"Guiding them are Emma Harrison, founder of the largest employment agency in the world" No, chaps, it's not an employment agency. It goes on: Emma says a new approach - like the government’s Flexible New Deal scheme she helps administer - was needed to help the long term jobless. “There may be issues of depression, illiteracy or drug addiction which our staff help people to address. There’s no ‘one size fits all’. Every person is different. “We hope these programmes will highlight the enormous problems faced by everyone seeking re-employment.” That's the line which she took in yesterday's Working Lunch programme.
The Mirror is more accurate, writing of "Emma Harrison whose company A4e (as seen on C4's Benefit Busters) helps get the jobless back into work."
For anyone who is interested in unemployment rather than celebrities, there is another programme, "Jobless" on BBC1 at 10.35 tonight.
The Mirror certainly was more accurate, and the quote from Larry Lamb was very apt In Hartlepool, where 19 people chase every vacancy, why should he ruin someone else's chances by raising that figure to 20? Or, as he reasonably points out: "Why is somebody going to give me a job when they know me as an actor off the television?"
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I'm wrong, but I don't rememeber Emma Harrison speaking out against the one-size fit all approach of New Deal all those years it was in operation? She only spoke out AFTER A4e picked up several areas following the feeding frenzy at the trough of FND contracts
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's true. It was obvious long before the contracts were coming to an end that they weren't producing, and couldn't produce, the sort of results that had been promised, and all the providers were pressing for a different design with FND.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing that out. I stand corrected.
ReplyDeleteWatching this now. 20 mins in and the preconceptions and prejudice is amazing!
ReplyDeleteThe unreality of this programme, the setup plus there's something about the whole thing that stinks, bothers me.
ReplyDeleteI would love the opportunity to discuss what help I have had from A4e with the patronising Emma Harrison.
ReplyDeleteThe answer is none what so ever. I was told well they cant help everyone.I see someone once every 4 weeks with zero contact inbetween and at that meeting we go around in circles.Help dont make me laugh.