If you want to examine all the figures you can download the report from the Companies House website for only £1. But the salient points are:
- There's an operating profit of £3.2m for the full year (against a loss of £10.3m in 2012 / 2013). EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) showed a profit of £7.6m (2012 / 2013 loss of £5.8m). The Chairman, Robin Young, says that, "we have improved our performance on all our contracts".
- The Work Programme continued to be profitable, and they expected it to remain so for the duration of the contract.
- The A4e office in Spain was closed and they gave up on prospects of business there because the country wasn't moving to outsourcing fast enough.
- As they stated in the previous year's accounts, no dividend was paid in 2013 / 2014.
- Young talks about their "open door policy" with MPs, and says that most of the 140 visitors "have come away impressed".
- The new IT system, Connect4Work, is working well.
- Although the company originally bid for 3 contracts (Community Work Placement, Transforming Rehabilitation i.e. the Probation Service and Job Path in the Rep. of Ireland) they decided not to submit final bids - a matter, say the directors, of "discipline".
- They are optimistic about opportunities in the "market" of people with special needs.
So it seems that the strategy of reining in their ambition has worked for A4e.
Perhaps A4e shouldn't get too excited about this, because the company's worth is still in the red. I had a look on the companycheck website today and A4e's worth has 'improved' from £-12,961,000 in 2013 to £-10,408,000 in 2014 but is still significantly in the negative.
ReplyDeleteAs for seeking opportunities in the 'market' for people with special needs, I really hope they don't because, from what I have seen, their provision for people with disabilities and health conditions has been poor, with staff showing little understanding of the barriers people with special needs face in the workplace (this can be as much about employers' attitudes as it can be about the provision of appropriate facilities and equipment).
This is a pivotal year in the history of Britain and for the Welfare State. A majority victory for the Tories in May will see the end of Social Security and a marked fall in the quality of life for everyone, bar those lucky few who can afford private care. As a result I expect more companies like A4e to emerge and an expansion of the Corporate State, which will be more expensive and less efficient.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what to say,I recently had a visit with my work coach,it started with,what do I think my barriers were with respect to finding work..I thought long and hard! I replied "The fact that I do not trust you,in the past you/JCP/DWP have lied to me" this was not taken well,I explained that training had been promised,pre WP,the WP was a waste of time and MWA (although I arranged to volunteer at the same Charity) was not allowed until A4E got paid..not impressed,I stated that I am wary stating anything to her as it could/would be used against me,so I just tick the boxes (sic) as required,to say the least she was not impressed,if real help was available I would bend over backwards,but the menu is bare...The last question I asked was what help was available for the over 50s..Blank stare! Said it all!
ReplyDeletejray- what you have said clearly demonstrates the stark contrast there is between the aims of 'customers' and 'advisors' on the Work Programme. Like the majority of people attending the Work Programme, you desire proper training which might enable you to gain qualifications and acquire skills which employers need, therefore increasing your chances of secure employment paying a decent wage. However, the number 1 priority of 'providers' such as A4e is to get 'customers' into any job as quickly as possible, regardless of conditions and wages, so that the 'provider' can start getting paid by the government.
DeleteWhat is very frustrating for nearly every 'customer' on the Work Programme is the attitude displayed by 'advisors' that 'customers' are to blame for not having found work yet, with no acknowledgement by 'advisors' of factors such as discrimination and the difficult economic climate.