More TV for Emma

In the last few days, thanks to Google alerts, I've counted no less than ten different websites on which the same press release from A4e appears: "Emma Harrison speaks to the Guardian about Flexible New Deal." It's hardly of great importance. A new A4e office is opening in October and they are using it to train 800 new staff delivering FND. The office is supposedly more user-friendly. A straightforward PR piece. But I can't find it anywhere on the Guardian's website. Perhaps they decided it wasn't worth running; but it's cluttering up cyberspace anyway.

But publicity is what it's all about, and we learn today that yet another TV programme starring Emma Harrison is in the pipeline. The Flintshire Chronicle tells us that "The chairman and owner of leading training and recruitment provider A4e has paid a visit to the Shotton office in Deeside to film her latest television documentary." It's for an independent production company, TwentyTwenty TV. The Shotton A4e office has identified a lucky family "which will be helped to overcome employment issues." This will no doubt interest Mark Shields, who was featured in "Famous, Rich and Jobless" getting advice from Emma, but who is still out of work and feeling used and abandoned by Ms Harrison.

Who Knows Best? Now you don't need to watch

I don't want to spoil it for you, but the Guardian already has, publishing a review of tonight's programme prematurely. A4e's Emma Harrison won the challenge, getting the lad chosen for her by Ray Lewis a £17.5k position in a city firm. See, it's easy! But the writer of the piece, Alison Benjamin, isn't impressed. "The viewer was .... left with the sneaking suspicion that the competitive duo had called in the favour of friends as gospel-spouting Lewis lines up a position for Dave as a caretaker at a church-run community centre, and well-connected Harrison gets John a job in the City." Benjamin continues: "My main gripe is not so much with the programme itself – other than it was yet another vehicle for Harrison and Lewis to satisfy their insatiable appetites for self-publicity – but more with how the programme fails to highlight the government's flawed approach to tackling unemployment. It stands to reason that anyone given the tailored, one-to-one, intensive support, guidance and care that John received has a much better chance of being offered a job than someone left to languish on the types of employment programmes that welfare-to-work providers receive large sums of taxpayers' money to deliver in the form of government contracts. Another TV show, The Fairy Jobmother, bears this out. It features former Harrison employee Hayley Taylor going into people's homes to transform their job chances."

And well done to Mark Shields for keeping up his campaign. He was one of the people who were "advised" by Harrison on "Famous, Rich and Jobless" and he's still out of work. Let's hope the publicity helps him.

So, can I watch something else at 9.00 tonight?