<p> Skills mismatches in the UK economy 20th June 2016 Key findings of Department for Business Innovation and Skills research about skills mismatches in the UK economy include:  The incidence of skills shortages in the UK economy is modest: shortages account for no more than around 0.2 % of employment  Shortages exist in sectors including marketing and sales directors, health care practice managers, mechanical, electrical & production engineers, psychologists, physiotherapists, pharmaceutical technicians, landscape gardeners, air- conditioning & refrigeration engineers, bricklayers & masons, tailors, chefs, play- workers and veterinary nurses  If employers are unable to recruit a person with the combination of skills they seek, they are often willing to forego recruitment and request existing employees to take on more than one role, use employment agency staff or outsource work To read the full report, go to: www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-skills-mismatches-in-the-economy </p><p>Countdown to chaos Countdown to chaos is an interactive teaching aid designed to help teachers explain to students what working in a digital business is really like, and what skills they would need in order to find employment. Designed as a first-person simulation, it places students in the role of the Government’s counter-security. Racing against the clock, and prompted by a realistic mix of news flashes, instant messaging and challenges, students search out the mastermind behind a planned cyber-attack and stop it in its tracks. For more information, go to: https://learning.thetechpartnership.com/mod/page/view.php?id=396</p><p>Career Mark As the Government and inspection bodies place greater emphasis on the Gatsby Report benchmarks for good careers guidance, Inspiring Futures is working in partnership with Complete Careers (the new custodian of the Career Mark award) to help schools develop, evidence and gain recognition for their careers education, information, advice and guidance programme. Since it was established in the mid 1990s, Career Mark has become a very highly regarded careers quality award, recognized nationally and internationally as a benchmark for good practice. Career Mark was revalidated by the Quality in Careers Standard in May 2016, meeting all fifteen of the QiCS criteria. Inspiring Futures consultants, trained as Career Mark assessors, are available to support schools as they prepare for Career Mark assessment, and Inspiring Futures member schools which achieve the Career Mark award within two years of registration will receive a full refund of the Career Mark membership fee. Detailed information about Career Mark is available via www.careermark.co.uk or from Jonathan Hardwick (IF Professional Development Manager) [email protected]. To download the Gatsby Report, go to: www.gatsby.org.uk/education/programmes/good-career-guidance Volunteering opportunity with the Youth Health Movement The Youth Health Movement, part of the Royal Society for Public Health, is looking for volunteers (aged 14-16) and two volunteer coordinators (aged 18-21) to take part a social marketing campaign designed to help young people improve their wellbeing. Volunteers will be based at RSPH headquarters in London for 10 days over a three week period (1 st to 19th August 2016) and will be the driving force of the campaign, responsible for designing and implementing an effective campaign that can continue to run after they have finished volunteering. Volunteers will have the opportunity to film interviews, take part in workshops and manage multiple media channels. For more information, go to: www.youthhealthmovement.org.uk/dream-try-live/join-in.html</p><p>Diploma in Gastronomy, Nutrition and Food Trends Developed in response to the growing demand for healthy food, this new diploma course starting at Le Cordon Bleu, London in September 2016 integrates the principles of nutrition into culinary arts in order to create innovative, inspiring and highly nutritious meals, and provides a foundation for a food industry career. For more information, go to: www.cordonbleu.edu/london/gastronomy-nutrition-food-trends-diploma/en Disclaimer: No responsibility can be taken for the content of external websites mentioned in this newsletter</p>