Latest UK news

Chief inspector criticises slip in training standards
Training to prepare young people for the world of work is still not up to the job, according to David Sherlock, chief inspector of the Adult Learning Inspectorate. He said it had worsened over the past year as six out of ten trainers were awarded at least one unsatisfactory grade, a rise of 10 per cent.
 
Foundation degrees launched
The University of Ulster this week launched two-year foundation degrees in seven subjects, including media, IT and communications. The sub-degree qualifications, which will be accredited by the university, will be delivered by further education colleges in the region and will begin this autumn.

Delay in naming e-university partners
The commercial partners in the e-university will not be announced until mid August, two months later than originally planned. The delay came as the share prices of Pearson, which had expressed an interest in participating in the e-university, plunged to a three-year low.

Cern sells management system to UK firm
Cern, the European particle physics laboratory, has sold its internal transaction-management system to British company Transacsys for 1 million Swiss francs (£400,000). The system builds on the success of the worldwide web, developed at Cern.

Farms earmarked for GM-crop trials
Up to 30 farm sites across Britain are to host a GM-crop trials set to start in four weeks, the government announced today. Peter Riley, from Friends of the Earth, criticised the government for lack of proper consultation.

Anne Frank's step-sister honoured by Northumbria
The step-sister of war diarist Anne Frank was today receiving an honorary degree from the University of Northumbria. Eva Schloss, who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp, has spent her life spreading a message of tolerance.