Thursday 31 May 2012

"It's who you know" - networking and A4e

The unemployed are increasingly being lectured about the benefits of networking.  For most people this is irrelevant.  Our networks don't include anyone who could give us a job.  But for outsourcing companies like A4e networks are vital to the business.

This is a simplified version of the A4e network.  Top left, David Blunkett, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the w2w contracts were privatised; after ceasing to be a minister he became a paid "advisor" to A4e (and still is).  But with Labour out of power it was useful to get a Tory on board; Jonty Oliff Cooper used to be an aide to David Cameron's strategy director Steve Hilton and was taken on by A4e as their director of policy and strategy.  He is not now listed as part of A4e's senior team.  Moving clockwise, we get to David Cameron.  He was sufficiently persuaded of Emma Harrison's capacities that he made her his "family champion".  And then there's Chancellor George Osborne who brings us to George Bridges of Quiller Consultants.  Bridges is a personal friend of Osborne and helped him run the Tories' election campaign in 2010.  So the network helped in the appointment of Bridges and his firm to help A4e revamp its image after the meltdown.  Private Eye points out that the firm, Quiller Consultants, is owned by Lord Chadlington, the Tory peer who is also Cameron's constituency chairman.
The new chairman of A4e is Sir Robin Young, a retired career civil servant whose last government job was as a Permanent Secretary.  The link between him and Robert Devereux,  Permanent Secretary at the DWP, was referred to by Margaret Hodge last week when she described them both as, "A whole lot of good chaps - I understand that the Chairman is an ex-Permanent Secretary, whom, no doubt, you have conversations with."
It's a network that has made millions for Emma Harrison.  What a pity that we can't all do it.

13 comments:

  1. Lots and lots of backscratching going on here!

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  2. Something I noticed A4e is hiring for a "new contract" they have https://a4ecareers.com/job/84046/advisor-capacity-resiliance-work-programme

    This is the interesting bit "What You Will Be Doing

    I act as a single point of contact to guide and advise our customers who have complex barriers to sustainable work.

    Through talking and listening to my customer I am able to identify and arrange appropriate support through my knowledge and experience to help break down the barriers. The support could be from an external statutory partner - whatever is right for my customer.

    I make sure that all the personal records are up to date and that once both I and my customer are ready, I am then able to pass them onto the next stage of their journey. In the majority of cases, I work with customers throughout their whole journey with A4e in to work, including supporting them in employment. This works because I get to know my customers, the issues they face and therefore I’m able to identify the right job opportunity and employer for them. Sometimes they may need help with Skills and I work with other Advisors to support this. "Ability to demonstrate A4e’s DNA: Trusted, Driven, Caring, Passionate, Brave and Friendly.

    There is no real what does this job entail..

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    Replies
    1. The word "resilience" does not include the letter "a." The people responsible for the A4E website (and their other documents) need lessons in both spelling & grammar. Which does not say much for the company, imho.

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    2. On a recent visit to a4e, to see an advisor, in came up in conversation, about IT, "encrypt term", the person, said, that is to do with, when you encrypt an email, that is when you use encrypt. I wanted to scream, i thought, how did you get your job!! Get yourself on on IT course, then you would know the real term of encrypt, where it's used. LOL, that's a4e for you.

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  3. And we wonder why results for the WP are not published? I would think as a "Pay by Results" programme this would very simple,how much has been paid and how many people have been found employment.Are the "Friends and Family" of this gravy train afraid that it has derailed? or do they believe that as long as they keep stalling it will fade away and be forgotten.

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    1. To be fair to the work programme, results published now would not be representative of it's quality. Only results showing 2 years of the programme in action can be objectively considered representative.

      The figures are obviously not good though, the DWP will have to release them eventually and they'll make the argument I just did. Whether or not it flies will depend on just how poor the results are but either way I doubt the programme will be in any serious trouble unless a prime contractor is removed be it via fraudulent activity or financial difficulties, until the next election.

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    2. As a former publican,trust me the VAT man would not take this as an excuse...lol

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  4. Hi jray.

    Good comment, what about "PAYE", pay as you earn, or, pay as you Emma. I think very, very, soon a4e will derail, can't keep on stalling it, waiting for the Joker to come up Trumps.

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  5. I've had so many problems with a branch in the north east. They're useless. This whole thing should be scrapped. I've had letters telling me I haven't turned up to appointments and my job seekers would be stopped when I had turned up for these appointments. My advisor printed jobs, one that lasted only 10 days leading up to Christmas last year and she put it as ' a bit of money for christmas'. She then printed jobs out in places that took ages to get to and started at 3:30am. Jobs that would have took my wages just to pay for travel to get to so I wouldn't have been earning anything really. They're all bad.

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    Replies
    1. I understand, I think it should be scrapped. I've had appointments, overbooked, had to see another person, just to have a silly one to one chit chat, irrelevant. On one occassion, my advisor gave me a print off for a job, many miles away, start time 8.30 a.m. finish time time 4.40 p.m. would take 2 hrs to get there, the public transport in my area does not exist to enable me to reach that area to start work as 8.30 a.m. I remark about this. use a taxi, in the morning! The wage £100 per week, to pay taxi fares and public transport to return home, there would be very little left. They have no consideration.

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    2. I understand,offered a job in Wrexham £259 per week running a pub 6 days on, £97 a week rent £8.47 a day board, start at 8am off at 10am ,open at 12 off at 3 restart at 8 to 11 close up at 2 inventory/restock ,suggested that I try to be more flexible and be thankful for the opportunity....

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    3. Urgh god, I wonder how all of these 'advisors' would feel if these contracts get terminated and they had to look for jobs. I was told on Friday that I had missed my last appointment when she didn't even send the letter out. It's pointless saying anything back because they don't listen.

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  6. I attend A4E in the northwest and have been on other, similar schemes. The "advisors" have no problem getting themselves jobs. There are 3 "advisors" at A4E who worked for another company a few years ago. I am left alone to do my jobsearch as they (the advisors) know that I can do it myself.
    Sometimes the appointment to do a jobsearch is overbooked but I make sure that I turn up in plenty of time for the appointment, sign the "safety book" (used if there is a fire, etc) and then when told there isn't enough space, sign out, ensuring that I didn't miss my appointment.

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