecutive monthly fall but the smallest since October 2006, said the Office for National Statistics.

No post-graduate medical training in UK for non-EU doctors

Non-European Union doctors will be banned from coming to the UK for postgraduate medical training under the new immigration rules. The Home Office has laid immigration rules implementing the first part of the new Points Based System, which is the Tier 1 (General) route for highly skilled migrants. The rules impose a condition on Tier 1 (General) migrants and Highly Skilled Migrants prohibiting them from taking a post as a doctor in training. The new rules which took effect from 29th February, will not impact on recruitment until 2009. From February 29th, the new rules prohibit the following people from accessing post-graduate medical training posts: Migrants from overseas who are applying to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) and migrants already in the UK who are applying to switch to Tier 1 (General). And from April 1st, the new rules will prohibit migrants in India who are applying for entry clearance as a Tier 1 (General) Migrant. Those who currently have leave to remain in the UK as a Highly Skilled Migrant and Postgraduate doctors or dentists who are seeking leave to remain as a Tier 1 (General) Migrant will be exempt from the regulations. Doctors from overseas have played an invaluable role in the National Health Service for many years, filling key shortage areas such as psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics. But as the number of UK medical school graduates expands, the UK Government intends to rely less on overseas doctors for these specialties. According to the Government, it costs up to £250,000 to train a UK medical student. With the increase in UK medical schools, the country is moving to a policy of self-sufficiency. The Department of Health said that most international medical graduates who come to work or train in the NHS do not stay very long - over half leave within four years of joining the NHS. Ultimately, the NHS loses the trained GPs and consultants it needs when IMGs (International Medical Graduates) leave. Their only chance of getting a foot on the ladder to become NHS consultants would come if the medical deaneries could not fill posts in unpopular specialties from the pool of European graduates. Non-Europeans already working in Britain would be allowed to compete for these few remaining places. The new immigration rules will be temporary until a permanent solution can be formulated to ensure the policy of self-sufficiency is achieved.

Harvard Law to Waive Tuition to Promote Public Service

Concerned by the low numbers of law students choosing careers in public service, Harvard Law School plans to waive tuition for third-year students who pledge to spend five years working either for non-profit organizations or the government. The program would save students more than $40,000 in tuition and follows by scant months the announcement of a sharp increase in financial aid to Harvard’s undergraduates. For years, prosecutors, public defenders and lawyers in traditionally low-paying areas of the law have argued that financial pressures were pushing graduates toward corporate law and away from the kind of careers that they would pursue in the absence of tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. Harvard’s third-year-free program is expected to cost the law school an average of $3 million annually over the next five years. The law school’s share of the university’s endowment of $34.9 billion is more than $1.7 billion. From 2003 to 2006, as many as 67 and as few as 54 of the 550 students graduating from Harvard Law went to work for a non-profit organization or the government. That translates to 9.8 to 12.1 percent of the graduating class. Harvard law students who want to participate in the program will have to demonstrate their commitment to public interest while in law school, through participation in clinical programs working with real clients or other activities and projects.

Making the UK Best For Business Growth

A £25 million fund supporting women entrepreneurs and £30 million to extend enterprise education are amongst the proposals outlined by the Government to make the nation’s economy more successful. Published jointly by HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, “Enterprise: Unlocking the UK’s Talent” is a 10-year strategy aimed at making the UK the most enterprising economy in the world and the best place to start and grow a business. The report outlines key areas where the Government will focus its efforts, including developing an entrepreneurial culture, ensuring people and business have the tools to support the growth of their business, ensuring start-ups and growing businesses have access to finance, reinforcing the role of innovation and easing the burden of unnecessary or complex regulation that can stifle small business growth. Source: BERR

Homecoming Revolution Exhibiting in Dubai

On 16th May, the Homecoming Revolution is hosting an exhibition in Dubai which will be attended primarily by South Africans looking for opportunities back home. The Homecoming Revolution (www.homecomingrevolution.co.za), a non profit organisation sponsored by First National Bank, is hosting their second recruitment exhibition in Dubai to bring skilled South Africans home. In an effort to address the increasing skills shortages in South Africa, the Homecoming Revolution invites employers and recruitment agencies to draw talent from a large and different pool outside of the country. The number of South Africans in Dubai was put at anywhere between 40 000 and 100 000 and they are said to be highly skilled, educated, professional, and cosmopolitan, in sectors like construction, medicine, hospitality, financial services, management and education. The Homecoming Revolution is an active and benevolent campaigner in addressing skills shortages in the country.

Women in London Paid 23% Less than Men

Women in London are still paid up to 23% less than men, according to a report from the Greater London Authority. According to London mayor Ken Livingstone, the situation has remained unchanged since 2005 and tackling gender employment inequality is crucial for the economy. The average gender pay gap across the UK is not much better, at 17%. The report found that while 29% of London employers had conducted an EPR in 2007 (up from 18% in 2005), many did not meet the required definition set by the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Source: People Management

Greater Rights for UK Temps Could Lead to Fewer Jobs

Businesses may soon be reluctant to hire temps, suggests CIPD's latest Labour Market Outlook survey. Greater rights for agency workers may hit business and reduce its willingness to hire temps, according to employers surveyed in the CIPD’s latest Labour Market Outlook. The research explored the implications of the EU Agency Workers Directive, which would grant agency workers equal rights to permanent staff after six weeks of employment. Asked about the effects of the directive, 37% of employers said they felt it would have a negative impact, with another 42% feeling uncertain. And 39% said the legislation would change their recruitment strategy, with the majority saying they would take on fewer agency workers as a result. Findings from the LMO survey are available at www.cipd.co.uk/surveys.

£5 Million A Year Funding for Women’s Training Programme

UK Skills Minister David Lammy has announced £15 million support for recruitment and training schemes to overcome the under-representation of women in five key sectors. The Women and Work Sector Pathways initiative, which has helped set out new career pathways for over 8,000 women since 2006, will receive a further £5 million a year for the next three years. The scheme is currently running projects with nine Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). The initiative aims to improve career opportunities for women in sectors and occupations where there are specific skills shortages and skills gaps and where women are currently underrepresented. These include Construction, Agriculture, Automotive retail, Clothing and footwear manufacture and Cleaning.
Source: DUIS, 07/903/2008

Calling Runners for SEEDA Project Marathon

Come and join 'Team AFFORD' who will be completing London's 'Run to the Beat' Half Marathon on October 5th 2008 and raising money through sponsorship for the SEEDA projects in Sierra Leone and Ghana. You can get fit, develop muscles you never knew you had AND contribute to AFFORD's efforts to create jobs in African countries! The team is currently made up of SEEDA resource persons and friends. If you would like to join us, please email mkennedymacfoy@yahoo.com If you can't join us, please sponsor us! For details on how to make your pledge, please contact Onyekachi: onyekchi@afford-uk.org

The State of Black America Report

This year's edition of the State of Black America specifically highlights the state of Black women. SOBA uses the National Urban League's Equality Index to provide a statistical measurement of the equality gap between Blacks and whites across five categories: economics, education, health, civic engagement and social justice. Overall, the report indicates that gaps between Blacks and whites in education, wealth and health persist, but some gaps slightly decreased. This year's index noted a slight reduction in the economic gap between Blacks and whites. There was also a slight improvement in the social-justice index because of the narrowing of incarceration gaps. But there was no improvement from last year in the areas of education and economics. SOBA reports that Black women are more likely than white women to be the head of the house - 45.8 percent of Black households are headed by women versus 13.6 percent of white households. Healthcare also remains a major concern. The gap in total uninsured increased, with the index falling from 56 percent in 2007 to 53 percent in 2008. And there was minimal change in the gap of children's health insurance, with Black children twice as likely to be uninsured as white children. But some areas also showed promise for the state of Black America, including the increase in the number of Black women who start businesses.
Source: DiversityInc.

New Study says Working Women Uneasy about Economic Future

Less than half of women professionals feel well suited to compete in a future global business environment, according to a study released by Accenture. The report, "One Step Ahead of 2011: A New Horizon for Working Women," gives results of a survey of more than 4,000 male and female business professionals in 17 countries across Europe, Asia, North America and South America. The study found that only 43% of women feel well equipped for the economic future, reports Business Wire. The research also looked at career advancement and found that 59% of women professionals attributed their career advancement to ambition and drive versus 54% of men.

Black Enrolment in US Military Drops by 50%

The number of Blacks in the military dropped significantly from 2000 to 2005; some experts say the number of Black enlistees has declined by as much as half in that time, reports BlackAmericaWeb.com (BAW). According to the website, there has been a 50% drop in recent years in the number of blacks enlisting in the Army and Marines. The military is facing this shortage of Black enlistees as it struggles to recruit more Muslim service members.

Call for Applications for Leventis Nigerian Post-Doctoral Fellowship in London

The Centre of African Studies of the University of London invites applications from Nigerian academics to take part in a scheme of collaborative research funded by the Leventis Foundation. Applicants are invited to apply to spend three months as visitors of the Centre of African Studies in order to pursue their research in libraries and archives and to participate in the intellectual life of the Centre. The scheme might be particularly appropriate for scholars working up a PhD thesis into publishable form. The Leventis Research Co-operation Programme is devised to assist younger scholars develop their research interests in collaboration with their counterparts in London. Applicants will be expected to submit a complete curriculum vitae and a statement of their current research interests (of not more than 1,000 words) specifying the aims to be achieved during the research period in London. Applications are considered by a Steering Committee in London. Letters will be sent to the applicants informing them of the Committee's decision soon after the deadline of 31 May 2008. Applications by letter or email should be addressed to: The Chair, Centre of African Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG.Email cas@soas.ac.uk

US Pregnancy-Discrimination Charges Surging

Pregnancy bias complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) surged 14% to 5,587 last year and are up 40% from a decade ago. The EEOC also reports receiving 20,400 pregnancy-bias inquiries at its call center last year, the center's first full year of operation, reports The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). National Association of Working Women also reports an increase in pregnancy-bias calls on its hotline. Thirty years ago, the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act passed, but concerns remain about how this is implemented and enforced in the workplace, based on the number of pregnancy-discrimination charges. Meanwhile, women are fed up and are calling advocacy agencies to learn their rights. "Nobody should be finding out on maternity leave that she has performance issues," Jocelyn Frye of the National Partnership for Women & Families, an advocacy group, told the WSJ. Many women who bring complaints are surprised to learn that they don't have special protection from adverse treatment and that they aren't entitled by federal law to be paid childbirth leave, reports the WSJ. This news comes just after the EEOC released data that shows discrimination charges hit a five-year high, with those based on retaliation and religion setting new records.
Source: DiversityInc

U.S. Immigration Service Relaxes Green-Card Provisions

The United States Immigration Service announced it will temporarily stop denying green cards for immigrants from groups that sought to overthrow foreign dictatorships, reports The Washington Post. Analysts hope the decision will move along hundreds of green-card applications that have been delayed in processing by the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. The two departments have been criticized by both Congress and nongovernmental immigration groups, and in December, Congress passed legislation to broaden the wavier provisions for people under certain circumstances, reports the Post.

UK Business Start-Ups and Closures Surge

New statistics released by Barclays show that a record 471,500 new businesses were started up in 2007 - an increase of 3% on 2006. However, the figures released by Barclays also highlight a more worrying trend. The number of businesses that closed down in 2007 surged to 498,900 - an 8% increase on 2006. At this level, the business closure rate is 17%, which is very high by historical standards. In fact, the only time the rate of business closures has been higher was in 1992, when they hit 18%. The statistics highlight the perilous nature of launching a business. According to the statistics, half of all new businesses will fold within the first 3 years.

Tech Firms Lobby for More Foreign Skilled Workers

The nation's top tech firms are competing for visas that will allow them to hire highly skilled foreign workers, reports The Washington Post. This year, companies such as Microsoft, Oracle and Intel are not expecting to get the thousands of workers each says it will need to maintain operations, reports the Post. Because only 65,000 of these desperately needed visas are made available, it is highly likely that this year's supply of visas will once again be exhausted in a single day. Earlier this year, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates lobbied congress to up the number of H1-B visas for foreign skilled workers. Last year, the federal government received 123,000 petitions for H1-B visas, reports the Post.

Admissions Down at Top Colleges and Universities

Elite colleges and universities are reporting record-low acceptance rates, reports The New York Times. Schools such as Harvard College and Yale University are reporting 7.1% and 8.3% acceptance rates, respectively, rejecting as many as 93 of every 100 applicants, many of whom scored perfectly on the SATs, reports the Times. The decline in acceptance rates comes amid a push by these universities to put more emphasis on SAT scores. Nearly 10 percent of Harvard's 27,462 applicants had perfect scores on the critical reading section of the SAT, and 12 percent scored perfectly on the math portion.

MasterCard Foundation Names Reeta Roy as President & CEO

The MasterCard Foundation has announced the appointment of Reeta Roy as president and chief executive officer. She joins the Foundation with experience in global philanthropy, health policy and corporate social responsibility. The mission of the MasterCard Foundation, which has an endowment of more than $2 billion, is to broaden access to the global economy through innovative microfinance programs and to increase access to quality educational opportunities for youth worldwide. Microfinance seeks to enable and expand access to savings, credit and other financial services to the world’s poor. Roy, who grew up in Malaysia, has lived in China and worked in Africa, Asia and other developing countries to create programs related to global health, education, women’s rights, and other issues.

Google Named as UK's Most Powerful Brand

Google has been named as the most powerful business brand in the UK, ahead of Microsoft and BP. Google and fellow internet giant eBay are the only brands in the top 50 Business Superbrands 2008 list to have been launched after 1990. The list ranks the brands that make the most impact and have the best reputations in the UK business sector. On average, the members of the top 50 are 90 years old, demonstrating the power of longevity and familiarity in UK business. The top ten is made up of BBC (Worldwide), GlaxoSmithKline, Rolls-Royce Group, Financial Times, British Airways, FedEx Express and Hertz. The list is compiled by a council of senior business leaders and an independent survey of 1,500 professionals. The Superbrands Council is urging businesses to "hold their marketing nerve" in the face of the economic downturn.

Enterprise Britain 2008 – Last chance to Enter

Enterprising Britain, a competition which spotlights areas of "enterprise excellence" from across the UK, is now in its 4th year. The aim of the competition is to reward places that have helped transform the social and economic fortunes of their communities. The national winner will be crowned the most enterprising places in the UK. Deadlines for entries to Enterprise Britain 2008 range from the 18 April 2008 in Scotland and the South East to the 9 May 2008 in the East Midlands. Last year’s Enterprising Britain winner was the North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone, (NSRZ), an initiative that is helping to reverse the economic decline of the area formally known as the Potteries, by setting up various innovative enterprise initiatives. As well as supporting over 500 new start-up businesses, and helping to create more than 1,000 new jobs, NSRZ, set up numerous enterprise education projects, including a “live” fruit trading floor game for primary school students that teaches the basics of profit and loss.

Diversity Inc. Names its 2008 Top 50 Companies for Diversity List

A total of 352 companies participated in The 2008 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® ranking. Now in its eighth year, the Top 50 competition is an editorial process, entirely driven by metrics obtained in a detailed survey of more than 200 questions. The survey is sent to any company requesting it that has more than 1,000 U.S. employees. Companies that earn spots on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list demonstrate consistent strength in the four areas the survey measures: CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Corporate and Organizational Communications, and Supplier Diversity. The Top 10 Companies ranked for diversity Recruitment & Retention rankings found an average of 39% of their work forces were Black, Asian, Latino and Native American, compared with a Top 50 average of 35% and a national average of 32%. The Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention averaged 42% of those promoted in management being Black, Asian, Latino and Native American. This compared with a Top 50 average of 26%. 51%of those promoted in management at The Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention were women, compared with a Top 50 average of 45%. Nationally, women were 36% of managers.
Source: DiversityInc.

£100 Million for UK Social Business

Social Enterprises have from the end of March until June to apply for grants from the next pay-out round of the Department of Health’s £100 million investment fund. The Social Enterprise Investment Fund kitty received an extra £27 million in February, on top of the £73 million already secured in 2007. The additional cash in the fund is the result of revenue funding being made available following the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007. Social enterprises dedicated to health and care can apply for a slice of the fund, with start-up funding or ventures in early development being prioritised, with no cap to the number of social enterprises that can receive funding. The department aims to fund applicant organisations who can demonstrate how they plan to take account of the needs of people and local communities, particularly the most vulnerable and excluded. They are also keen to fund organisations which can become financially sustainable over time.

New Start-Up Centre Shows Rotherham Means Business

The doors are set to open on a new £5 million business centre for start-up companies in Yorkshire. The development, named Fusion@Magna, has been jointly funded by Yorkshire Forward and Rotherham Investment and Development Office (RIDO), and from April 2008 will have 29 offices and 18 workshops available for businesses in sectors ranging from creative and financial services, to small-scale manufacturing operations. The 2,500 sq metre centre is part of a multi-million-pound redevelopment on the site of the former Templeborough Rolling Mill, one of the most important gateways into Rotherham. The Yorkshire town is fast becoming a hub of entrepreneurial activity in the region, with Fusion@Magna set to build on two of the town’s other start-up centres, Century and Moorgate.

Voucher Scheme to Bring About an “Innovation Nation”

Small firms will be given vouchers to buy research and development advice under new government proposals. The Innovation Nation white paper published by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) outlines plans that from 2011 will lead to at least 1,000 SMEs being given “innovation vouchers” to purchase services from universities and research institutes. The initiative, which will be managed by the nine regional development agencies across England, intends to help SMEs meet the bill for funding innovation and to assist them to overcome the cultural and social barriers to engaging with research bodies. Also outlined in the white paper were plans for a new pilot Specialisation and Innovation Fund that would pay the further education sector to help businesses boost innovation. DIUS will also sponsor New Partnerships for Innovation that will bring together venture capital, universities, business and regional government to align efforts and develop innovative solutions to local and regional challenges.

BBC Seeks Young Swahili-speaking Entrepreneurs

The BBC is seeking young business minded Swahili-speakers across Africa to take part in its Faidika na BBC (Prosper with the BBC) competition. Entrepreneurs aged 16 to 24 have until Friday 16 May to submit their proposals on how they can start a successful business that has a positive impact on their community, using US $5,000. The proposal should be no more than 1,500 words and can be emailed to: faidika@bbc.co.uk The competition is all about big ideas and giving a young person an opportunity to turn that idea into a viable business. It's also about helping young people to do well for themselves and serve their local communities. Five regional heats will take place in Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda – which will also include D R Congo finalists. The competition winner will be selected by a panel made up of young East African entrepreneurs and will receive another trophy and US $5,000.

Points system shakes up UK’s Immigration System

Rogue employers face fine of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker they employ with the introduction of a new points system. Immigration in the UK has undergone what Home Office terms the "biggest shake-up" of the system in 45 years. The three changes brought about by the new system are intended to ensure that only the best can now come to work in Britain, new licenses are to be awarded for businesses who want to employ migrants and there will be big on-the-spot fines for those not obeying the rules and found hiring illegal workers. Britain's Australian-style points system kicked off on 29th February with new rules for highly skilled foreign nationals currently working in the UK and who want to extend their stay. The Home Office said that the scheme is designed to attract the most talented with the skills the UK needs to remain a global leader in the fields of finance, business, and technological innovation. The Government has also introduced a licensing system for employers who want to recruit from overseas and bring skilled workers into the UK. No company will be granted a sponsor's licence without being approved in advance by the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA). Employers bringing in skilled workers under Tier 2 of the scheme which takes effect this autumn can now start applying for that license. Rogue employers can now face civil penalties of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker they employ. Those found to have knowingly hired illegal workers could incur an unlimited fine and be sent to prison. The BIA stepped up action in 2007 against illegal working by 40%.

Ghanaian Professionals Visit Irish Parliament

A nine-member delegation of the Association of Ghanaian Professionals in Ireland (AGPI) led by Dr Vincent Agyapong paid a historic familiarisation visit to the Irish Parliament in at the invitation of the Deputy leader of the Labour Party, Joan Burton. The delegation was first given a guided tour of both houses of parliament in the Leinster House and was briefed on the workings of the Irish parliamentary system. During their visit, the delegation outlined the rationale behind the formation of the association and unveiled AGPI's road map including planned and executed programmes and activities to assist the Ghanaian communities and other immigrants to realise their full potential and to make positive contribution to their host nation. The issues discussed during the meeting focussed on the Irish educational system, access to employment, education and training for non-EU migrants, difficulties surrounding the recognition of certificates from West Africa in the Irish labour market, family unification and the right to work for spouses of post-graduate students and how to maximise the entrepreneurial potentials of Ghanaians and immigrants at large.

New Search Engine Targets Black Internet Users

A new search engine that specifically targets Black internet users has been launched, reports the New York Times. Rushmore Drive, introduced by Interactive Corp., launched the web site to "give black audience a quick way to find information that other search engines might bury beneath pages of less relevant results.” Rushmore Drive analyzed search results for 3,000 of the most popular search terms and put those pages Black users were most likely to be interested in at the top. While the site has gained some criticism because some say it borders on stereotypes, Taylor believes ethnic-specific search sites like Rushmore Drive will become increasingly popular.

Black Texan Named Miss USA

For the second time in a row and the sixth time in pageant history a Black woman was named Miss USA. Crystie Stewart, a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Missouri City, Texas, was named Miss USA, reports The Associated Press . Stewart, who is pursuing a career in international philanthropy, says she wants to use her crown to travel abroad to spread her message of self-improvement to young women around the world.

New Study Exposes Lack of Diversity in US Advertising Industry

Major advertising agencies have taken small steps toward improving their diversity numbers but still have a long way to go, according to a recent report by the New York City Human Rights Commission. The study monitored the hiring practices of managers and professionals, such as artists and copywriters, at 15 major agencies and found that while agencies have improved their hiring percentages, they still don't reflect the demographics of New York City, where most of these agencies are housed. Blacks, Latinos and Asian Americans are 55% of the population of New York City, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. These 15 agencies agreed to have their hiring practices monitored for three years by the New York City Human Rights Commission after they were sharply criticized for their lack of racial/ethnic diversity. Eleven of the agencies reported increases in the percentages of Blacks, Latinos and Asian Americans hired to management roles, but others fell far from the 18% goal the 15 agencies had hoped to reach. As a part of the agreement with the commission, agencies that fail to meet their goals must hire outside consultants. Overall, Blacks, Latinos or Asian Americans accounted for 16% of new hires among the participating advertising agencies.