All posts tagged: barriers

EEA highlights barriers slowing European circular economy growth

EEA highlights barriers slowing European circular economy growth

Published by skeptic

Europe’s push towards a more sustainable economic model is entering a decisive phase. Two new assessments from the European Environment Agency (EEA) argue that achieving a functioning European circular economy will depend less on ambition alone and more on how well policies work for people, from entrepreneurs to workers and consumers. Leena Ylä-Mononen, EEA Executive Director, explained: “People must be at the heart of Europe’s circular economy ambitions. “This move to circularity will add to our prosperity, and emerging circular businesses need a fair playing field, while workers must benefit from decent jobs, skills development and opportunities. “A circular economy is as much about social fairness as it is about economic policy, and  a tool to protect our environment and climate.” A system that works for people The reports underline a central issue: circularity cannot scale unless it is practical, accessible and fair. Businesses that embed circular principles, such as reducing waste, extending product lifecycles, or rethinking ownership models, often struggle to grow beyond niche markets. This creates a disconnect between policy goals and on-the-ground …

NatWest financial education workshops aim to ‘break down barriers’ to investing

NatWest financial education workshops aim to ‘break down barriers’ to investing

Published by Sam Flores

The announcement forms part of NatWest Group’s “growing together” plan, which sets out how the bank aims to help build conditions for UK growth by backing regions, championing mid-market companies, strengthening infrastructure and housing, boosting financial confidence among families and young people, and supporting innovators shaping the economy. Source link

‘No excuses’ means zero insight into barriers a child faces

‘No excuses’ means zero insight into barriers a child faces

Published by skeptic

Education has been warped by false divides, but schools that use vulnerability indices to identify need have found a promising middle ground, says Lee Elliot Major Those who have heard me speak will know the Daily Mail headline I share that charts my life journey from (student) bin man to Britain’s first professor of social mobility. It’s a back story that keeps on giving, though not always in the way you may first think. My point is that success comes in many forms. We should avoid devaluing the jobs that keep our society running. I may have had working-class origins and been the first in my family to study beyond 16. But my teachers were concerned less with labels and more with the specific barriers that might impede my learning, from the teenage trauma and instability of having to leave home and find a place to live, to the lack of cultural capital needed to navigate an alien university system. I often wonder whether I would have been given that same lifeline in today’s education …

UK breaks down barriers to help women in tech thrive

UK breaks down barriers to help women in tech thrive

Published by skeptic

Women at every stage of their careers are set to benefit from new government measures announced today, aimed at boosting female participation in tech. Women in tech remain significantly underrepresented, and the cost is substantial: the economy loses an estimated £2 to £3.5bn every year as women leave the sector. Today’s package is designed to change this. The package includes paid tech placements and support for those returning after career breaks to re-enter tech jobs. Furthermore, a new TechFirst Girls Competition will be delivered to thousands across the country later this year to encourage more girls to consider a future in tech from an early age. Secretary of State Liz Kendall explained: “Women aren’t being given a fair shot in tech – whether that’s getting into the sector, staying in it, or returning after time away bringing up their families. “I want to make sure women aren’t just entering this sector – they’re shaping it. Co-creating the technologies, the culture, and the future of an industry that for too long has been built without them.” …

Inclusion bases must remove a students’ barriers to learning

Inclusion bases must remove a students’ barriers to learning

Published by skeptic

To be more than just a room, secondary school inclusion bases should be designed with a clear purpose to aid reintegration, says Arti Sharma  The expectation that every secondary school should have an inclusion base marks a significant shift in how we think about supporting vulnerable learners. The government’s ambition is clear: fewer exclusions, stronger mainstream inclusion and better support for pupils with additional needs. But a room is not a strategy. If inclusion bases are to make a meaningful difference, we must move beyond the idea that simply designating a space will solve deep-rooted challenges. Done well, these bases can be transformational. Done poorly, they risk becoming holding rooms – places where pupils are parked rather than supported. At nurtureuk, we have spent more than 50 years championing and developing nurture groups – the UK’s original inclusion-focused intervention. Decades of frontline experience have taught us a great deal about what makes such provision succeed, and what causes it to falter. Underlying needs First, purpose must come before provision. An effective inclusion base is not …

Conservative college students don’t face greater barriers to campus resources

Conservative college students don’t face greater barriers to campus resources

Published by José Betancourt

A new study suggests that assertions of widespread bias against conservative students in American higher education may be unfounded regarding access to administrative resources. The research indicates that university administrators are just as responsive to requests from conservative students as they are to liberal ones. These findings were published in the journal Political Behavior. The motivation for this research stems from a documented decline in public trust toward colleges and universities. This erosion of confidence is particularly pronounced among Republicans, who increasingly view higher education as hostile to conservative viewpoints. Jessica Khan, an assistant professor of American government at Northwest Florida State College, designed this study to test whether these perceptions reflect reality. Khan sought to determine if political ideology acts as a barrier for students trying to access basic campus services. “There is substantial debate in popular and academic circles concerning allegations of liberal bias in higher education, but the catalyst prompting the studies in this publication was a meeting that Turning Point USA held at Florida State University when I was a PhD …

Thousands of Chinese Fishing Boats Quietly Form Vast Sea Barriers

Thousands of Chinese Fishing Boats Quietly Form Vast Sea Barriers

Published by Sam Flores

China quietly mobilized thousands of fishing boats twice in recent weeks to form massive floating barriers of at least 200 miles long, showing a new level of coordination that could give Beijing more ways to impose control in contested seas. The two recent operations unfolded largely unnoticed. An analysis of ship-tracking data by The New York Times reveals the scale and complexity of the maneuvers for the first time. Last week, about 1,400 Chinese vessels abruptly dropped their usual fishing activities or sailed out of their home ports and congregated in the East China Sea. By Jan. 11, they had assembled into a rectangle stretching more than 200 miles. The formation was so dense that some approaching cargo ships appeared to skirt around them or had to zigzag through, ship-tracking data showed. Ship formation on Jan. 11 Note: Ships are represented by their last known positions on 2 p.m. on Jan. 11 local time. Maritime and military experts said the maneuvers suggested that China was strengthening its maritime militia, which is made up of civilian …

NI schools still face barriers to integrated status, report finds

NI schools still face barriers to integrated status, report finds

Published by Sam Flores

Significant roadblocks remain for Northern Irish schools seeking to become integrated, according to a new report. The research was carried out by Queen’s University Belfast to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the process of ‘transformation’, whereby a school can attain integrated status. Over 90% of children in NI attend schools which are effectively segregated along religious lines. Previous research has shown this exacerbates sectarian division within the broader community. Integrated schools, by contrast, proactively educate children from across religious communities in the same setting. Integrated schools currently comprise 71 of the 1000 schools in NI, 31 of which have undergone transformation processes. The Integrated Education Act passed in 2022 requires the Northern Ireland Executive to support integrated schools. But there are only 71 integrated schools in NI, educating just 8% of pupils. “Onerous” bureaucracy deterring transformation The Integrated Education Act defines an integrated student body as including “reasonable numbers of both Protestant and Roman Catholic children”. The report said it was essential to clarify what constitutes “reasonable numbers” of children from across communities, in …