Monday 31 January 2011

FT and PR

An interesting piece in the Financial Times reports that A4e approached Barnsley council with a proposal to use public money to create temporary jobs, on the lines of the Future Jobs Fund, which the government has just scrapped. Mark Lovell (Chief Exec of A4e) wants to create social enterprises to give the unemployed new skills. The leader of Barnsley council, Steve Houghton, says it just goes to show that there aren't any jobs. Whatever you think of the scrapping of the Future Jobs Fund, this move by A4e seems to be a somewhat cheeky way of trying to recreate it. The article says that other big providers are coming up with similar ideas. Clearly there are fears that the Work Programme isn't going to pay them, and Serco and Avanta have already said that they won't bid for every area, while Sarina Russo has said it won't bid at all.
Meanwhile Emma Harrison has signed up with PHA Media to run the PR to "take Emma's profile to the next level, sourcing high-profile opportunities to help support her role within the Working Families Everywhere scheme, as well as highlighting the other areas of her career."

3 comments:

  1. Well, well a new PR consultancy ..... PHA Media. I’m having a look at their web site and see already “We are a Public Relations Agency that has doubled in size in the last twelve months.” Another company to watch perhaps.....

    They have a celebrities clinets base - http://www.pha-media.com/company/clients/personalities/ At least Emma’s imminent photie I will at least recognise!!! Or will it be her actual company on the company’s page, - http://www.pha-media.com/company/clients/brands

    Why the need to employ a high profile PR Agency Emma?

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  2. Ive had the missfortune to be without employment for just over a year now. can the jobcenter make me join an agency? or take short term work even though ive agreed on my jobseekers agreement to only be seeking full time permanent employment? ive been threatened with sanctions because im not applying for enough jobs, the reason there are not enough full time jobs out there, to take jobs not knowing there duration would mean signing on and off and the red tape, hassle that goes with that, would a complaint do me any good has i found the person who "interveiwed" me at the jobcenter to be very unreasonable, who would not listen to what i have voiced here.

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  3. There are obviously very few full-time permanent jobs out there. But it should be possible for you to apply for jobs on short-term contracts (not agency work if it's clearly casual). I know what a hassle it is, signing off and signing on again and losing income in the process, but short-term can mean several months.

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