* - Article from Silicon.com
Kent County Council has signed off a £29m outsourcing contract for Northgate Information Solutions to provide IT managed services to 11 schools in the area.
The contract will run for seven years and may be extended to a further 25 schools.
The move is part of a £600m project to refurbish, rebuild and transform the 11 schools into modern education institutions and a significant part of the contract with Northgate will be to deliver an online managed learning environment. This application will serve as a hub for students to deliver coursework to teachers from home or school, ready for marking.
The hub will also serve as a school management and administration tool, keeping track of student attendance and exam results. This information will also be made available to parents.
In addition to this, Northgate will also manage the schools' desktops, laptops, networked projectors, interactive whiteboards and handheld devices as well as a full wireless network for each site.
In a statement, Kent Building Schools for the Future programme director Grahame Ward said: "By equipping our schools with state-of-the-art ICT facilities, we will not only improve the business of education through more efficient school management process, greater collaboration and the sharing of resources, but also raise attainment and transform the educational opportunities available to young people."
A spokesman for Northgate said the project will start in a couple of months.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Social networking can offer business benefit, says study
The debate on whether social networking sites are good or bad, useful or distracting seems like it will never cease. I personally believe that you cut your employees off from any contact with the outside world and this will harm their performance. At the end of the day you trust your employees to make a success of your businesses, they are adults and if their performance drops you can then look into the reasons why. But always remember, most people "work to live" not "live to work." So the happier you keep them at work, the better their performance.
* the following article is from Computerweekly
Staff who use social networking sites during work hours should not be dismissed as time-wasters, according to think-tank Demos.
According to the think-tank's Network Citizens study, such sites provide useful platforms for discussion and collaboration. Limiting their use could have a negative impact on the way employees communicate with each other and customers, it said.
The study's author, Peter Bradwell, said that online social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace could help with productivity, innovation and democratic working. However, he said there should be practical guidelines to limit non-work usage.
"Bans on Facebook or YouTube are, in any case, almost impossible to enforce firms may as well try to put a time limit on the number of minutes allowed each day for gossiping," he wrote.
"The answer is not to close down staff access to social networking platforms, nor is it to invest blindly in collaborative platforms.
"Rather, we argue that we need to understand how, once we accept the implications of social networks, we can manage the new challenges and trade-offs."
"Smart" businesses recognise that social networking cannot easily be separated from "professional" networking, he argued.
"In today's difficult business environment, the instinctive reaction can be to batten down the hatches and return to the traditional 'command and control' techniques that enable managers to closely monitor and measure productivity," he said.
"Allowing workers to have more freedom and flexibility might seem counter-intuitive, but it appears to create businesses more capable of maintaining stability."
Orange took part in the study. Robert Ainger, corporate director of Orange Business, said, "The report points out that the value of networking within an economic downturn is perhaps more important than ever, and I believe it could mean the difference between a business collapsing or capitalising on the tricky conditions."
Meanwhile, a survey from FaceTime Communications describes the apparent risks from the increasing use of social networking sites from within the corporate network.
* the following article is from Computerweekly
Staff who use social networking sites during work hours should not be dismissed as time-wasters, according to think-tank Demos.
According to the think-tank's Network Citizens study, such sites provide useful platforms for discussion and collaboration. Limiting their use could have a negative impact on the way employees communicate with each other and customers, it said.
The study's author, Peter Bradwell, said that online social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace could help with productivity, innovation and democratic working. However, he said there should be practical guidelines to limit non-work usage.
"Bans on Facebook or YouTube are, in any case, almost impossible to enforce firms may as well try to put a time limit on the number of minutes allowed each day for gossiping," he wrote.
"The answer is not to close down staff access to social networking platforms, nor is it to invest blindly in collaborative platforms.
"Rather, we argue that we need to understand how, once we accept the implications of social networks, we can manage the new challenges and trade-offs."
"Smart" businesses recognise that social networking cannot easily be separated from "professional" networking, he argued.
"In today's difficult business environment, the instinctive reaction can be to batten down the hatches and return to the traditional 'command and control' techniques that enable managers to closely monitor and measure productivity," he said.
"Allowing workers to have more freedom and flexibility might seem counter-intuitive, but it appears to create businesses more capable of maintaining stability."
Orange took part in the study. Robert Ainger, corporate director of Orange Business, said, "The report points out that the value of networking within an economic downturn is perhaps more important than ever, and I believe it could mean the difference between a business collapsing or capitalising on the tricky conditions."
Meanwhile, a survey from FaceTime Communications describes the apparent risks from the increasing use of social networking sites from within the corporate network.
IT Recruitment
IT recruiters are being hit by a continual, unexpected decline in contracting vacancies.
According to JobsAdWatch.co.uk, the number of positions advertised for IT contractors has fallen by 30% since the beginning of the year, with a 13.3% decrease from the previous quarter.
Alwyn Welch, chief executive of IT recruiter Parity, told Recruiter that the company’s contractor placements had been holding up quite well until Q3, when it had “dropped quite severely”.
According to Welch this went against clients’ initial reaction to the downturn, which was to use contractors to keep headcounts down.
However, Welch added advertised contractor rates appear to have remained static.
* - Article from the recruiter
Here at G & G Recruitment we have noticed a drop in the number of roles on both the permanent and contract front. However, the market is still not what we would consider quiet. We are hoping that this slight fall in roles may just be an earlier start than usual to the Christmas lull.
According to JobsAdWatch.co.uk, the number of positions advertised for IT contractors has fallen by 30% since the beginning of the year, with a 13.3% decrease from the previous quarter.
Alwyn Welch, chief executive of IT recruiter Parity, told Recruiter that the company’s contractor placements had been holding up quite well until Q3, when it had “dropped quite severely”.
According to Welch this went against clients’ initial reaction to the downturn, which was to use contractors to keep headcounts down.
However, Welch added advertised contractor rates appear to have remained static.
* - Article from the recruiter
Here at G & G Recruitment we have noticed a drop in the number of roles on both the permanent and contract front. However, the market is still not what we would consider quiet. We are hoping that this slight fall in roles may just be an earlier start than usual to the Christmas lull.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Boss uses Facebook to catch skiving worker
Facebook and other social sites have often been mentioned as potential hot beds of uncovered potential candidates. However, just as often it has been mentioned how candidates should be wary of what they put on these social sites as potential employers or even current employers may well use the site as a way to check up on employees.
Just as Kyle Doyle appears to be finding out: -
A call centre employee has been caught malingering after his boss checked his Facebook status.
Kyle Doyle, 21, is currently facing an internal investigation after he called in sick for work then updated his Facebook status bar to read: 'Kyle Doyle is not going to work ... I'm still trashed. SICKIE WOO!'.
Unfortunately for Doyle his boss was also a friend on Facebook and saw the incriminating status report.
He emailed Doyle and requested a doctor's note to prove that a sick day was required, without mentioning the Facebook entry but saying that his line manager was under the impression that the day off was not for medical reasons.
"My leave was due to medical reasons, so you cannot deny leave based on a line manager's discretion, with no proof, please process leave as requested," Doyle replied.
The manager then revealed that he had seen the Facebook message and said the day off would not be granted. "HAHAHA LMAO epic fail. No worries man," was Doyle’s response.
However, the emails between the two soon started to be circulated around corporate email systems and then worldwide. Doyle now faces an investigation by his employer AAPT, Australia's third largest telecoms operator.
"It's unfortunate because it was in the public domain,'' an AAPT spokeswoman told the Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
"It involves one of our employees and we're doing an internal investigation, but I can't comment any further because of the nature of what it's about.
The case highlights the increasing use of social networking sites by management. Interviewers and head hunters are checking out user profiles of applicants, and managers are using them to keep updated on employees.
* - Article taken from www.vnunet.com
Just as Kyle Doyle appears to be finding out: -
A call centre employee has been caught malingering after his boss checked his Facebook status.
Kyle Doyle, 21, is currently facing an internal investigation after he called in sick for work then updated his Facebook status bar to read: 'Kyle Doyle is not going to work ... I'm still trashed. SICKIE WOO!'.
Unfortunately for Doyle his boss was also a friend on Facebook and saw the incriminating status report.
He emailed Doyle and requested a doctor's note to prove that a sick day was required, without mentioning the Facebook entry but saying that his line manager was under the impression that the day off was not for medical reasons.
"My leave was due to medical reasons, so you cannot deny leave based on a line manager's discretion, with no proof, please process leave as requested," Doyle replied.
The manager then revealed that he had seen the Facebook message and said the day off would not be granted. "HAHAHA LMAO epic fail. No worries man," was Doyle’s response.
However, the emails between the two soon started to be circulated around corporate email systems and then worldwide. Doyle now faces an investigation by his employer AAPT, Australia's third largest telecoms operator.
"It's unfortunate because it was in the public domain,'' an AAPT spokeswoman told the Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
"It involves one of our employees and we're doing an internal investigation, but I can't comment any further because of the nature of what it's about.
The case highlights the increasing use of social networking sites by management. Interviewers and head hunters are checking out user profiles of applicants, and managers are using them to keep updated on employees.
* - Article taken from www.vnunet.com
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
IT Auditor / Administrator - Current Vacancy
IT Auditor / Administrator skill with PC Hardware and IT Operating systems is urgently required.
You will be responsible for moving IT equipment, installing hardware, providing support, IT Auditing and ensuring IT Assets are tagged correctly. This is an excellent opportunity to gain some experience within an IT environment. Please do send through a technically detailed CV asap.
G & G Recruitment are working as an Employment Business.
City of Birmingham establishes virtual island in Second Life
Birmingham has taken on a whole new identity with the establishment of 'Birmingham Island' in Second Life, the 3D virtual world environment.
'Virtual Birmingham' will be launched by Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby at this week's Hello Digital festival at Millennium Point, Birmingham (23rd-26th October). Developed by Digital Birmingham, it demonstrates the potential of digital and virtual technologies in delivering public services and interacting with citizens, and aims to incorporate virtual worlds and web 2.0+ activity within Birmingham under one co-ordinated banner. In the long term, this will provide city planners amongst others, with a powerful tool for online consultation and marketing, as well as huge scope for inward investment. Although several other cities have a presence in Second Life, Birmingham Island's showpiece attraction, b-scape, is the first to integrate other online applications such as Google Maps, video and RSS feeds to provide a whole new layer of collaboration.b-scape is effectively a 3-D information area centred around an interactive screen, which focuses on a map of Birmingham's physical city centre. It allows visitors to experience the city via an avatar (a virtual self), which are then able to interact and collaborate with other avatars in Second Life and control b-scape. Through the avatar, the user can navigate around Birmingham using Google Maps technology and discover information about key buildings in the city centre, play videos and access RSS data. Importantly, b-scape can be experienced collectively by many individuals at the same time, making it an ideal virtual environment for meetings and training sessions. It could allow architects and developers to plan the development of the city and see schemes in relation to their surroundings, as well as enabling visitors to plan their trips in advance. Birmingham Island offers great potential for local organisations and companies wishing to have a presence in Second Life and to explore the opportunities presented by virtual world. The new Library of Birmingham, due to open in 2013, is already planning an interactive site on the Island, and Digital Birmingham believes the island will prove invaluable as a resource for other local organisations."For organisations to be able to see the city as it looks now and plan how it could look in the future is an extremely powerful tool," said Birmingham City Council's deputy leader Paul Tilsley, who heads up the Digital Birmingham partnership.
"The potential is enormous: visitors could browse the city's attractions and amenities to see for themselves what it's like before they visit, residents could access local services, event organisers could use it to showcase exhibitions and displays, and could even host events in the virtual world with performances accessible online."
London, Liverpool and Manchester have all used Second Life but it is believed that Birmingham is the first council in the UK to utilise a range of virtual world technologies to interact collaboratively with the public and local businesses. Birmingham Island goes live on October 23rd.
* - Article from Publictechnology.net
'Virtual Birmingham' will be launched by Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby at this week's Hello Digital festival at Millennium Point, Birmingham (23rd-26th October). Developed by Digital Birmingham, it demonstrates the potential of digital and virtual technologies in delivering public services and interacting with citizens, and aims to incorporate virtual worlds and web 2.0+ activity within Birmingham under one co-ordinated banner. In the long term, this will provide city planners amongst others, with a powerful tool for online consultation and marketing, as well as huge scope for inward investment. Although several other cities have a presence in Second Life, Birmingham Island's showpiece attraction, b-scape, is the first to integrate other online applications such as Google Maps, video and RSS feeds to provide a whole new layer of collaboration.b-scape is effectively a 3-D information area centred around an interactive screen, which focuses on a map of Birmingham's physical city centre. It allows visitors to experience the city via an avatar (a virtual self), which are then able to interact and collaborate with other avatars in Second Life and control b-scape. Through the avatar, the user can navigate around Birmingham using Google Maps technology and discover information about key buildings in the city centre, play videos and access RSS data. Importantly, b-scape can be experienced collectively by many individuals at the same time, making it an ideal virtual environment for meetings and training sessions. It could allow architects and developers to plan the development of the city and see schemes in relation to their surroundings, as well as enabling visitors to plan their trips in advance. Birmingham Island offers great potential for local organisations and companies wishing to have a presence in Second Life and to explore the opportunities presented by virtual world. The new Library of Birmingham, due to open in 2013, is already planning an interactive site on the Island, and Digital Birmingham believes the island will prove invaluable as a resource for other local organisations."For organisations to be able to see the city as it looks now and plan how it could look in the future is an extremely powerful tool," said Birmingham City Council's deputy leader Paul Tilsley, who heads up the Digital Birmingham partnership.
"The potential is enormous: visitors could browse the city's attractions and amenities to see for themselves what it's like before they visit, residents could access local services, event organisers could use it to showcase exhibitions and displays, and could even host events in the virtual world with performances accessible online."
London, Liverpool and Manchester have all used Second Life but it is believed that Birmingham is the first council in the UK to utilise a range of virtual world technologies to interact collaboratively with the public and local businesses. Birmingham Island goes live on October 23rd.
* - Article from Publictechnology.net
Friday, October 17, 2008
IT Network Security Manager - Current Vacancy
An experienced Network Manager skilled with Windows 2003 server, Active Directory, Exchange 2003, DHCP, TCP/IP, DNS, ISA, VPN, Firewalls and Cisco switches / routers is urgently required.
You would be responsible for the management of the Network Services staff (2 members), management of the Network Infrastructure, analyse and troubleshoot network performance issues, maintain and document IT system controls and ensure privacy and security.
You will be MCSE or CCNA / CCNP qualified. This is an excellent permanent position which requires a technically 'hands on' manager, so please do send through a technically detailed CV asap.
G & G Recruitment are working as an Employment Agency.
You would be responsible for the management of the Network Services staff (2 members), management of the Network Infrastructure, analyse and troubleshoot network performance issues, maintain and document IT system controls and ensure privacy and security.
You will be MCSE or CCNA / CCNP qualified. This is an excellent permanent position which requires a technically 'hands on' manager, so please do send through a technically detailed CV asap.
G & G Recruitment are working as an Employment Agency.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The IT Professional's Survival Guide
Michael Pincher advises on how to keep your job while all about you are losing theirs...
If you’re worried about your job then stay away from Mount Olympus. It’s where the Gods live and different rules apply.
I made the mistake of going there once and was pole-axed by a thunderbolt. Of course it wasn’t Greece I went to, merely the headquarters of a project where I worked - the place where executives plan their bonuses - and others' demise.
“Remember,” said the Chairman’s bagman. “Projects like this are divided between those of us above the cloud line supping on ambrosia and the rest of you below, who do what you’re told.” It was a piece of brutal realism.
So if you’re not part of the upper echelons and you're worried about your job, let me proffer some advice.
1) Understand the culture: Most industries are dominated by people and firms with a mixture of clans and hierarchies. For example masons are big in construction, technology is populated by Americans, etc.
2) Know where you fit in: Within hierarchies there are well-ordered relationships you need to understand. In construction, for example, the client instructs the architect, who tells the quantity surveyor, who orders the civil engineer, who gets paid by the accountant, or sues through the lawyer.
It’s a system that goes back to the pyramids. Unfortunately for IT people (the Johnny-come-latelies in most businesses) there’s no easy way to slot into the pecking order. While you know how important technology is – others just don’t care.
3) Learn how to flatter: Many of us IT geeks are pretty egotistical and/or asocial. It’s time to learn how to flatter. While praise may at times be excessive, untrue, or insincere, people love it all the same and the more senior they are, the more used to - and addicted - they are to adulation . It’s not a difficult skill to acquire. Programming in XML requires understanding of syntax; flattery is merely a context language - and best applied with a large trowel.
4) Dress like your peers: All too often IT people dress like circus folk in pony-tails and comic tee-shirts. It’s the nature of our business to appear modern but in some organisations ‘casual’ gets up people’s noses. I asked a managing director once what "dress-down Friday" meant to him. “A grey suit slightly lighter than your normal one,” was the curt reply.
5) Keep your head down: The first rule of paintballing is to shoot the person who’s waving their arms about – they’re usually the leader. So don’t draw attention to yourself. From sending round too many emails, to asking questions in a meeting, your chances of corporate survival are best if no one knows you’re there.
Getting on in an organisation is less about talent, commitment and creativity and more about the laying on of hands. Unless it's certain you’re going to be invited above the cloud line, keep well away from the powerful. While everyone deserves to work in a climate of dignity and respect, few of us do - not least in a time when the temple of the gods is being overturned.
* - Article from computerweekly.com
Cambridgeshire County Council has UK's top public sector call centre
Cambridgeshire County Council is the UK’s best performing public sector call centre in new research from the Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service.
Cambridgeshire County Council achieved 87%, placing it in the Top Ten Call Centres for Customer Services, in the UK’s biggest ever call centre benchmarking exercise, conducted by independent market research company GfK NOP. The study was commissioned by the UK’s Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service, a programme organised by Call Centre Focus magazine, to raise customer service standards in the call centre industry. The research consisted of 20,000 mystery shopper calls to 50 of the UK’s leading call centres, across five sectors – retail, financial services & insurance, telecoms & utilities, public sector and entertainment, leisure & travel. Each call centre was rated using over 50 criteria across five key areas of service - timeliness, ease of use, reliability, staff knowledge and personalised service – and awarded a Customer Service rating in percentage terms. Cambridgeshire County Council demonstrated that public sector call centres can deliver a world-class customer service, scoring an impressive 87%, nine points above the average score for the public sector. The council joins some of the UK’s leading financial institutions in the Top Ten Call Centres for Customer Service, including First Direct, Specsavers and ING Direct. Public sector organisations who took part in the Top 50 Call Centre initiative include: Cambridgeshire County Council, Driving Standards Agency, DVLA, HMRC, Kent County Council, Liverpool Direct Limited, London Borough of Lambeth, Slough Borough Council and Surrey County Council.
THE UK’S TOP TEN CALL CENTRES FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE
1 First Direct 91.73%
2 Denplan 91.32%
3 F&C investments 91.26%
4 Lloyds TSB Insurance 91.02%
5 Laithwaites 90.36%
6 Prudential 89.33%
7 Charles Tyrwhitt 89.29%
8 ING Direct 87.89%
9 Specsavers 87.57%
10 Cambridgeshire County Council 87.13%
Call centres in the public sector performed particularly well for ease of use and reliability, achieving scores of 91% and 86% in these areas. The public sector also demonstrated a strong performance in first-time resolution of calls with 93% of enquiries were resolved on the initial call.
OVERALL TOP 50 CALL CENTRE SCORES BY SECTOR
Overall 83%
1. Retail 87%
2. Financial services & insurance 86%
3. Entertainment, leisure & travel 82%
4. Telecoms & utilities 82%
5. Public sector 78%
Overall, retail and financial services & insurance were the best performing sectors. The public sector achieved a score of 78%, compared to the overall average score of 83% (see Table 1).
Claudia Hathway, Editor of Call Centre Focus, commented:
“This benchmarking survey represents a landmark for the call centre industry, with 50 of the UK’s top call centres prepared to put their reputations on the line in order to raise service standards for their customers. We would like to congratulate Cambridgeshire County Council for their excellent performance, and indeed all of the Top 50, for such high achievements. We hope this initiative will inspire other call centres to improve their levels of customer service to reach the standards set by our Top 50 members and we are grateful to Siemens for their enthusiastic sponsorship and support of the programme and its aims.”
“The results show that many organisations are already delivering a world-class service to their customers. However, there is still room for improvement, particularly in the area of personalised service. By investing in the frontline employees who provide call centre service, organisations have an opportunity to differentiate their performance and increase customer long-term loyalty.”
* - Article from Publictechnology.net
Cambridgeshire County Council achieved 87%, placing it in the Top Ten Call Centres for Customer Services, in the UK’s biggest ever call centre benchmarking exercise, conducted by independent market research company GfK NOP. The study was commissioned by the UK’s Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service, a programme organised by Call Centre Focus magazine, to raise customer service standards in the call centre industry. The research consisted of 20,000 mystery shopper calls to 50 of the UK’s leading call centres, across five sectors – retail, financial services & insurance, telecoms & utilities, public sector and entertainment, leisure & travel. Each call centre was rated using over 50 criteria across five key areas of service - timeliness, ease of use, reliability, staff knowledge and personalised service – and awarded a Customer Service rating in percentage terms. Cambridgeshire County Council demonstrated that public sector call centres can deliver a world-class customer service, scoring an impressive 87%, nine points above the average score for the public sector. The council joins some of the UK’s leading financial institutions in the Top Ten Call Centres for Customer Service, including First Direct, Specsavers and ING Direct. Public sector organisations who took part in the Top 50 Call Centre initiative include: Cambridgeshire County Council, Driving Standards Agency, DVLA, HMRC, Kent County Council, Liverpool Direct Limited, London Borough of Lambeth, Slough Borough Council and Surrey County Council.
THE UK’S TOP TEN CALL CENTRES FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE
1 First Direct 91.73%
2 Denplan 91.32%
3 F&C investments 91.26%
4 Lloyds TSB Insurance 91.02%
5 Laithwaites 90.36%
6 Prudential 89.33%
7 Charles Tyrwhitt 89.29%
8 ING Direct 87.89%
9 Specsavers 87.57%
10 Cambridgeshire County Council 87.13%
Call centres in the public sector performed particularly well for ease of use and reliability, achieving scores of 91% and 86% in these areas. The public sector also demonstrated a strong performance in first-time resolution of calls with 93% of enquiries were resolved on the initial call.
OVERALL TOP 50 CALL CENTRE SCORES BY SECTOR
Overall 83%
1. Retail 87%
2. Financial services & insurance 86%
3. Entertainment, leisure & travel 82%
4. Telecoms & utilities 82%
5. Public sector 78%
Overall, retail and financial services & insurance were the best performing sectors. The public sector achieved a score of 78%, compared to the overall average score of 83% (see Table 1).
Claudia Hathway, Editor of Call Centre Focus, commented:
“This benchmarking survey represents a landmark for the call centre industry, with 50 of the UK’s top call centres prepared to put their reputations on the line in order to raise service standards for their customers. We would like to congratulate Cambridgeshire County Council for their excellent performance, and indeed all of the Top 50, for such high achievements. We hope this initiative will inspire other call centres to improve their levels of customer service to reach the standards set by our Top 50 members and we are grateful to Siemens for their enthusiastic sponsorship and support of the programme and its aims.”
“The results show that many organisations are already delivering a world-class service to their customers. However, there is still room for improvement, particularly in the area of personalised service. By investing in the frontline employees who provide call centre service, organisations have an opportunity to differentiate their performance and increase customer long-term loyalty.”
* - Article from Publictechnology.net
Information Analyst - NHS, Access, Excel, Public Health
Information Analyst with experience in the NHS and skilled with Access and Excel is urgently required. Any Public Health experience would be highly desirable. You will support an epidemiologist who would provide supervision. You would be responsible for collating and manipulating data to produce ad hoc and routine management reports. You would have worked with KPIs before. This is an excellent opportunity, so please do send through a detailed CV asap. G & G Recruitment are working as an Employment Business.
MIS / Data Analyst - Current Vacancy
Data Analyst skilled with SQL and with experience in the Education sector is urgently required. You will also have experience with Access and Excel. You will be responsible for: -
• report writing
• producing and resolving issues with ILR
• supervision of data input and quality
• resolution of issues and troubleshooting.
Any experience with Unit-e would be highly desirable.
This is an excellent contract which is moving fast, so please do send through a detailed CV asap.
G & G Recruitment are working as an Employment Business.
• report writing
• producing and resolving issues with ILR
• supervision of data input and quality
• resolution of issues and troubleshooting.
Any experience with Unit-e would be highly desirable.
This is an excellent contract which is moving fast, so please do send through a detailed CV asap.
G & G Recruitment are working as an Employment Business.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Is temporary recruitment the latest government scandal?
According to trade union GMB, between 2006 and 2007, UK councils spent just shy of £2 billion on temporary and agency staff. That’s a sizeable chunk of annual budget by anyone’s standards. That local authorities are major employers of temporary staff is not news. But the amount of money spent, and the extent to which councils are dependent on non-permanent staff is but one of a number of challenges that councils face when recruiting temp workers.
Temporary recruitment has always been a thorn in the side of embattled HR departments across the country. They need staff quickly, if not immediately. They need staff to be reliable and to turn up when they are supposed to. And they need to get staff at the right price. Unfortunately, most HR departments do not have the necessary internal processes or resources to deliver a consistent supply of quality, cost-effective temporary staff.
There is no shortage of advice about aligning the recruitment function to the overall business strategy and demonstrating the value that HR can bring. But while talent management, succession planning, and diversity strategies have jumped to the top of the agenda, temporary recruitment and the management of preferred recruitment suppliers lingers neglected at the bottom of the pile. And because HR departments are not necessarily equipped to respond to immediate tactical problems, the hiring of temporary staff has become fragmented. Rather than going through the established channels, middle managers at social services, education or buildings management take matters into their own hands and establish relationships with a small number of recruitment agencies. This is a dangerous situation to be in. Immediately the economies of scale that centralised recruitment offers are gone. But more importantly, recruitment agencies with a local fiefdom of specialisation and a captive audience can get away with charging a premium for their services. The incentive to keep delivering reliable, effective workers has gone; and with a limited choice of recruits on offer, standards are not necessarily maintained.
This is where it becomes critical. Quite aside from the money spent on temporary recruitment, there is a real concern about quality of service. Local authorities have become much closer to commercial organisations in terms of transparency around service delivery, value for money and accountability. They are endlessly measured and monitored. They are required to produce reams of data. Strict standards for performance must be met. But constituents don’t need annual reports to tell them when their local authority is delivering quality and when it’s not.
People don’t notice the productivity levels of a head of department, the transformational skills of a change manager, or the impact of a new geographical information system. They notice when their hospitals and schools are clean. They notice the catering dropping at elderly relatives’ care homes. They notice when their bins have not been emptied, and streets not swept. Yet these day to day interactions with the public are where the vast majority of the temporary workforce is to be found. So if someone does not turn up as promised, has a bad attitude, or is simply not qualified to do the job properly, it inhibits the council’s ability to fulfil its remit. It wastes money. And it damages the council’s relationship with its major stakeholders – the local citizens and taxpayers.
The problems associated with temporary recruitment have long been recognised and have given rise to the provision of recruitment process outsourcing. Handing over the problem to a qualified third party and putting a series of SLAs in place is certainly an attractive proposition. But while it may eradicate some of the more pressing issues, it doesn’t miraculously solve all the problems associated with temporary recruitment. Where RPO is deployed, fragmentation invariably disappears. But the master vendor relationship that replaces it brings its own particular perils – not least cost, complacency and favouritism. Instead, what local authorities need is a solution that ensures that recruitment agencies’ incentives are in line with those of the final recruiter. A system that provides a competitive environment in which recruitment agencies continuously strive for preferred supplier status and the contracts that come with it, has proved to be the answer.
Automation is the key here, and although it may run counter to the prevailing orthodoxy in many HR departments, it can help select the right employee, with the right skills at the right price. This form of recruitment process management cuts out the master vendor and replaces it with a network of approved and audited suppliers managed through an automated software platform. Because it offers access to thousands of recruitment consultancies across the country, users can select from both specialist and non-specialist suppliers whenever they need to – without extensive red tape and bureaucracy. They also benefit from significant economies of scale and the improved commission rates that have been negotiated. But what really distinguishes this model is that it is a dynamic and truly interactive operation. Rather than simply accessing a static database of potential recruits, the system is able to measure agencies’ performance against a balanced scorecard, a series of pre-established benchmarks that take into account both quality and cost of staff, and tier them accordingly. It will always go to agencies that have proved themselves to be reliable and effective first. If the top tier agencies do not have someone on their books with the requisite skill-set and attributes, or if their costs are too high, the system moves on to agencies on the next rung down and so on. However, if an agency fails to deliver, or if the worker they send doesn’t meet expectations, then it swiftly loses its tier one supplier status and with it first shout at the most lucrative contracts. In an over-saturated market, that’s a risk that an agency can ill-afford to take. For local authorities it’s a win-win situation. Agencies are immediately motivated to provide quality, cost-effective staffing options. The middle man is cut out completely. And HR departments can continue to focus on adding value in more strategic areas of their operations.
* - Article from publictechnology.net and written by Mike Trevor CEO of Comensura
I have written on RPO and more particularly Master Vendor agreements before, so agree with Mike regarding the Master Vendor failings. But to basically say that middle managers cannot handle recruitment unless they have an automated system does not wash with me. A network of approved and audited suppliers is not a bad idea but generally, in my experience, works against small agencies. These same small agencies often offer the customer service and personalised processes that really benefit recruiting managers. They are more willing to offer reduced fees and go that extra mile to satisfy the client requirements. The main point of this article started on the cost of temporary recruitment for Local Authorities - £2 billion. My suggestion would be: -
a. Find out what of this cost are actually recruitment / agency fees
b. Work out what is a reasonable market rate to pay for recruitment in different sectors
c. Get HR or Procurement, or even a central Government body to send a guideline to all recruiting managers on cost and what level local authorities are allowed to pay
This would mean managers can still select agencies that work well with them but all agencies are working to the same costs. This would inevitable cut down on costs and keep competition and service quality alive and well. Its also a lot simpler than using an automated approach. My experience of this automated software is that it slows the whole process down as it adds an extra person / system into the process. You also have to pay for the use and maintenance of the software.
Temporary recruitment has always been a thorn in the side of embattled HR departments across the country. They need staff quickly, if not immediately. They need staff to be reliable and to turn up when they are supposed to. And they need to get staff at the right price. Unfortunately, most HR departments do not have the necessary internal processes or resources to deliver a consistent supply of quality, cost-effective temporary staff.
There is no shortage of advice about aligning the recruitment function to the overall business strategy and demonstrating the value that HR can bring. But while talent management, succession planning, and diversity strategies have jumped to the top of the agenda, temporary recruitment and the management of preferred recruitment suppliers lingers neglected at the bottom of the pile. And because HR departments are not necessarily equipped to respond to immediate tactical problems, the hiring of temporary staff has become fragmented. Rather than going through the established channels, middle managers at social services, education or buildings management take matters into their own hands and establish relationships with a small number of recruitment agencies. This is a dangerous situation to be in. Immediately the economies of scale that centralised recruitment offers are gone. But more importantly, recruitment agencies with a local fiefdom of specialisation and a captive audience can get away with charging a premium for their services. The incentive to keep delivering reliable, effective workers has gone; and with a limited choice of recruits on offer, standards are not necessarily maintained.
This is where it becomes critical. Quite aside from the money spent on temporary recruitment, there is a real concern about quality of service. Local authorities have become much closer to commercial organisations in terms of transparency around service delivery, value for money and accountability. They are endlessly measured and monitored. They are required to produce reams of data. Strict standards for performance must be met. But constituents don’t need annual reports to tell them when their local authority is delivering quality and when it’s not.
People don’t notice the productivity levels of a head of department, the transformational skills of a change manager, or the impact of a new geographical information system. They notice when their hospitals and schools are clean. They notice the catering dropping at elderly relatives’ care homes. They notice when their bins have not been emptied, and streets not swept. Yet these day to day interactions with the public are where the vast majority of the temporary workforce is to be found. So if someone does not turn up as promised, has a bad attitude, or is simply not qualified to do the job properly, it inhibits the council’s ability to fulfil its remit. It wastes money. And it damages the council’s relationship with its major stakeholders – the local citizens and taxpayers.
The problems associated with temporary recruitment have long been recognised and have given rise to the provision of recruitment process outsourcing. Handing over the problem to a qualified third party and putting a series of SLAs in place is certainly an attractive proposition. But while it may eradicate some of the more pressing issues, it doesn’t miraculously solve all the problems associated with temporary recruitment. Where RPO is deployed, fragmentation invariably disappears. But the master vendor relationship that replaces it brings its own particular perils – not least cost, complacency and favouritism. Instead, what local authorities need is a solution that ensures that recruitment agencies’ incentives are in line with those of the final recruiter. A system that provides a competitive environment in which recruitment agencies continuously strive for preferred supplier status and the contracts that come with it, has proved to be the answer.
Automation is the key here, and although it may run counter to the prevailing orthodoxy in many HR departments, it can help select the right employee, with the right skills at the right price. This form of recruitment process management cuts out the master vendor and replaces it with a network of approved and audited suppliers managed through an automated software platform. Because it offers access to thousands of recruitment consultancies across the country, users can select from both specialist and non-specialist suppliers whenever they need to – without extensive red tape and bureaucracy. They also benefit from significant economies of scale and the improved commission rates that have been negotiated. But what really distinguishes this model is that it is a dynamic and truly interactive operation. Rather than simply accessing a static database of potential recruits, the system is able to measure agencies’ performance against a balanced scorecard, a series of pre-established benchmarks that take into account both quality and cost of staff, and tier them accordingly. It will always go to agencies that have proved themselves to be reliable and effective first. If the top tier agencies do not have someone on their books with the requisite skill-set and attributes, or if their costs are too high, the system moves on to agencies on the next rung down and so on. However, if an agency fails to deliver, or if the worker they send doesn’t meet expectations, then it swiftly loses its tier one supplier status and with it first shout at the most lucrative contracts. In an over-saturated market, that’s a risk that an agency can ill-afford to take. For local authorities it’s a win-win situation. Agencies are immediately motivated to provide quality, cost-effective staffing options. The middle man is cut out completely. And HR departments can continue to focus on adding value in more strategic areas of their operations.
* - Article from publictechnology.net and written by Mike Trevor CEO of Comensura
I have written on RPO and more particularly Master Vendor agreements before, so agree with Mike regarding the Master Vendor failings. But to basically say that middle managers cannot handle recruitment unless they have an automated system does not wash with me. A network of approved and audited suppliers is not a bad idea but generally, in my experience, works against small agencies. These same small agencies often offer the customer service and personalised processes that really benefit recruiting managers. They are more willing to offer reduced fees and go that extra mile to satisfy the client requirements. The main point of this article started on the cost of temporary recruitment for Local Authorities - £2 billion. My suggestion would be: -
a. Find out what of this cost are actually recruitment / agency fees
b. Work out what is a reasonable market rate to pay for recruitment in different sectors
c. Get HR or Procurement, or even a central Government body to send a guideline to all recruiting managers on cost and what level local authorities are allowed to pay
This would mean managers can still select agencies that work well with them but all agencies are working to the same costs. This would inevitable cut down on costs and keep competition and service quality alive and well. Its also a lot simpler than using an automated approach. My experience of this automated software is that it slows the whole process down as it adds an extra person / system into the process. You also have to pay for the use and maintenance of the software.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Labour address
Labour MP Andrew Miller on Monday urged IT/telecoms and engineering/technical recruiters to “keep your nerve” in the face of a deepening global financial crisis.
Speaking to Association of Technology Staffing Companies (ATSCo) members at a House of Commons reception, Miller said, “There is a determination across the parties to make sure Britain comes out as strongly as possible” from the the economic turmoil. “It has been an extraordinary period,” Miller said of the last three weeks, which have seen investment banks fail and dramatic ups and downs for share prices.
Miller also reiterated his commitment to ensuring that any upcoming directive and legislative on equal treatment for agency workers does not have a negative impact on professional contractors who work through agencies or umbrella companies but instead penalises employers and others who exploit ‘vulnerable workers’. “I’m absolutely convinced it would be wrong to use the legislation to battle these organisations,” he said of the high-end professional services providers. “You have my assurance that is not what is intended.”
* - Article from www.recruiter.co.uk
Not what is intended and what happens can sometimes differ wildly. I hope, seriously hope, that Mr Andrew Miller and the rest of the labour government ensure that professional contractors are not penalised. Due to the HMRC they are already penalised enough.
Speaking to Association of Technology Staffing Companies (ATSCo) members at a House of Commons reception, Miller said, “There is a determination across the parties to make sure Britain comes out as strongly as possible” from the the economic turmoil. “It has been an extraordinary period,” Miller said of the last three weeks, which have seen investment banks fail and dramatic ups and downs for share prices.
Miller also reiterated his commitment to ensuring that any upcoming directive and legislative on equal treatment for agency workers does not have a negative impact on professional contractors who work through agencies or umbrella companies but instead penalises employers and others who exploit ‘vulnerable workers’. “I’m absolutely convinced it would be wrong to use the legislation to battle these organisations,” he said of the high-end professional services providers. “You have my assurance that is not what is intended.”
* - Article from www.recruiter.co.uk
Not what is intended and what happens can sometimes differ wildly. I hope, seriously hope, that Mr Andrew Miller and the rest of the labour government ensure that professional contractors are not penalised. Due to the HMRC they are already penalised enough.
Counterfeit vodka seizure cued up by Food Standards Agency's Intelligence IT systems
Intelligence gathered by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) through its national food fraud database, provided by intelligence software experts Memex, has led police, customs and trading standards and environmental health officers to raid four premises in London, resulting in the seizure of hundreds of bottles of counterfeit vodka.
The intelligence was received by the FSA after it published an alert to local authorities across the UK about counterfeit SPAR Imperial Vodka which contained potentially harmful levels of methanol. The levels recorded could have serious health effects, including blindness, if consumed in large quantities. Documents seized at the premises led officers to three further locations where more counterfeit vodka was seized. The FSA’s national food fraud database was first established in 2006 to allow the Agency to share information with local authorities and law enforcement agencies. The centralised Memex system stores and analyses intelligence on food fraud and helps the Agency to identify links between fraudulent activities and co-ordinate multi-agency investigations.
Sarah Appleby, Head of Enforcement at the Food Standards Agency, said: “The Agency plays an important role in gathering intelligence on food fraud from across the country and sharing it with local authorities to allow them to carry out their vital enforcement role effectively. Using Memex’s technology we can analyse the information from all sources and remove potentially dangerous goods from the market, reducing the risk to consumers.”
David Carrick, CEO of Memex, said: “The database we provide to the FSA allows for an increase in the flow of intelligence across all the relevant agencies, both domestically and internationally. The technology is capable of linking even the most tenuous of information so the Agency can identify emerging patterns. This case is a great example of how our technology can be used to help identify and track fraudulent activity and organised crime.”
* - Article from Publictechnology.net
The intelligence was received by the FSA after it published an alert to local authorities across the UK about counterfeit SPAR Imperial Vodka which contained potentially harmful levels of methanol. The levels recorded could have serious health effects, including blindness, if consumed in large quantities. Documents seized at the premises led officers to three further locations where more counterfeit vodka was seized. The FSA’s national food fraud database was first established in 2006 to allow the Agency to share information with local authorities and law enforcement agencies. The centralised Memex system stores and analyses intelligence on food fraud and helps the Agency to identify links between fraudulent activities and co-ordinate multi-agency investigations.
Sarah Appleby, Head of Enforcement at the Food Standards Agency, said: “The Agency plays an important role in gathering intelligence on food fraud from across the country and sharing it with local authorities to allow them to carry out their vital enforcement role effectively. Using Memex’s technology we can analyse the information from all sources and remove potentially dangerous goods from the market, reducing the risk to consumers.”
David Carrick, CEO of Memex, said: “The database we provide to the FSA allows for an increase in the flow of intelligence across all the relevant agencies, both domestically and internationally. The technology is capable of linking even the most tenuous of information so the Agency can identify emerging patterns. This case is a great example of how our technology can be used to help identify and track fraudulent activity and organised crime.”
* - Article from Publictechnology.net
Friday, October 3, 2008
The lure of the public sector
Often when sourcing staff for our clients we encounter some resistance from candidates who have only worked in the Private Sector. They usually point to the unorganised, unstructured approach of the Public Sector, the length of time it takes to get anything done and the bureaucracy involved. While this may be true in some organisations within the Public and Not-for-Profit sector, I am sure that it is true within some Private organisations as well.
The article below (from http://www.whatpc.co.uk/) explains nicely why working in the Public Sector can be better than working in the Private sector: -
It is a common misconception that work in the public sector lacks the dynamism, innovation and pace of its private sector counterpart – and in the area of IT, nothing could be further from the truth.
The challenges of moving from private to public sector, particularly where education is concerned, are much greater than people think.
But if you are ambitious, keen to innovate and eager to work on some of the largest IT projects in the country, then the education sector could be right up your street.
The detailed procurement processes that schools and universities go through when reviewing an IT implementation can help to fuel innovation, by opening the door to new firms that might be seen as too bleeding-edge for private business. As a result, IT managers and directors are often ahead of their private sector colleagues when it comes to the latest technological advances.
With the drive into electronic government, for example, public sector organisations of all shapes and sizes have developed some of the most proactive and responsive web sites in the UK.
The response mechanisms to online information provide citizens with a channel of communication that many private sector companies struggle to achieve. Such processes are mirrored in the education sector, with even the smallest village schools having their own web sites for prospective parents to access information.
The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme is providing many opportunities for innovation in the education sector. The project is receiving major investment, which will have a considerable effect on the technology available in secondary schools across the country.
While innovation is not a word commonly associated with the public sector, the government can lead the way in IT skills and standards.
Some of the world-class standards, such as Prince2 for project management and the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) – see Key skills for public sector IT workers, below – have become core to not-for-profit working.
Prince2 was developed in 1989 by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency as a government standard for IT project management. Undertaking large-scale projects enabled the public sector to spot a gap in the market, and to propose standards of project management that could help implementations run smoothly and to budget.
As personnel transferred out of government into business, they took these skills with them into the private sector.
Prince2 is now used in more than 50 countries worldwide for all types of projects, not just those in the IT sector. The approach will prove invaluable to schools going through BSF projects to ensure they are properly managed and cause as little disruption to pupils as possible.
But if you are looking for a smooth and an unchallenging role, do not assume the education sector is for you. Just because there are no financial shareholders reviewing performance on a daily basis does not mean there is a lack of accountability.
In fact, you could argue that the education sector has a much tougher audience – the general public. When mistakes happen they will reach the public domain – something that may not always happen in the private sector. But if you want to get involved in some of the largest IT implementations in the UK, then the public sector offers a wealth of opportunities. The scale of projects in the major government departments such as the Department for Children, Schools and Families, or the Department for Work and Pensions, provides an ideal career opportunity for IT professionals looking to build their skills set.
There are few such opportunities in the private sector where you can expect to be involved with so many users or as many customer records. Add the joined-up government initiative and you can see why any IT professional should be getting excited about public sector projects that will look to push the boundaries of technology in the future.
The public sector offers an innovative environment, without the financial pressures of shareholders, and the added incentive to educate children and young adults to help make a difference.
Robert Chapman is chief executive of IT training specialist Firebrand Training
Key skills for public sector IT workers
Prince2
Prince2 – Projects in Controlled Environments – is a project management method covering the organisation, management and control of projects. Since its introduction, Prince2 has become widely used in both the public and private sectors and is now the UK’s de facto standard for project management. Although Prince2 was originally developed for the needs of IT projects, the method has also been used on many non-IT projects. The latest version is designed to incorporate the requirements of existing users and to enhance the method towards a generic, best-practice approach for the management of all types of projects.
ITIL
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of concepts and techniques for managing IT infrastructure, development and operations. ITIL is the only consistent and comprehensive documentation of best practice for IT service management. Used by many organisations around the world, an entire ITIL philosophy has grown up around the guidance.
The article below (from http://www.whatpc.co.uk/) explains nicely why working in the Public Sector can be better than working in the Private sector: -
It is a common misconception that work in the public sector lacks the dynamism, innovation and pace of its private sector counterpart – and in the area of IT, nothing could be further from the truth.
The challenges of moving from private to public sector, particularly where education is concerned, are much greater than people think.
But if you are ambitious, keen to innovate and eager to work on some of the largest IT projects in the country, then the education sector could be right up your street.
The detailed procurement processes that schools and universities go through when reviewing an IT implementation can help to fuel innovation, by opening the door to new firms that might be seen as too bleeding-edge for private business. As a result, IT managers and directors are often ahead of their private sector colleagues when it comes to the latest technological advances.
With the drive into electronic government, for example, public sector organisations of all shapes and sizes have developed some of the most proactive and responsive web sites in the UK.
The response mechanisms to online information provide citizens with a channel of communication that many private sector companies struggle to achieve. Such processes are mirrored in the education sector, with even the smallest village schools having their own web sites for prospective parents to access information.
The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme is providing many opportunities for innovation in the education sector. The project is receiving major investment, which will have a considerable effect on the technology available in secondary schools across the country.
While innovation is not a word commonly associated with the public sector, the government can lead the way in IT skills and standards.
Some of the world-class standards, such as Prince2 for project management and the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) – see Key skills for public sector IT workers, below – have become core to not-for-profit working.
Prince2 was developed in 1989 by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency as a government standard for IT project management. Undertaking large-scale projects enabled the public sector to spot a gap in the market, and to propose standards of project management that could help implementations run smoothly and to budget.
As personnel transferred out of government into business, they took these skills with them into the private sector.
Prince2 is now used in more than 50 countries worldwide for all types of projects, not just those in the IT sector. The approach will prove invaluable to schools going through BSF projects to ensure they are properly managed and cause as little disruption to pupils as possible.
But if you are looking for a smooth and an unchallenging role, do not assume the education sector is for you. Just because there are no financial shareholders reviewing performance on a daily basis does not mean there is a lack of accountability.
In fact, you could argue that the education sector has a much tougher audience – the general public. When mistakes happen they will reach the public domain – something that may not always happen in the private sector. But if you want to get involved in some of the largest IT implementations in the UK, then the public sector offers a wealth of opportunities. The scale of projects in the major government departments such as the Department for Children, Schools and Families, or the Department for Work and Pensions, provides an ideal career opportunity for IT professionals looking to build their skills set.
There are few such opportunities in the private sector where you can expect to be involved with so many users or as many customer records. Add the joined-up government initiative and you can see why any IT professional should be getting excited about public sector projects that will look to push the boundaries of technology in the future.
The public sector offers an innovative environment, without the financial pressures of shareholders, and the added incentive to educate children and young adults to help make a difference.
Robert Chapman is chief executive of IT training specialist Firebrand Training
Key skills for public sector IT workers
Prince2
Prince2 – Projects in Controlled Environments – is a project management method covering the organisation, management and control of projects. Since its introduction, Prince2 has become widely used in both the public and private sectors and is now the UK’s de facto standard for project management. Although Prince2 was originally developed for the needs of IT projects, the method has also been used on many non-IT projects. The latest version is designed to incorporate the requirements of existing users and to enhance the method towards a generic, best-practice approach for the management of all types of projects.
ITIL
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of concepts and techniques for managing IT infrastructure, development and operations. ITIL is the only consistent and comprehensive documentation of best practice for IT service management. Used by many organisations around the world, an entire ITIL philosophy has grown up around the guidance.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Why do 70 per cent of Public Sector Partnerships fail to deliver?
Research suggests that up to 70 per cent of partnerships fail to deliver their intended outcomes. CPCR, a consultancy specialising in developing organisations, leaders and partnerships, concludes that the key drivers of this failure are issues of trust and deteriorating relationships.
90 per cent of respondents surveyed by CPCR at a recent exhibition for the North East public sector reported that in many cases partners place insufficient significance on the building of relationships within the partnership and often revert to adverse behaviours which result in the partnerships’ objectives not being met. CPCR believes that these partnerships often under estimate the time it takes to establish and develop strong relationships.
Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are at the heart of the government's efforts to gain best value service for the public sector and it believes that the delivery of key public services through partnerships can bring many benefits which have the potential to result in successful and cost effective outcomes. However, due to the high failure rate of partnerships this comes with risks that can be a potential threat to the tax payers pocket.
Anne Cuthbertson, director at CPCR explains, “When entering a partnership, you often start with ‘good will’ but without careful commitment from both sets of partners, things can start to slide off track and you then find the trust has broken. Both partners need clear and mutual objectives and need to invest in developing and strengthening relationships, without this good will can be tested and the partnership performance can quickly start to deteriorate. “Partnerships that have a pre-agreed method to identify and tackle issues before they arise are the ones that are in a much stronger position to survive and thrive and often having some outside guidance can enable partners to focus on learning to trust each other whilst not loosing site of the objectives. “Increasingly partnerships are looking to use an objective measure to assess the performance and maturity of relationships. The online Partnering Maturity Model we have developed helps partnerships to focus on specific improvements appropriate for their context and needs”, concludes Cuthbertson. For the continued success of future partnerships it’s vital that challenges are worked through at all levels and across all partner organisations. It’s the give-and-take that makes partners confident to keep moving forwards even when the going gets tough.
* - Article from Publictechnology.net
90 per cent of respondents surveyed by CPCR at a recent exhibition for the North East public sector reported that in many cases partners place insufficient significance on the building of relationships within the partnership and often revert to adverse behaviours which result in the partnerships’ objectives not being met. CPCR believes that these partnerships often under estimate the time it takes to establish and develop strong relationships.
Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are at the heart of the government's efforts to gain best value service for the public sector and it believes that the delivery of key public services through partnerships can bring many benefits which have the potential to result in successful and cost effective outcomes. However, due to the high failure rate of partnerships this comes with risks that can be a potential threat to the tax payers pocket.
Anne Cuthbertson, director at CPCR explains, “When entering a partnership, you often start with ‘good will’ but without careful commitment from both sets of partners, things can start to slide off track and you then find the trust has broken. Both partners need clear and mutual objectives and need to invest in developing and strengthening relationships, without this good will can be tested and the partnership performance can quickly start to deteriorate. “Partnerships that have a pre-agreed method to identify and tackle issues before they arise are the ones that are in a much stronger position to survive and thrive and often having some outside guidance can enable partners to focus on learning to trust each other whilst not loosing site of the objectives. “Increasingly partnerships are looking to use an objective measure to assess the performance and maturity of relationships. The online Partnering Maturity Model we have developed helps partnerships to focus on specific improvements appropriate for their context and needs”, concludes Cuthbertson. For the continued success of future partnerships it’s vital that challenges are worked through at all levels and across all partner organisations. It’s the give-and-take that makes partners confident to keep moving forwards even when the going gets tough.
* - Article from Publictechnology.net
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Redundancy - What are your rights?
Redundancy is complicated. There are so many questions you ask yourself when you first start hearing the dreaded 'R' word being bounded about: -
Can they do this to me?
What notice must i be given?
What are my rights?
What pay am i entitled to?
Well, rather than go into the subject on this one blog, i have included a link below which can talk you through all the above points and more. It also has more links to organisations which can help you.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/RedundancyAndLeavingYourJob/DG_10026616
Should you unfortunately be one of the thousands of people facing redundancy, or are just looking for a new role within the IT and Information Management sector, well then please do visit our website or contact us to see how we can help.
Remember, every cloud has a silver lining. By the end of the last recession there were more millionaires than before.
Can they do this to me?
What notice must i be given?
What are my rights?
What pay am i entitled to?
Well, rather than go into the subject on this one blog, i have included a link below which can talk you through all the above points and more. It also has more links to organisations which can help you.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/RedundancyAndLeavingYourJob/DG_10026616
Should you unfortunately be one of the thousands of people facing redundancy, or are just looking for a new role within the IT and Information Management sector, well then please do visit our website or contact us to see how we can help.
Remember, every cloud has a silver lining. By the end of the last recession there were more millionaires than before.
HSBC cuts hundreds of IT contractors
A cost-cutting plan by HSBC to layoff 1,100 staff in its global investment banking operation will put hundreds of UK IT contractors out of work.
Europe’s biggest bank by market value says 650 employees and 450 temporary workers, including contractors, face redundancy from the division’s business and IT support roles. About 500 jobs will go in the UK where HSBC said it had briefed affected parties of the cuts, which were necessary due to today’s tough “business and economic environments.” A spokesman for HSBC denied claims that certain IT workers, including contractors, in front, middle or back-office roles had been singled out for not adding enough value. “Within the IT contractor redundancies, HSBC has worked closely with the agencies and contractors to manage this as sensitively as possible,” the spokesman told CUK. “Some contractors who were very close to the end of their contract were a starting point and absorbed the focus, rather than those with a long period still ahead of them.” The cuts, which represent 4% of the unit, were described as “sensible steps” to take in response to today’s economic pressures and formed part of HSBC’s “cautious outlook for 2009.”
In August, HSBC global banking and markets reported pre-tax profits down 35% in the first half-year to $2.1bn, a 37% improvement from the second half of 2007. Overall, the bank posted a 28% fall in first-half pre-tax profits to $10.2bn, thanks to a $14bn hit from asset writedowns and bad debts in the US home loan market. For IT contractors, the bank said it would “continually review market rates and practices” to ensure HSBC was “competitive”, without saying if cuts had hit the departing contractors. Some banks, like HSBC rival HBOS, initially cut contractors’ pay at the first sign of financial woes, but evidently failed to yield enough savings and followed up by trimming their numbers. From now until Christmas, financers are expected to shed 12,000 jobs directly as a result of the credit crunch, swelling the number of staff they made jobless on last year by one third. The prediction, from the CBI, adds to the more than 80,000 job cuts across the banking sector in the past 18 months, which continue unabated as the borrowing and lending droughts intensify. This week, Britain’s biggest employers’ group said the ongoing drive to cut costs and a “readjust for lower demand” would see most financers drop their levels of IT investment. Its member survey found trading volumes were at their weakest since 1989 and profitability in financial services fell at a record rate, which was set to last for the next three months. Job losses were set to rise sharply over the next quarter, the group also warned, and 99 per cent of firms said it would take more than six months for “normal” market conditions to return.
Last night, the administrators for Lehman Brothers said a restructuring of the 105-year-old business would see 750 staff, mainly in London, made redundant from today. Tony Lomas, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said it was “extremely disappointing” that the jobs at the bank’s European operation could not be saved “despite exhausting all avenues”.
* - Article from www.contractoruk.com
Europe’s biggest bank by market value says 650 employees and 450 temporary workers, including contractors, face redundancy from the division’s business and IT support roles. About 500 jobs will go in the UK where HSBC said it had briefed affected parties of the cuts, which were necessary due to today’s tough “business and economic environments.” A spokesman for HSBC denied claims that certain IT workers, including contractors, in front, middle or back-office roles had been singled out for not adding enough value. “Within the IT contractor redundancies, HSBC has worked closely with the agencies and contractors to manage this as sensitively as possible,” the spokesman told CUK. “Some contractors who were very close to the end of their contract were a starting point and absorbed the focus, rather than those with a long period still ahead of them.” The cuts, which represent 4% of the unit, were described as “sensible steps” to take in response to today’s economic pressures and formed part of HSBC’s “cautious outlook for 2009.”
In August, HSBC global banking and markets reported pre-tax profits down 35% in the first half-year to $2.1bn, a 37% improvement from the second half of 2007. Overall, the bank posted a 28% fall in first-half pre-tax profits to $10.2bn, thanks to a $14bn hit from asset writedowns and bad debts in the US home loan market. For IT contractors, the bank said it would “continually review market rates and practices” to ensure HSBC was “competitive”, without saying if cuts had hit the departing contractors. Some banks, like HSBC rival HBOS, initially cut contractors’ pay at the first sign of financial woes, but evidently failed to yield enough savings and followed up by trimming their numbers. From now until Christmas, financers are expected to shed 12,000 jobs directly as a result of the credit crunch, swelling the number of staff they made jobless on last year by one third. The prediction, from the CBI, adds to the more than 80,000 job cuts across the banking sector in the past 18 months, which continue unabated as the borrowing and lending droughts intensify. This week, Britain’s biggest employers’ group said the ongoing drive to cut costs and a “readjust for lower demand” would see most financers drop their levels of IT investment. Its member survey found trading volumes were at their weakest since 1989 and profitability in financial services fell at a record rate, which was set to last for the next three months. Job losses were set to rise sharply over the next quarter, the group also warned, and 99 per cent of firms said it would take more than six months for “normal” market conditions to return.
Last night, the administrators for Lehman Brothers said a restructuring of the 105-year-old business would see 750 staff, mainly in London, made redundant from today. Tony Lomas, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said it was “extremely disappointing” that the jobs at the bank’s European operation could not be saved “despite exhausting all avenues”.
* - Article from www.contractoruk.com
Lack of IT students puts future at risk
Some things, unfortunately, never seem to change.
Yet again, the number of UK schoolchildren studying IT or for computing exams fell this year, even though we have undoubtedly the most technology-friendly teenage generation ever.
But we are not alone Intel chairman Craig Barrett last week bemoaned the state of technology education in the US. Barrett pointed out that in fast-emerging economies such as China and India, there is a premium on engineering and technology teaching, and a student enthusiasm unmatched in the West.
But we are not alone Intel chairman Craig Barrett last week bemoaned the state of technology education in the US. Barrett pointed out that in fast-emerging economies such as China and India, there is a premium on engineering and technology teaching, and a student enthusiasm unmatched in the West.
Many in the IT industry say the problem comes from a lack of computing teachers, rather than the attitudes of children. For any subject, the enthusiasm and motivation of the teacher is key to students’ success - and there is a widely held perception that there are simply not enough IT teachers with the ability to enthuse their class.
In how many schools is the computing teacher an expert in another subject, such as maths, corralled into taking the IT class?
The difficulty is that this is a tomorrow problem for a today-obsessed government. The knock-on effect of a lack of technology education now will not hit home for another decade at least. In the short term, there is little chance that the target of 140,000 new entrants into the IT profession every year for the next five years will be met - and the UK’s technological capability will suffer.
There are, unfortunately, no immediate solutions but we need a concerted effort from government and the IT profession to reverse the continuing decline in student numbers.
* - Article from www.computing.co.uk
It seems a strange that in an Industry where there are above average salaries on offer we cannot attract enough students. Maybe the image of IT being boring and IT professionals being social stunted needs to be addressed (May i point out that i don't conform to these views). Yes, there aren't many jobs in the world that people actually get up and do a little jig of delight because they are off to work. However, IT does offer variety and with its large amount of project work it has aims, acheivements and therefore satisfaction on offer in abundance.
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