Latest news with #SDS
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's apprenticeship experiences work in the modern world
Since then, tens of thousands of young people each year have developed skills employers want and the economy needs. Since 2008, Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland have been administered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Scotland's national skills body. Chair of SDS, Frank Mitchell said: 'Apprenticeships are made to support individuals, employers and Scotland's economy, by offering high quality opportunities for people to gain valuable skills that support them throughout their career and meet industry demands now and for the future. 'Modern Apprenticeships are giving people from diverse backgrounds, including those from areas of social deprivation, the opportunity to get into meaningful and fulfilling employment.' Chief Executive of the Scottish Training Federation, Stuart McKenna, was part of the original creation of frameworks in 1995. There are now around 80 Modern Apprenticeship frameworks covering hundreds of different job types. He said: 'Modern Apprenticeships are as crucial to the economy now as they were then – if not more important. 'Working with employers and partners, training providers want to see Scotland's apprenticeship system grow and thrive for the next thirty years and beyond.' Since 2008, businesses have created more than 400,000 Modern Apprenticeship jobs. Modern Apprenticeship training is funded and administered by SDS on behalf of the Scottish Government. (Image: Apprentice Angus Webb and Operations Manager Austen Brooks from W M Donald) SDS works with employers to develop apprenticeships, to ensure they meet industry needs and that apprentices develop the right skills for now and the future. This includes a major programme of apprenticeship redevelopment, placing employers and employees at the heart of reviewing and redesigning existing standards and frameworks for their sector. The agency also worked with partners to develop and introduce innovations such as Foundation Apprenticeships and Graduate Apprenticeships. Modern Apprenticeships are jobs for people over 16 so they can work, earn and learn. Foundation Apprenticeships are for school pupils to provide work-based learning pathways and learning at a similar level to a Higher. While Graduate Apprenticeships mean getting a job, getting paid and getting qualified up to Master's degree level. Employers across Scotland, from family firms to multi-nationals, continue to benefit from apprenticeships securing the skills their businesses need. Human Resources Manager at Aberdeenshire civil engineering and construction firm W M Donald, Rachel O'Donnell, said: 'Apprenticeships are central to our success. They've contributed to our impressive turnover and play a crucial role in ensuring we have a diverse and sustainable talent pipeline.' Apprentice Coordinator at GE Aerospace in Ayrshire, Aidan McIntyre, said: 'Apprentices bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that help retain a competitive edge. 'When you combine that energy with the experience you already have, it's a cocktail for success.' Senior Project Manager at Scottish Water Horizons, Ian Piggott, said: 'Employing apprentices gives Scottish Water a chance to build for the future, match our training to specific roles and create resilience.' Owner and Operations Director at Proterra Energy in Inverness, Terry Stebbings, said: 'Apprenticeships are a great way to bring new talent into our company and train them to match our business needs.' Capability Manager at global firm Diageo, Rhoda Gabellone, said: 'Modern Apprenticeships help us build a highly skilled talent pipeline in particular areas of engineering that are unique to our business. 'Apprentices bring a fresh perspective and help us keep pace with technological advances.' Senior People Development Adviser at Aberdeen-based energy and materials firm Wood, Elaine MacRae, said: 'Apprenticeships address challenges like an ageing workforce and bring fresh talent to improve business practices. 'Many apprentices advance to senior roles and mentor the next generation.' Community Benefits Manager at Perth-based fenestration firm Sidey Solutions, Donna Montgomery, said: 'Apprenticeships are an ideal way for us to bring new talent into our business, allowing us to invest in and build our own talent pool of professionally qualified and committed employees. 'We haven't looked back since introducing apprenticeships. 'It was becoming more difficult to recruit, and it was crucial to address this potential risk to our business. We knew we had to grow our installer team and replenish the skillset we depend on. Sidey was established in 1932. If we want to be around for another 93 years, we need apprentices to take the business forward.' n Find out more online at .
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Protesting against Trump is good. Organizing against him is better.
Advertisement Protest in the 1960s and early '70s was essential to countering McCarthyism, advancing civil rights, and ending the Vietnam War — just as it is critical today to opposing Trump's anti-democratic agenda. And Americans are protesting: the Hands Off marches, the protests at Tesla dealerships, demonstrations by fired federal workers, raucous town hall meetings with congressional representatives. One scholar of social movements, Erica Chenowith at Harvard University, estimates that in the first three months of 2025, there were Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up But we need to do more. To bring about the kind of civic uprising needed to counter the Trump administration, we need to expand the protests to inspire more people to disobey our would-be dictator. And for this, we need organizers. Advertisement Organize like it's 1965 Today we remember the massive protest movements — the civil rights marches, the sit-ins, the student protests against the Vietnam War — but we pay less attention to the tireless organizing that made those public demonstrations possible. I was a young leader with the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a I, along with countless other student activists, spent hours every day having long conversations about the war, our lives, and the future. Over time, those discussions convinced more and more students to wear a peace button, sign a petition, hand out leaflets, join a picket line, get on a bus to Washington, and, eventually, participate in massive protests. Our endless outreach to people who were undecided about the war, supportive of it, or even politically or ideologically uncomfortable with the New Left and SDS allowed us to build a large movement over time. It is just this sort of sustained engagement across ideological and political boundaries that is needed today. All too often we are reluctant to reach out to those we think might disagree with us. In 1967, I and a small group of SDS leaders and Harvard teaching fellows developed a project designed to take the anti-Vietnam war movement off university campuses and into communities around the country. We named the effort 'Vietnam Summer,' after the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964, a campaign by civil rights activists to register as many Black Americans to vote as possible. Advertisement Today, Vietnam Summer is largely forgotten, but it remains a good example of how to scale up a movement. King returned to Boston that summer to join Dr. Benjamin Spock, the American child care expert and political activist, in launching the effort, and 700 paid staff went to work all over the country to mobilize 20,000 volunteers who knocked on doors, circulated petitions, held community meetings, and sponsored local anti-Vietnam War referenda. The Vietnam Summer paved the way for the huge Many of the same students who had knocked on doors during Vietnam Summer and volunteered for anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy's presidential campaign went on to organize the Build the coalition Now as then, today's protesters must mobilize those who are not yet protesting. The only path to stopping Trump is a massive popular opposition composed of tens of millions of Americans protesting, boycotting, and working to defeat Trump Republicans in local and national elections. For those already attending protests but who have not yet taken on an organizing role, the next step is to join a group. Become a member of your Advertisement In a recent column, David Brooks An effective anti-Trump movement needs to reach out to and welcome: farmers hurt by tariffs; veterans hurt by cuts to Veteran Administration resources; parents losing access to Head Start programs; women denied reproductive health care; faith leaders appalled at the immorality of this administration on immigration; and young people worried about the climate, gun violence, debt, and so much more. The opposition must include business and labor leaders joining together, university presidents and students, representatives of small businesses and corporations, environmentalists and construction workers. The fact is, the opposition to Trump is already a majority movement that has yet to organize, whereas the anti-war movements of the 1960s were always in the minority. Even so, they were successful. We have the opportunity to be even more so. The movement must sweep across the country and, in the process, transform the Democratic Party into a creative and forceful opposition party, paving the way for a new generation of leaders. We need to consistently fill the streets and community halls, and each time with more people. We need to drive Trump's unpopularity to historic highs and make every elected Republican more afraid of the general election than of their primary. Advertisement That will only happen if the opposition organizes in red districts, especially those where Republicans won narrow victories. This year and next, Republicans must be defeated on school boards, on town councils, at state houses, and in Congress and the Senate. There is simply no way to know how far Trump will go in his effort to dismantle democracy. We all must put aside our many differences and work together to save it.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Springfield Police reopen southside lobby, extend telephone reporting hours
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Springfield Police Department (SPD) is reopening the public lobby at the South District Station (SDS) located at 2620 W. Battlefield Rd. on Monday, June 2. After Monday, the SDS lobby will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The lobby had previously been closed since March of 2020 due to COVID-10 and staffing shortages, according to Cris Swaters, SPD Public Affairs Officer. Meanwhile, the lobby at police headquarters, located at 321 E. Chestnut Expwy., continues to be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additionally, the Springfield Police Department is extending telephone reporting hours. Citizens can make a report by phone by calling (417) 864-1810, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Online reporting is also available for the following: Forgery Fraudulent Use of a Credit Device Graffiti Harassment Identity Theft Lost Property Past Disturbance Stealing Stealing from a Vehicle Vandalism Supplement to filed reports File reports online by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Patrice Evra on Sir Alex Ferguson: ‘If he coached today, he'd probably end up in jail'
French former international Patrice Evra has suggested that legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson would 'probably end up in jail' if he was still a coach today. Speaking on the SDS podcast, the 43-year-old left-back, who made over 270 appearances for the Red Devils between 2006 and 2014, didn't mince his words when reflecting on the intensity Ferguson brought to the dressing room. 'If Ferguson was coaching today, he'd probably end up in prison,' Évra joked, before adding: 'You don't know how many players I saw cry because he screamed at them or threw a boot at them… He was mean.' The Marseille-born defender, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League under Ferguson, claimed the manager's tough love created a winning culture — one that few dared challenge. Évra then recounted a surreal episode during a friendly match in Saudi Arabia, when Sir Alex exploded at a young Danny Welbeck for missing a penalty. 'Rooney gave him the ball but he missed. We lost the game, but it was a friendly, just like a 45-minute match,' said Évra. 'When we got back to the dressing room, Ferguson shouted 'Welbeck!' Danny and I were in the toilet — he was peeing — but Ferguson was screaming. 'Who do you think you are?! You've barely arrived in the first team and you're taking penalties?!'' Évra tried to defuse the situation. 'I said, 'Coach, it was just a friendly,' and he replied: 'F*ck the friendly game!'' GFFN | George Boxall
Axios
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Israel agrees to resume Gaza aid after two month freeze, foundation says
The Israeli government has agreed to resume humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinians in Gaza, the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in a statement on Wednesday. Why it matters: Israel has frozen all supplies of food, water and medicine to Gaza for two months, and the UN has warned food supplies will run out within days. The foundation said Israel had agreed to resume aid imminently though the Israeli government has not confirmed that. Resuming aid delivery was the key condition of the GHF — established with backing from the U.S. and Israel — for it launching a new aid delivery mechanism in Gaza, which Israel says will allow aid to be delivered without being controlled by Hamas. But the announcement comes as Israel is preparing for a massive operation to flatten and occupy the entire enclave if no ceasefire deal is reached this week. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment on the claim they had agreed to immediately unfreeze aid. What they're saying: "The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) today announced that it will launch operations in the Gaza Strip before the end of the month. This follows discussions with Israeli officials to allow the flow of transitional aid into Gaza under existing mechanisms while construction of GHF's Secure Distribution Sites (SDS) is completed," the foundation said in a statement. "There is no time to wait for ideal conditions. We have a responsibility to act and to do it without compromising our values. Today we are one step closer to doing just that," GHF executive director Jake Wood said. State of play: GHF said in its statement that it is in the final stages of procuring large volumes of food aid to supplement existing pledges from humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza. Collectively, the total commitment for the initial 90-day period will exceed 300 million meals. In a letter sent on May 14 by the GHF to the Israeli government and obtained by Axios, the foundation requested that Israel facilitate the flow of enough humanitarian aid using existing modalities to Gaza until GHF's distribution infrastructure is fully operational. Behind the scenes: The Israeli decision, if confirmed, is the result of negotiations between the GHF and the Israeli government in recent days. The GHF had asked, and Israel agreed, to expand the number of secure aid delivery center around the Gaza Strip in order to serve the entire population of Gaza and find solutions for the distribution of aid to civilians who are unable to reach a distribution location. The GHF asked in the letter that Israel identify locations for aid distribution centers in Northern Gaza strip within 30 days. The foundation stressed in the letter that if displacement of Palestinian civilians "is deemed necessary due to imminent or active military operations, it should be temporary, voluntary, and solely for the protection of the civilian population." Between the lines: Israel's military plans, to commence as soon as Friday, include the mass displacement of 2 million Palestinians to a "humanitarian area" in the southern Gaza Strip.
