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.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
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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