Threat actors could chain two critical security vulnerabilities in Schneider Electric's Unity line of Modicon programmable logic controllers, tracked as CVE-2022-45788 and CVE-2022-45789, to compromise safety protections for limiting physical damage, according to The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

Along with this recognition, the UNG Gainesville Campus received a $25,000 grant to increase support for adult learners. The grant was subsequently renewed in 2012 for an additional $25,000. The intent of the grant was “to galvanize [adult Georgians] to change their situation, thereby boosting the state’s economic growth” (University System of Georgia). 

As part of this same initiative, in March 2011, the University System of Georgia’s Office of Military Outreach awarded the UNG Gainesville Campus the Soldiers to Scholars grant enabling the university to better serve military personnel in its service area. With the ALC grant funds, institutional funds, and faculty/staff support, the University of North Georgia has continued to grow its support for veterans and adult learner students.  

With a growing number of both student veterans and adult learners, UNG created the Center for Adult Learners & Military (CALM) in 2012 in an effort to better serve these non-traditional student populations. CALM was renamed in January 2017 to Veteran & Adult Learner Programs (VALP). 

In August 2020, VALP and Orientation and Transitions Program (OTP) merged to form a new department:  Nighthawk Engagement and Student Transitions (NEST). This merger has increased the number of dedicated staff trained to serve Veterans and Adult Learners. NEST is now able to provide a dedicated team of staff members for Veterans and a dedicated team for Adult Learners. Having specific staff dedicated to each of these programs allows NEST to continue all previous VALP programs with an addition of new programs better geared toward each specific population. These programs will help Veterans and Adult Learners connect, prepare, and navigate their college career. 

NEST is the point-of-contact concierge for the Veteran and Adult Learners and provides advisement as requested, ACE transcript reviews, portfolio counseling, career advisement, and mentoring. NEST also works with faculty and staff by providing them training opportunities concerning Veteran and Adult Learners. 

For English learners, acquiring language proficiency opens the door to thrive across all subjects. However, learning a new language can be a long, difficult process that requires courage, resilience and trust from students who initially might feel vulnerable and out of place.

Schools are challenged by the growing number of English learners in their classrooms, with some districts having as many as 100 different native languages spoken by their students. While many regions of the country are equipped to integrate these students, there is still a struggle to find the best ways to support English learners and their caregivers. 

It’s crucial for teachers to create classrooms that are safe places for students to try, experiment and get meaningful feedback that allows them to make sense of what’s going on around them. The first step requires developing a more comprehensive linguistic profile of students.

Standardized tests are an important part of a linguistic profile, but we need to also consider a student’s background and exposure – what languages they speak at home and with whom do they speak those languages – in order to build a more comprehensive picture. Understanding the linguistic and cultural profile of your students will enable you to select the most appropriate evidence-based strategies and customize them to meet individual needs.

To effectively set each student – regardless of their native language – on a path toward achievement in the classroom and overall academic success, consider these five key strategies: 

1. Provide consistency and routine. Familiarity with a schedule is helpful for all students, particularly when children are not native speakers, as it gives them a sense of security knowing what is coming next. This can have particular implications for students in the early production stage of language development. During this stage, students can engage in routine or formulaic speech, which often marks the beginning stage of expressive language skills. Building a consistent classroom routine will facilitate the use of these “formulaic chunks” as it creates context around these phrases.
   
2. Create an ongoing list of words in the English language with multiple meanings and cross curricular application. Language acquisition isn’t something that is limited to a 45 or 90 minute block of language arts. Every content area teacher, academic or nonacademic, has a role in creating an environment where language learning is facilitated. Teachers can look for opportunities for vocabulary growth that are cross-curricular. For example, the word “plot.” Plot can mean the theme of a story, an area of land or a marking a spot on a graph. And conversely, if a student can’t read or understand the words “add” and “subtract,” they won’t do well on a math test.
   
3. Take advantage of native language skills as a bridge to English. Honoring the native language will embolden students to keep their identity while matching the words of their natural thoughts and feelings with the English versions. For example, let them journal in their native language and then translate to English.  And incorporate experiential learning by looking for ways to connect the curriculum to the world of the students, as well as providing an opportunity for shared experiences that can be used as a foundation for discussion or written reflection.
   
4. Utilize peers. Peers in the classroom are often an untapped resource. For some students, it is more comfortable to interact with other students as opposed to the teacher or another adult. Activities can range from structured to unstructured and will depend on the individual classroom dynamics and the personalities of the students. Peers are excellent language models and collaborative learning provides amazing opportunities to build community and strengthen relationships, while giving students an opportunity to show what they know and use and apply their skills to help others. It may be your first inclination to always pair more proficient students with less proficient students but it can be powerful to look for situations in which we capitalize on the strengths of all students and provide them opportunities to be the leader or the expert. Again, it is going to depend on the objective of the lesson. Another advantage of peer interactions is that students sharpen their listening skills when talking with students whose first language is English. Listening is often a weak point on language proficiency tests because it’s not easy to listen to another language and comprehend well.
   
5. Face students when you teach. It is easier to learn a language when watching how you speak. Teachers should make efforts not to turn to the whiteboard to write while speaking. Watching your facial expressions and gestures make a great impact with interpretation. And by the same token, ask students to turn and face each other when someone speaks. This simple act builds a culture of respect for listening to other voices in the room, and it develops the practice of listening and responding instead of thinking about what they’ll say next.

In the classroom, the most fundamental aspect of a successful teacher is establishing a culture of trust. However, for some students, this can be more of a challenge because English is not their native language. By developing linguistic profiles that go beyond standardized testing and leveraging these five key strategies in the classroom, teachers can help English learners overcome hurdles and achieve in the classroom.

Related:
How to help ESL students Improve writing skills
Designing fair and inclusive tests for non-native speakers

Key Issues and New Insights

The Council of the EU is a single legal entity, but it meets in 10 different 'configurations', depending on the subject being discussed.

There is no hierarchy among the Council configurations, although the General Affairs Council  has a special coordination role and is responsible for institutional, administrative and horizontal matters. The Foreign Affairs Council  also has a special remit.

Any of the Council's 10 configurations can adopt an act that falls under the remit of another configuration. Therefore, with any legislative act the Council adopts no mention is made of the configuration.

Council meetings

Council meetings are attended by representatives from each member state at a ministerial level. Participants can therefore be ministers or state secretaries. They have the right to commit the government of their country and cast its vote. European Commissioners responsible for the areas concerned are also invited to Council meetings. The European Central Bank is invited when they have launched the legislative procedure.

Meetings are chaired by the minister of the member state holding the 6-month Council presidency. The exception is the Foreign Affairs Council, which is usually chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The Council takes its decisions by a simple majority, qualified majority or unanimous vote, depending on the decision that needs to be taken.

The Council can vote only if a majority of its members is present. 

Public sessions

The Council meets in a public session when it discusses or votes on a proposal for a legislative act. In these cases, the meeting agenda includes a 'legislative deliberation' part. The first deliberation on important non-legislative proposals is also public.

In addition, the Council regularly holds public debates on important issues affecting the interests of the EU and its citizens. The debate on the General Affairs Council's 18 month programme, as well as the priorities of the other Council configurations, and the debate on the Commission's five year programme, are public.

If you have a learner's permit, you'll need car insurance — but not necessarily your own. Drivers who are learning the rules of the road can join their parents' policy. But drivers who can't or don't want to join their parents' policy still have options.

Every insurance company has different rules about when learners must be added to a policy, and many offer discounts to offset the high costs of insuring drivers with learner's permits.

How do insurers handle car insurance for learner's permit drivers?

Even with fewer driving privileges, learner's permit drivers must be insured. They're just as vulnerable to accidents and need the financial security insurance provides.

In most cases, learner's permit drivers are teens living with their parents. These young drivers are generally covered by their parents' policy when they receive their learner's permit and don't need to buy their own policy.

However, insurers take different approaches to young permit drivers. Policyholders may have to list every member of a household who has reached driving age on the policy. With other insurers, you won't need to do this until your young driver has a license.

For example, if a young driver in your household has a learner’s permit, Geico requires you to list the driver on your policy. As long as the young driver only has a permit, your policy premium will not increase. Once the young driver obtains a license, Geico will factor them into your policy rate.

Reach out to your insurer and see how they handle car insurance for permit drivers. Don't skip this step. If you don't properly list drivers as your insurer requires, then you may have to pay out of pocket for damage after a car accident.

The good news? Insurance companies usually don't increase rates until after a student driver receives their license. At that point, rates tend to significantly increase. But there are still ways to get cheap car insurance for teens.

Teen driver insurance costs

Out of every age group, teens are the most at risk for car accidents. That's especially true from ages 16 to 19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Because teen drivers pose such a high risk, adding them to an insurance policy increases rates significantly. The cost of adding a 16-year-old driver to a six-month family policy can range from $1,293 to $4,831.

However, those rates may vary significantly based on the age and gender of the teen driver being added to the policy. Young male drivers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors and are more likely to be killed while driving than young women. This means a family's policy rates will likely increase more when adding a male teen driver than when adding a female teen driver.

Car insurance discounts for teen drivers

Many insurers offer discounts to help families manage the high costs of insuring their teen driver. Ask your insurer if these discounts are available to you:

In addition to asking for discounts, families can also adopt other money-saving strategies. For instance, driving an inexpensive car can keep premium costs down because it costs less to repair or replace a cheaper car.

Parents and teens should also shop around for the best deal. While it's tempting for parents to default to their own insurer when adding their teen child to a policy, other companies may offer better rates and help families save. See this milestone as a chance to re-evaluate your options and choose the one that best suits your family's needs.

Can you get car insurance with a permit?

Adding permit drivers to a family policy might be the most common way for learners to get insurance, but it's not the only approach. You can buy a car insurance policy just with a learner's permit. Once you have that insurance policy in place, you can also purchase and register a car in most states — even if you are only 16 years old.

While this approach gives 16-year-olds a good deal of independence, that independence comes at a cost. A new driver at this age pays an average of $5,944 for a six-month plan if they purchase their own insurance. By contrast, a new driver added to their parents' policy may pay as little as $1,293 — a $4,651 difference.

However, not all learner drivers live with their parents. Many people learn how to drive much later in life and can't be added to a parent’s policy.

You still have options if you're in this situation. Permit drivers who live with a spouse or significant other can sometimes be covered under their plan. Be aware that married couples may receive better deals than unmarried couples, and unmarried couples may see their rates go up when a permit driver is added to the policy. Reach out to your insurance company and see which options are available to you and your partner.

If you are a permit driver who lives alone, you may find it difficult to find an insurer that will cover you until you get a license. Many national insurers do not offer insurance to first-time learner's permit drivers. Instead, contact smaller local insurance providers and explain your situation. You will likely pay more, but the situation is not without precedent.

For new drivers, getting a permit is an exciting time. Obtaining auto insurance coverage is a crucial first step to new levels of responsibility and freedom.

© Provided by The Financial Express Soft skills are critical for leadership positions in any field.

By Yuvraj K Sharma

As a student, I thought my education would be over once I left school. However, I soon realised that learning is a constant journey that never stops. Did you Know? Soft skills are ranked higher as a priority by all renowned hiring managers and educational institutions when selecting new employees or candidates. As a result, today, employers seek candidates with transferable soft skills like communication, leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving, and time management.

Collaborating effectively with others and identifying real-world solutions is an invaluable skill set in today’s educational and professional ecosystems. Today more than ever, there is a need for educational environments that offer soft skill development programs that can provide learners with the opportunity to develop essential soft skills.

It’s crucial to understand how 3D virtual learning tools can be used as educational tools to ensure learners get the most out of their learning experience. An immersive educational metaverse setting offers learners a hands-on learning experience with real-world materials. Imagine, if students don’t learn how to work together and communicate effectively in school, how will they develop these skills later on? Well, most learners know how essential these skills are. Still, they sometimes need to learn how to develop them effectively, which will benefit them later when they enter the workforce or start their businesses as entrepreneurs.

The advent and rise of children learning and interacting with technology have made soft skills increasingly vital. A student who can communicate effectively and collaborate with others in a team will learn faster, pay more attention, and feel more engaged in a 3D virtual learning environment. An effective and interactive 3D educational Metaverse platform provides interactive learning experiences using a virtual reality environment. Learners learn how to work with others by engaging in collaborative learning activities where each participant has a unique role based on their strengths and abilities.

Today, the focus of an effective ed-tech virtual learning platform has shifted to more personalized learning approaches, where the educational environment adapts to the learner’s needs. The learning experience for learners through a 3D educational metaverse platform that is immersive, engaging, and interactive. Learners explore novel concepts and ideas through virtual simulations, field trips, and labs. With practice, learners become accustomed to dealing with obstacles and solving problems in a realistic environment where they can try different things before making decisions.

Entering a classroom in a metaverse opens up a new realm of possibilities for learners. By using these technologies—whether through a video game, simulation program, or even by taking advantage of the existing advances in virtual education—learners can gain valuable experience with concepts like collaboration and agility.

Therefore, to summarise by leveraging this technology, learners can be engaged in activities that will help them develop their few critical skills, which include:

Communication Skills: Communication is a crucial component of any relationship or interaction. Learning in a metaverse platform helps learners to communicate effectively by practicing public speaking skills in front of an audience without being judged by others in real-time scenarios and situations. Learners can use three-dimensional educational metaverse to develop their communication skills with the help of simulations involving real people or animated characters. In addition, they can practice active listening techniques by taking turns while talking with each other or asking questions about what others have said. This helps learners Improve their speaking skills, allowing them to practice them continuously until it becomes second nature.

Furthermore, learners can be given the opportunity to build confidence by remaining anonymous throughout the simulation. Anonymity, through appearance and also voice masking, allows for improving professional skills without judgment from others in the same setting.

Management and Leadership Skills: Soft skills are critical for leadership positions in any field, so learners must develop them early. Metaverse allows them to train themselves in the most effective ways to lead teams and manage projects effectively. This is done by immersing themselves in scenarios where they’ll be required to take charge of various situations. Training staff for soft skills, such as communication, leadership, listening, and empathy is hard to achieve and also measure. The metaverse facilitates this by immersing learners in real-world conflicts and allows them to practice their soft skills in a safe environment, for example, by having sensitive or difficult conversations with employees or customers.

Analytical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: Learners learn how to analyze information to make decisions. They also develop an understanding of how to break down complex problems into smaller parts that are easier to solve. Critical thinking involves analyzing information logically, objectively, rationally, and systematically to draw conclusions or solve problems. Critical thinkers ask questions like “What is this?” “Why did it happen?” “What else might happen?” “Why do we need this?”

The only skill that will be relevant in the 21st century is learning new and relevant skills. Hence, learning in a metaverse will help learners to learn, implement and test their soft skills through technological advancements. As a result, developing soft skills in the new digital age has become paramount to a company’s success and individuals. Soft skills, when done right, help your resume shine and make an excellent first impression during an interview. Moreover, building solid networks will Improve a learner’s chances of confidently getting ahead.

The author of this article is co-founder, Edverse, Views expressed are personal.