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Skills shortage: The biggest challenge to offshore wind in 2021

By Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

If we want to support the increased electrification of transport and heat proposed in the Energy White Paper, this will require a radical change in the management of our energy economy. Managing and driving this new economy requires the development of a skilled workforce. The problem is, it’s not clear where the skills will come […]

A man turns wooden number blocks to reveal the phrase '2021 BUDGET' against a black background

The Levelling-up Budget?

By Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Budget, Growth and Inclusion, Inclusive Growth, News Posted:

The Conservative Government’s 2019 general election manifesto included a promise to ‘listen to the people who have felt left behind’. There was also a commitment in the Budget 2020 to drive economic growth sustainably and improve living standards by boosting productivity and levelling up skills across the UK, along with future commitments to increase investment […]

A male nurse wipes the arm of a young man who is about to receive a vaccination

Area-based vaccination would better protect against COVID-19

By and Filed Under: All posts, Ethnicity, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:

The early stages of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the UK have been a remarkable success from many perspectives: we have one of the highest rates of vaccination per capita, high uptake, and the government has met its first vaccination target. However, this rollout has taken place amidst a devastating surge of COVID-19 deaths, and […]

The hydrogen economy: why is the sub-surface essential?

By Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

The UK Government has made a commitment to deliver a hydrogen economy as a means to decarbonise heating and heavy transport. This was most recently highlighted in the Government’s “Ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution” and the recent Energy White Paper “Powering our net zero future”. In this blog, Professor Kevin Taylor, from the […]

Student with tutor in one to one tutorial

Filling a youth-shaped gap in the FE White Paper: Reducing inequalities in post-16 progression

Ruth Lupton By , , and Filed Under: All posts, Education, Growth and Inclusion, Inclusive Growth Posted:

The new Further Education (FE) White Paper claims its proposals will transform post-16 education and training in England. It acknowledges that not enough people develop technical skills at Level 3 and above. Yet it has nothing to say about the thousands of young people who do not progress smoothly from GCSEs to Level 3 programmes. […]

How can we drive businesses to deliver on Net Zero?

By Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Urban Posted:

Nearly a fifth of the UK’s carbon emissions are generated by businesses. With global emissions expected to be just 4% lower than in 2019, urgent action is required across all sectors to achieve net zero goals. But how can we push businesses to sustainability when their bottom line is at stake? Here, Professor Jonatan Pinkse, […]

Inequalities in ageing: health disadvantages amongst ethnic minority groups

By and Filed Under: All posts, Ethnicity, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on most ethnic minority groups in England. But this inequality is a crisis within a crisis – the pandemic has laid bare and exacerbated existing deep-rooted health inequalities. Here, Dr Ruth Watkinson and Dr Alex Turner, from the Health Organisation, Policy and Economics group (HOPE) and the […]

A woman works on a computer at a desk with a child sat in her lap

Why parents need the right to stay home without risk to their income or jobs when schools are closed

Jill Rubery By and Filed Under: All posts, Education, Growth and Inclusion Posted:

Under the UK government’s furlough scheme, parents can be placed on furlough if they have caring responsibilities for a child who is at home as a result of school closures. However, a parent’s request for furlough depends upon the agreement of their employer, which is not always forthcoming. In this blog, Dr Isabel Tavora and […]

Job value and job status during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recognising migrants as ‘critical’ but neglected workers

Stefania MarinoMiguel Martínez Lucio By , and Filed Under: All posts, Brexit, Ethnicity, Health and Social Care Posted:

During the current pandemic, governments have devoted much debate and effort to the maintenance of critical sectors of the economy – namely those that need to remain active to guarantee basic economic and social functioning, at least in the short to medium term. Many of these sectors are heavily dependent on workers typically seen as […]

The 2020 Energy White Paper- Is nuclear power back?

Francis Livens By Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

The long-awaited Energy White Paper, Powering Our Net Zero Future, sets out an ambitious pathway to decarbonisation of the UK. It maps out many possible scenarios, with nuclear energy ranging from an irrelevance to a major contributor. Here, Professor Francis Livens from the Dalton Nuclear Institute, looks at what needs to happen in order for […]

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