Dr Sukky Jassi

This article provides an analysis of the current performance and competitive position of the UK food industry and its sectors, the economic structure and condition of the industry and the challenges influencing its performance and economic position. Moreover, this article focuses on the implementation of ECVET in the food sector.

Each part of the UK Food Supply Chain is significant and is subject to its own specific challenges and opportunities - but increasingly there is a growing recognition of the importance of taking a ‘whole FSC’ approach. This report brings together key data from across the FSC on workforce skills and provides a key resource for those looking to improve skills and drive competitiveness in the industry. Improving skills is vital to driving forward our objective to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of the FSC.

The term ‘employability skills’ is best understood and most widely used in the employment programme setting where ‘employability’ has been a key theme in supply-side Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPs) over recent years. However, in this context the term is most often associated with ‘job readiness’ through demonstration of some elements of the personal characteristics inherent in the draft UKCES definition (time keeping, responsibility, basic social interaction etc) but less associated with creative thinking and problem solving skills. The term ‘employability skills’ is also in circulation in other settings, notably Higher Education. In this setting the definitions in use are highly consistent with the UKCES draft definition with the emphasis being explicitly on functioning while in employment rather than merely the ability to credibly search for work. In several of the other settings the term is not generally used in relation to a specific set of skills but the draft definition overlaps considerably with embedded and formalized elements of the curriculum and associated skills/competency frameworks. In early years settings for instance, there is a significant overlap between the draft definition and the curriculum framework emphasis on personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world; and creative development. In the secondary school curriculum there are synergies between several areas of the curriculum, notably Work Related Learning (WRL) (including enterprise education), key skills and the new vocational pathways. Throughout both primary and secondary school settings the relatively new but widely adopted Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) framework also provides some linkages to the draft UKCES definition.

The Policy Research Institute was commissioned by Jobcentre Plus to undertake an evaluation of the Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) off-flow rates Key Management Indicator (KMI), following national implementation in April 2009 as one of the new Labour Market Measures Projects (LMMP). The JSA off-flow rates KMI forms part of a project looking at potential measures to enable Jobcentre Plus to influence labour market performance at an operational level. This project provides a rapid and brief Post Implementation Review of the JSA off-flow rates KMI. Other elements of the labour market package are the subject of separate evaluation.

Skills Action Plan for the Food Supply Chain

This report aims to identify the Greater Lincolnshire agri-food sector’s skills needs and how these skills issues act as barriers to business growth. To fulfil the aims of the project the research approach consisted of a succinct review of relevant existing literature, an analysis of core official national datasets and an online survey of 20 agri-food businesses located in Greater Lincolnshire.

The increasing use of smart technology has not translated to greater take-up in all industries. Smart and intelligent packaging technology has been available for many years and its capabilities are continuously developing at rapid pace. Despite growth in the market, there is still limited application of it in the food industry. This paper explores acceptance and resistance to four specific intelligent packaging technologies (QR Codes, augmented reality, sensors and smart indicators) in the food industry, and how they can be transformed into human-centric and accessible formats that support global sustainability.

This report presents the findings of qualitative research undertaken with Jobcentre Plus staff and customers to further understand the findings of the 2007 Customer Satisfaction Survey. The research took place in all 11 regions/countries between September and December 2008 and involved interviews with staff from jobcentres and Benefit Delivery Centres, and follow-up telephone interviews and focus groups with customers. The report identifies differences in the drivers of satisfaction and dissatisfaction between different benefit groups. It also explores customer satisfaction with different services and contact channels, identifies what is seen as good customer service and puts forward some suggestions for how this may be improved.

Local Government Yorkshire and Humber (LGYH) commissioned this report to examine the role local authorities in Yorkshire and Humber can play in the next phase of promoting and securing sustainable growth in their local economies. Local authorities in Yorkshire and Humber have long held economic growth as one of their most important functions and are the democratically elected place shapers and leaders for their local communities. Many have undertaken detailed Local Economic Assessments (LEAs) and there has been a growing role over recent years of collaborative working across City Regions and functional economic geographies. This is now being translated into the new emerging policy framework around Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). The aim of this report is to illustrate the practical activities and actions taking place in local economies now, as well as to indicate the economic policies and priorities needed in the future to unlock the full economic potential of places across Yorkshire and Humber. Six case studies (the details of which are available in the Appendix) help illustrate these issues in Leeds City Region, Kirklees, Wakefield, North East Lincolnshire, Scarborough and Sheffield.

It is widely established that arriving at university can be a confusing and disorientating experience; a world away from sixth form and college. Educators, researchers and policy makers within higher education, are in agreement that developing a sense of belonging is fundamental to students’ settling-in, engaging and achieving academic success. This paper examines undergraduates’ university journey and their perceptions of university belonging. Three hundred and fifty first year undergraduate students on BA (Hons) business and management at Leeds Business School, part of Leeds Beckett University, participated in a qualitative study to explore students’ sense of belonging from their unique perspective. They were asked to upload their own sense of belonging ‘moments’ through a mixed media digital noticeboard, representing their journey from pre-arrival to the middle of the second semester. It was found that there were opportunities for academic and services staff, and the students themselves, to create belonging moments during this time. The moments fell into three categories; first, moments in classrooms and lecture theatres; secondly moments ‘at home’ in student accommodation; and finally, moments on nights out, at student societies and during other social activities. In response to the findings, Sense of Belonging Moments are being promoted through fresh interventions, including a new-look induction, a video to signpost services; and student-led tours to promote awareness of campus spaces and facilities.

Consumer perceptions about the use of intelligent packaging (IP) technology in the food sector are explored. The technology adds epistemic value to the consumer through the provision of additional information about the product. The empirical study adopts a case study approach with a survey and more significantly, 20 in-depth qualitative interviews. Duplication across theoretical constructs in adoption and resistance theories exists, therefore the findings led to the development of an integrated conceptual framework combining these perspectives. This contextual case study provided a much-needed product driven context for IP, four specific technologies (QR Codes, AR, sensors and smart indicators) were investigated. In summary, the conceptual framework highlights the complementarities that exist between two theoretical perspectives, as well as presenting six new overarching integrated constructs. This holistic explanation of adoption and resistance factors to IP can be utilised to support effective implementation and application across the food supply chain.

Reusable products offer reduced environmental impact compared to recycling, but producers mostly focus on strategies such as light-weighting, recyclability and eco-labelling. A reasonable number of innovative reusable products and business models exist for repeat purchase, low-involvement products, but they are largely restricted to niche health-food stores. Therefore, this research primarily attempts to understand consumer attitudes and behaviour towards reuse of household care products (e.g. air fresheners, domestic cleaning products). Focus groups with UK consumers are utilised to examine reusable/refillable spray products and the data are triangulated with global archival data on various refill business models, reusable products and recycling initiatives. The study offers useful guidelines for both producers and policy makers to encourage reusable products. First, we recommend that eco-innovations have a familiar design congruent with well-known brands, to reduce uncertainties for consumers. Second, if the innovation has an unfamiliar design, to mitigate, producers should offer new functional benefits. Third, and most important, producers must place greater emphasis on aesthetic aspects that could evoke product attachment, thus encouraging reuse. Fourth, if reusable products are to become mainstream, ‘well-known brands’ have to promote the transition from one-off sales to a service model built on durable products. Finally, a successful outcome is dependent on government interventions in designing new life cycle policy instruments, in particular de-marketing the current recycling norm and emphasising reusing over recycling.

This report investigates the early effects of the recent economic downturn on the ‘welfare to work infrastructure’ in deprived areas, in particular how it is able to continue to provide support to the most disadvantaged groups. The report provides context that will inform the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus’ response to the recent (and future) recessions in relation to support for disadvantaged areas and groups. The evidence presented also functions as a qualitative baseline against which the perceived success, within deprived areas, of measures to minimise the long-term impacts of the recession (e.g. the Young Person’s Guarantee) canbe considered.

A synthesis of findings from social research on the District of Bradford. This report synthesises the findings from a wide range of social research undertaken on the District of Bradford, primarily between 1995 and 2005. The researchers reviewed almost 200 pieces of work. The key results are summarised under thematic headings: - The social, economic and institutional context - Community cohesion - Housing, neighbourhoods and regeneration - Business and enterprise - Health, disability and social care - Children and young people - Education, skills and the labour market - Crime and community safety It also identifies a future research agenda. The main purpose of the review was to provide the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and local organisations in Bradford with a firm basis upon which to build future work in the District.