Quality of life and well-being of carers of people with dementia: are there differences between working and nonworking carers? Results from the IDEAL program

The aim of this study was to identify the differences in quality of life (QoL) and well-being between working and nonworking dementia carers and the relative contribution of psychological characteristics, caregiving experience, and social support. Multiple regressions modeled the contribution of working status, caregiver experiences, and psychological and social resources to carer QoL (EQ-5D) and well-being (WHO-5). After controlling for age, gender, carer–dyad relationship, and severity of dementia, working status contributed significant variance to EQ-5D (2%) but not to WHO-5 scores. Independent of working status, higher self-esteem and reduced stress contributed to variance in both models. Self-efficacy, social support, and positive perceptions of caregiving additionally contributed to higher WHO-5 scores. Working status associated with higher EQ-5D QoL; this may reflect the sustained sense of independence associated with supported work opportunities for carers. Outside of working status, the findings support the importance of psychological and social factors as targets to improved mental health for dementia carers

NICE guidance on long-term sickness and incapacity

Long-term sickness absence and incapacity benefits (disability pension) rates have increased across industrialised countries. Effective measures are needed to support return to work. The recommendations of this guidance were informed by the most appropriate available evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Public health evidence was provided by research using a variety of study designs that attempted to determine the outcome of a particular intervention by evaluating status before and after the intervention had been effected, and was not limited to randomised control trials. Where the evidence base was depleted or underdeveloped, expert witnesses were called to give their opinion on the best available evidence and emerging interventions. The process enabled challenge and contestability from stakeholder groups at different points as the guidance was developed. Forty-five heterogeneous studies were included in the review of interventions to reduce long-term sickness absence and transitions from short-term to long-term absence (mainly covering the former and also mainly examining musculoskeletal conditions). The analysis of evidence was restricted to descriptive synthesis. Three general themes emerged from an analysis of the studies that were more likely to report positive results: early interventions; multidisciplinary approaches; and interventions with a workplace component. Two further reviews were undertaken, one on interventions to reduce the re-occurrence of sickness absence, which identified seven studies on lower back pain, and concluded that early intervention and direct workplace input are important factors. The final evidence review focused on six studies of interventions for those in receipt of incapacity benefit. The evidence was that work-focused interviews coupled with access to tailored support are effective and cost-effective interventions. Practitioners should consider the impact of interventions and management options on work ability for patients of working age. Work ability should be considered a key outcome for future intervention studies

'I just want a job' : what do we really know about young people in jobs without training?

Over recent years, a central concern of policy has been to drive up post-16 participation rates in full-time education and address the needs of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). As a result, young people who enter work which is classified as 'without training' at 16/17 have largely been ignored. However, the decision to Raise the Participation Age (RPA) for continuing in learning for all 17-year olds from 2013 and for all 18-year olds from 2015 in England, together with a growing unease about the impact of the current recession on youth unemployment rates, have revived interest in the 'jobs without training' (JWT) group. This paper draws on the findings from two studies: first, a qualitative study in two contrasting local labour markets, of young people in JWT, together with their employers and parents; and second, an evaluation of the Learning Agreement Pilots (LAP), which was the first policy initiative in England targeted at the JWT group. Both studies reveal a dearth of understanding about early labour market entrants and a lack of policy intervention and infrastructure to support the needs of the JWT group throughout the UK. From this, it is concluded that questionable assumptions have been made about the composition and the aspirations of young people in JWT, and their employers, on the basis of little or no evidence. As a consequence, a policy 'quick fix' to satisfy the RPA agenda will not easily be achieved. If the decision to raise the participation age is adopted also by the Welsh and Scottish parliaments, similar challenges may have to be faced

Young children's research: children aged 4-8 years finding solutions at home and at school

Children's research capacities have become increasingly recognised by adults, yet children remain excluded from the academy, with reports of their research participation generally located in adults' agenda. Such practice restricts children's freedom to make choices in matters affecting them, underestimates children’s capabilities and denies children particular rights. The present paper reports on one aspect of a small-scale critical ethnographic study adopting a constructivist grounded approach to conceptualise ways in which children's naturalistic behaviours may be perceived as research. The study builds on multi-disciplinary theoretical perspectives, embracing 'new' sociology, psychology, economics, philosophy and early childhood education and care (ECEC). Research questions include: 'What is the nature of ECEC research?' and 'Do children’s enquiries count as research?' Initially, data were collected from the academy: professional researchers (n=14) confirmed 'finding solutions' as a research behaviour and indicated children aged 4-8 years, their practitioners and primary carers as 'theoretical sampling'. Consequently, multi-modal case studies were constructed with children (n=138) and their practitioners (n=17) in three ‘good’ schools, with selected children and their primary carers also participating at home. This paper reports on data emerging from children aged 4-8 years at school (n=17) and at home (n=5). Outcomes indicate that participating children found diverse solutions to diverse problems, some of which they set themselves. Some solutions engaged children in high order thinking, whilst others did not; selecting resources and trialing activities engaged children in 'finding solutions'. Conversely, when children's time, provocations and activities were directed by adults, the quality of their solutions was limited, they focused on pleasing adults and their motivation to propose solutions decreased. In this study, professional researchers recognised 'finding solutions' as research behaviour and children aged 4-8 years naturalistically presented with capacities for finding solutions; however, the children's encounters with adults affected the solutions they found

The identification of research priorities for UK occupational therapists in work rehabilitation

Background/Aims: UK occupational therapists are recognised as having key skills in work rehabilitation, but there is limited evidence to underpin this. In order to use research resources to best effect, it is vital to identify the research priorities of occupational therapists in work rehabilitation. This study aims to gather the views of those with a special interest in the field in order to identify their research priorities. Methods: An online survey was developed and administered electronically to members (n=173) of the College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section-Work (COTSS-Work). Respondents were asked to: i) prioritise and comment on research areas; ii) propose research questions. A final sample of 42 surveys was collected and analysed thematically Results: Responses reflected the diversity and complexity of work rehabilitation. Identifying a rank order of research priorities proved challenging as the majority (≥62%) of respondents considered all of the topic areas listed a high priority. Research into the following areas were included in the survey: interventions; outcome measurements; assessments; management and/or service delivery; planning and/or commissioning; and education. However, 'interventions' was rated highest overall. Conclusions: Occupational therapists in the UK need more evidence to justify their role in the work and health arena. Greater opportunities are required for occupational therapists in clinical practice, as well as those involved in research, to address areas in which evidence-based practice is lacking and the mechanisms to disseminate this knowledge base

The myth of meeting needs revisited: the case of Educational research

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleOur primary objective in this paper is revisit a debate that was articulated 25 years ago in this journal in which it was argued that the idea of meeting needs in adult and continuing education is a myth. We extend the original analysis of need and apply it to the case of educational research. We look at the policy context, which has, in the intervening period, increasingly reflected the neo-liberal emphasis upon accountability and measurement. Taking into account the discussion stimulated by Hargreaves and followed through by Tooley on the supposed ‘poverty’ of educational research in the UK, we show how the discourse of need has been sustained. Using the Transforming Learning Cultures (TLC) project in the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) as an exemplar, we show that, despite the constraints that are imposed upon researchers by the funding and accountability frameworks of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the researchers on that project have nonetheless made significant and important contributions in the field that they have researched. By way of outcomes, we argue for an approach to the commissioning of educational research from bodies such as the ESRC that will allow researchers to frame their projects in ways that do not meet current prescriptions. In conclusion, we suggest that what is needed is a greater level of trust which will allow researchers to set the research agenda themselves, rather than be driven by the needs identified and specified by policymakers. Introduction In this paper we revisit a debate that was first articulated 25 years ago in this journal, where it was argued that the idea of meeting needs in adult and continuing education was a myth (Armstrong 1982). Intending to challenge the liberal ideologies that subscribed to, and supported the idea that needs have an objective reality of their own, the claim of the original paper was that needs are manufactured political constructions. Whilst there appeared to be some considerable support for the critique at the time, it did not have the effect on the academy that initial indications had suggested. Writing about recent 14–19 education policy in the UK, Lumby and Wilson (2003) suggest: Robert Law

An integrative model for measuring graduates’ employability skills - A study in China

Employability is a key issue in graduates’ job-hunting, but little research has been done on that of the graduates in Chinese universities. These universities have been experiencing a decline in their graduate employment since the past decade. This paper attempts to tackle this issue. It reviews the relevant research on employability and develops a research-based theoretical framework to evaluate and analyze the graduates’ employability in China. It adopts multiple approaches to establish the skills that will enhance university students’ employability. Investigating around 100 employers and 200 undergraduates from the universities in Beijing, the paper explores the characteristics of and factors influencing the graduates’ employability. Subsequently, it proposes a qualitative model to measure graduates’ employability. Based on the findings, it discusses the theoretical and practical implications and provides advice for Chinese graduates to improve their employability

Employers’ Perception on the Antecedents of Graduate Employability for the Information Technology Sector

This chapter aims to analyze the perceptions of the employers in the Information Technology (IT) sector in India on the antecedents of graduate employability. With an increased emphasis on Organizational flexibility in today’s volatile and complex Business environment, the employability of the workforce has gained crucial significance. Flexibility has been acknowledged as a predictor of Organizational performance (Sushil, Global J Flex Syst Manag 16(4):309–311, 2015) and its Strategic driver (Sharma et al., Global J Flex Syst Manag 11(3):51–68, 2010). Flexible strategies and business plan often demand the need to scale up the quality of manpower or shift the required skill set to swiftly adapt to the Market changes accordingly. This Flexibility is not confined to the quantity of manpower only but also encompasses the quality of skills deployed by the manpower (Srivastava, Global J Flex Syst Manag 17(1):105–108, 2016). Therefore, it is imperative for the potential Job seeker to understand and continuously adapt to the changing knowledge and skill requirements of the employers to develop and maintain their employability. The employers in this dynamic sector demand a range of knowledge, skills, and other attributes from potential job seekers. However, the graduates passing out of Higher Education Institutions fail to meet these expectations of the employers. Therefore, the sector is struggling with the challenges of talent crunch and qualitative demand–Demand–supply mismatch of manpower. The identification of factors that influence graduate employability is based on literature review. This chapter is empirical and examines the perceptions of the employers on the factors that impact employability and validates the association between the research constructs. Opinion surveys are used to elicit responses from a sample of 236 respondents, i.e., Technical/HR personnel at the middle-level/upper middle-level management positions spanning across 71 reputed IT companies in India. These respondents are actively involved in the staffing of graduates seeking Technical jobs in IT sector. The perception of these employers has been investigated using bivariate and multivariate analysis techniques. The key insights drawn in this chapter enable potential job seekers to clearly understand the employer demands in the IT sector and equip themselves with the required knowledge and skills. This also contributes to enhancing the manpower Flexibility in organizations. The chapter has significant implications for the policy-makers and key stakeholders to bridge the Employability gap in this sector

Job searching with a history of drugs and crime

This article explores the experiences and aspirations of offenders with histories of substance misuse in job searching. The analysis is based upon qualitative data from a localised study of 27 men and two women who were undertaking community-based court orders in Scotland. Their perspectives on job searching, job-readiness and aspirations for sustained employment including the role of self-employment are presented. The article concludes that with adequate support, greater tolerance and flexibility by employers and job searchers could contribute to reducing the vicious cycle of suspicion and dishonesty. Policy action needs to be sustained and possibly augmented to include enterprise training