Ministers for Women, Margaret Jay and Tessa Jowell will launch the first ever Government led opportunities fair for women on February 13th 2001. ‘Women Unlimited’ will give practical ideas and advice to women wanting to explore their work choices and take advantage of new opportunities available to them. It will bring together under one roof, experts, employers and training organisations to provide interactive seminars, informative exhibitions and networking opportunities. The event is supported by a wide range of private and public sector organisations. It is part funded by the European Social Fund and Sun Microsystems.Seminars will include CV writing and interview skills, making the most of IT, setting up in business, entering non-traditional careers and opportunities in training and education. There will be advice on a range of issues including changing career, returning to work after a break and balancing work and home life.
Deciding on the new council structure to replace the ‘committee system’ will be made easier by a set of blueprint options published by the Department for Environment, Transport and Regions. The document sets out a possible structure for the models of a leader with a cabinet, a mayor with a cabinet, or a mayor with a council manager. It emphases the wide diversity of possible options and variations.Councils can decide which model to adopt, but there must be prior public consultation. A referendum must be held before adopting a model that includes a directly elected mayor.
Read more on OFF THE SHELF BLUEPRINT FOR RESTRUCTURING LOCAL COUNCILS…
Pemberton J D, Stonehouse G HThe Learning Organization, (UK), 2000 Vol 7 No 4
Start page: 184. No of pages: 10
Presents a model of organizational learning that places organizational culture, structure and infrastructure at the core, arguing that these need to be in place to create a context which will support knowledge management and organizational learning. Explains the interdependence of the learning culture, structure and infrastructure, describing how each contributes to knowledge management and organizational learning, enabling the storage and exploitation of existing knowledge and the creation of new knowledge. Indicates how this, in turn, builds and sustains core competences, creating competitive advantage for the organization. Uses Microsoft as an example of this process. Cites a number of leading companies as examples of learning organizations and uses these to underline the importance of developing the infrastructures that will promote the development and sharing of learning and the knowledge-based core competences needed by a learning organization.
