Dunstan Thomas hosted Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock and key representatives from The National IT Partnership (NiTP) and Portsmouth’s Highbury College on Monday, 30 April in support of the software developer’s commitment to taking on local apprentices.

The growing IT company Dunstan Thomas, which has been based in Portsmouth since its foundation in 1986, took on two apprentices in January 2012. NiTP has set itself a target of  securing real IT jobs for 2012 young people nationwide in 2012. All training for local IT apprentices is delivered by NiTP at Highbury College.

Mike Hancock, MP, Portsmouth South, met with Dunstan Thomas’ founder and chief executive Chris Read and Melanie Rignall, academy manager of NiTP, to discuss the success and challenges of the Government’s Apprenticeship Scheme in helping young people into full-time work.  Following a successful experience with its apprentices Dunstan Thomas expects to offer them both full-time positions when they complete their courses in the autumn.

Apprentices George Whiffing, 19, and Jacob Adams, 17, have so far worked inside Dunstan Thomas for over two months.  Jacob plans to use the experience gained on the apprenticeship as a building block for completing a foundation degree in IT networking at the college before

going on to complete a full IT degree at the University of Portsmouth.  George is finding the apprenticeship an ideal way of being paid to get vital ‘on the job’ experience while fine-tuning his IT qualifications now that he is building his web development skills.

Apprentice George Whiffing explained the experience he is gaining at Dunstan Thomas:

“I’ve been able to hone my web development skills here. I’m designing a website specifically for Dunstan Thomas customer and major investment management business for a high profile industry awards event that they are sponsoring. This is great experience which I can add straight to my CV.”

The apprentices are paid by Dunstan Thomas and the Government pays for the training at the college and also supports the employers’ costs. Dunstan Thomas, which employs 32 people today, has now decided that apprentices will definitely form part of the recruitment mix. The company hires between four and six new people per year.

NiTP is in its first year of operation working in partnership with Highbury College to offer young people IT apprenticeships. The next intake of IT apprentices will start the 12-month course in July. During the apprenticeship they will be studying for key IT qualifications including a Diploma in ICT Professional Competence, Certificate in ICT Systems and Principles, CompTia A+ 701 and 702, Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Security Fundamentals and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Networking Fundamentals. They will be employed by local employers and a minimum of 14 weeks training will be delivered by NiTP at Highbury College.

Mike Hancock commented on the visit:

“Talking to these apprentices and with local IT employer Dunstan Thomas it is clear that we need to get rid of the perception that apprenticeships are only for those that cannot get into university. They are a great way for young people to get vital practical qualifications and on the job experience at the same time.  They create full-time job opportunities with the employer they work with and can also use the scheme as a stepping stone to further study if they prefer. It’s time for people to stop looking down on apprenticeships – they are proving a vital method of getting our young people into work – something that has become a big problem in this recession.”

NiTP is holding an open evening for would-be IT apprentices at Highbury College starting at 4PM on 9 May and is hoping to attract more than 100 new apprentices over the next year.  There are 24 places available for IT apprentices in July. The college is also looking for more local employers to sign up to take apprentices. You can make contact with Melanie Rignall at NiTP on Tel: 02392 328860, Mobile: 07979856438 or by email melanie.rignall@highbury.ac.uk or by going to NiTP’s website at www.nitp.co.uk.

Chris Read, chief executive, Dunstan Thomas, summarised:

“Linking with the local Highbury College and NiTP is a win-win for Dunstan Thomas and the nation as a whole.  It enables us to do our bit in terms of giving some young people hands on experience and training so they can secure IT qualifications which will make them more employable for us or other local employers. In addition we gain the benefit of their energy, resourcefulness and new ideas.”

-ends-

Notes to editors:

UK youth unemployment rose above the politically sensitive one million mark last November for the first time since comparable records began.  It rose again in the three months to November, taking unemployment for 16-24 year-olds to 22.3 percent. The previous government also tried to encourage apprenticeships, using a campaign fronted by British businessman Alan Sugar – also the host of the UK version of reality TV show The Apprentice.

About NiTP:

The National IT Partnership (NiTP) is a training partnership specialising in the delivery of IT apprenticeships across the country. NiTP provides the next generation of high quality IT Support Technicians to feed the demand for qualified IT professionals through the delivery of high quality Level 3 training including the CompTIA A+ and Microsoft professional qualifications.  Working in partnership with Further Education colleges and supported by Microsoft IT Academy NiTP has become the provider of choice for many of the UK leading businesses.

NiTP works with a large and fast growing range of employers across the country that can see the benefits of employing a NiTP apprentice, and this allows our apprentices to gain real-world IT support experience alongside training for excellent qualifications.

About Dunstan Thomas:

Dunstan Thomas provides training, consulting, products and tools for application lifecycle management (ALM), custom software development services and outsourced software support services.  The company employs 32 staff at its headquarters in Portsmouth.  It provides a comprehensive range of services to support the software development teams – helping companies optimise their valuable in-house software development resources. It also provide consultancy on best practices and assists businesses to outsource software development or IT support activities if required.

For further information about Dunstan Thomas please contact:

Chris Read, chief executive
Dunstan Thomas
Tel: 0239 282 2254
Email: cread@dthomas.co.uk

For Dunstan Thomas UK media enquiries please contact:

Miles Clayton
Agility PR
Tel: 01992 587439
Email: miles@agilitypr.co.uk

A Law firm is only as good as its people and the recruitment process can be an arduous journey. Talent is key but so is having the right personality and outlook. All too often, at BCL Legal we’ve had to come in and help when a square peg has been forced into a round hole! Most lawyers are – quite rightly – focused on fee earning and many take a lack lustre approach to recruitment. Just because a person looks good on paper that doesn’t mean it always translates to the office floor. Being lazy and recruiting quickly can often have dire consequences; both financially and on staff morale. Our advice is to look at every position as a new project with its own set of aims, objectives and criteria. A simple analysis of what’s required is vital and should follow two key strands; The Package & The Process. Get these two right then you should be OK…. To clarify, when I say The Package, I don’t mean what you’re offering them but the other way around! When you receive a CV, pay careful attention to their experiences and how they describe their career to date. Being part of a team and having the ability to work with others should be a given but when you meet them try and analyse their personalities to see if what they write is mirrored in how they act. Do you think they would engage with your clients? Will they be proactive? Will they be a good ambassador for your firm? And will they fit well into the current structure? A lot of it will be gut instinct but there are some things you can do…

When you do think you’ve found a possible candidate getting the interview process right is the next challenge. The key objective must be to structure it correctly and not rely on a 45 minute interview. We are big believers in detailed exercises that are cognitive based incorporating role plays, case studies and tests. By doing it this way, you get a far more comprehensive and honest overview of who is in front of you. Also, don’t be scared or apprehensive of going down this road as a good candidate will always appreciate and understand the reasons behind it.

So, in summary – when you’re recruiting always be structured, always be bold but most importantly never be too quick!

Paul Warburton, consultant in BCL Legal’s North West Team – www.bcllegal.com

One year after its opening, Alium Partners’ Latin American (LatAm) office, based in Buenos Aires, continues to go from strength to strength. 2011 saw a number of impressive interim placements across a variety of sectors, and 2012 is looking even better. Managing Partner Fabiana Witt reports the latest in a series of successes:

“Alium LatAm’s most recent placement was with FarmFrites Argentina, a leading global food manufacturer with whom the team has a strong relationship. In 2011, FarmFrites Argentina required a highly skilled interim to review its entire internal structure and enable the realisation of its growth plans across the Latin American region. Alium recruited a senior level HR professional to the post, who performed so successfully that she was offered, and accepted, a full time position with the company within 6 months.

“However, this was not the end of the story. FarmFrites Argentina’s CEO, Fabio Calcaterra, was impressed by Alium LatAm’s unique resourcing model, which allowed it to identify high quality candidates in good time. As a result, he requested that the team source a further interim to take on the role of Chief Financial Officer. This demanding position required an expert who could take on full ownership of accounting, payments, collections and the IT platform and lead the unit to the level of proficiency required for its business expansion.”

Alium LatAm used its extensive database of skilled interim management professionals and industry contacts in the region to quickly identify a candidate with relevant skills and experience. FarmFrites Argentina now has an interim in place who is an excellent match for the role.

Commenting on the company’s recent successes, Alium’s Managing Director, Nigel Peters, said: “It is fantastic to hear of our international partners’ continued achievements. As the global demand for talented interim executives increases, it is great to see our LatAm colleagues attract a diverse range of clients, whilst sourcing new interims and fresh business opportunities.”

For further information on Alium Partners please visit: http://www.aliumpartners.com/

Many businesses are still finding trading tough, but one recruitment firm is bucking the trend after announcing it placed a record number of candidates in 2011.

BCL Legal, which has offices in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, Reading and Bristol, placed a total of 430 legal professionals last year across its network – a rise of 18% on 2010.

This news is further bolstered by the firm smashing another record after it received a total of 562 registrations from candidates in January 2012. The figure equates to a 22% rise year on year. BCL Legal employs 32 staff and specialises in the placement of lawyers at all levels from paralegal to partner within the private practice and in-house sectors on both a permanent and temporary basis.

These results come off the back of an exciting 12 months for the company which saw it launch a number of new divisions and initiatives, including its high profile rebrand and the launch of its new website.

The company has also recruited several new members of staff across both its in-house and private practice teams.

James Batt, director of BCL Legal, said: “As a business, we’re delighted with these results and they prove that we’re in tune with the demands and expectations of our clients and candidates. We’re conscious that some areas of the law are stronger than others so we’ve made sure that we’ve tailored our services to mirror market trends.”

James continued; ‘The number of newly registered candidates this month was particularly encouraging and bodes well for the rest of year. It was also interesting to see a spike on Monday 16th – so called Blue Monday!’

Join in the biggest ever celebration of cycling in 2012 by helping other people have fun on a bike!

British Cycling is looking for Ride Leaders to deliver local community led-rides. Interested?

Our Ride Leaders inspire cyclists to get more out of their riding, and have fun. As a qualified Ride Leader you’ll get a recognised qualification and be able to plan, deliver and evaluate rides to groups of beginner and intermediate level children or adults. You’ll receive kit, training, support and payment for delivering our Sky Ride Local bike rides.

There are still places remaining on training sessions in the following locations:

Bolton – 11th February or 18th February
Newcastle under Lyme – 18th February
Blackpool – 10th March
Blackburn – 17th March

Rides will run in and close to the location where training is delivered, so you must be available and willing to lead rides in this location!

To apply, please download and complete the application form. For more information email: recreation@britishcycling.org.uk

We also have opportunities for enthusiastic cyclists to become British Cycling Route Planners and receive a further qualification.

Interested Route Planners must hold a British Cycling Ride Leader qualification (often you might only have completed this the day before the route planning session). You must be very familiar with the local area that the course is held in. You’ll be involved in planning and mapping different types of routes for a range of cycling abilities in this area in return for this further free training.

In addition to receiving the Sky Ride Leader kit, training, support and payment for delivering our Sky Ride Local bike rides (with additional benefits available for active Route Planners), you’ll also help identify, risk assess and map routes for the Sky Ride Local programme.

There are now route planning training sessions taking place this year in the following locations:

Kent – 29th January
Plymouth – 5th February
Bolton – 12th February
Newcastle under Lyne – 19th February
East Staffordshire – 26th February

•New fee-capped short term projects will help SMEs fill management skills gaps at reasonable cost
•Website supports Government aim of driving business growth and providing employment opportunities for 50+ age group

Skilledpeople.com, the online recruitment service that matches experienced candidates, typically aged over 50, with SMEs, has launched an innovative ‘Project Assignment’ service. This recruitment option allows small companies to think big with a small budget, by employing experts at modest cost.

A daily rate not exceeding £185, is agreed upfront between the parties for short term project work. This enables businesses to hire skilled people, for periods from one to 20 days, to undertake specialist tasks with a cap on costs. Filling their skills gaps in this way adds real value to a business and allows it to develop in a planned and professional way.

Skilledpeople.com spotted a gap in the market for SMEs that require well qualified and experienced people to undertake short term business assignments, enabling their businesses to develop at a faster rate and lower cost.

Chairman, David Hiddleston, who launched the site with a colleague after retirement commented:

“We felt there was not much in the recruitment market aimed at older people who had retired early, been made redundant, needed extra income to top up a pension or were just bored being at home. It seemed obvious to us that their skills and experience could be most of benefit to SMEs and start-ups.”

One of the key barriers to SME business growth is access to experienced affordable people who can undertake required projects in areas ranging from business planning, marketing, health and safety, and HR. Skilledpeople.com helps SMEs meet this need from its growing UK wide database of 12,000 people.

John Walker, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“We know that almost four million people aged 50-64 are out of work, and with the removal of the default retirement age, there are more older skilled workers that could be looking for work

“Initiatives like this will help older workers who still want to contribute to the economy to find new job opportunities. Small firms also find it hard to find skilled workers: this service could help them grow and take on new contracts using experienced and knowledgeable people.”

The Project Assignment service gives access to candidates with typically 25 years or more career experience that have the skills and know-how to engage with a business instantly. As a UK wide organisation skilledpeople.com can match people in different locations and will be of particular help to those in rural and remote areas not generally available locally from anywhere in the UK. For example a business in rural Devon could have a Business Plan prepared by someone in London without ever meeting face to face.

Behind skilledpeople.com is database matching technology which allows employers to identify appropriate candidates using ‘sniper’ techniques rather than the ‘shotgun’ approach of generalist recruitment sites, where any given job or assignment posting can return hundreds of unsuitable replies.

Skilledpeople.com makes candidate selection and recruitment more time efficient because SMEs can search the CV database before placing a job advertisement to confirm if candidates suit their needs, making it a much more accurate and efficient recruitment process.

The site believes that small businesses need support to move the UK out of recession and equally that there is a danger of losing a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience from people aged over 50 who often find themselves under-employed.

Even as economists believe the economy might be softening, the process of hiring high-performance executives and managers becomes even more critical. Executive recruitment continues to move along at a respectable pace throughout most parts of the United Kingdom. But according to executive recruiter Mike Yau, Executive recruiter at Pebble People UK Midlands, the perception among prospective candidates seems to be that the sky is falling and that they shouldn’t even consider making a move. “In some ways, this is the best time for a high performer to move,” Mike says. “It’s a time like this, of some uncertainty, that companies need strong leaders and managers who can produce. My search practice is busier than ever because the clients who hire me to recruit for them don’t want to waste their time on the ones that can’t produce, and most of them can be found on the internet.” Mike believes that the best candidates aren’t found on job boards. “Why hire someone who isn’t next in line to be promoted?” Mike believes that although internet candidates are easily accessible, he cautions companies to know the risks involved in putting them in your hiring process. “Even beyond performance issues with job board candidates, you open yourself up to risk when you hire someone from the internet. Once you hire them and they take their resume off of Monster or Total jobs, they’re still getting calls from other companies about opportunities. And the position you just filled is now open again. Welcome to ‘frustration-land’ because now you have to repeat this process all over again using a process which yields marginal results to begin with.”

“Within my executive search practice, I’m able to use my communication skills as a way to build a quick rapport with a desirable prospective candidate. I’ve been able to help out many clients by securing the interest of a candidate that no one else can get to. It’s because of how I approach them on the phone and get them to consider making a move. That’s the real value of a good recruiter: bringing high-performing achievers to the table who aren’t looking.”

“Most employers don’t know how to sell their opportunity. Here’s a secret for most bosses: most employees don’t know what they’ll be doing in 5 years. In our experience, about less than 5% of people could tell you if you asked. However, everyone wants to have a discussion with you about their future. Most bosses never engage with their employees about where they want to go in their careers — even the top talent. This represents a huge opportunity for you and your organization if you do bring it up. Our best clients have separate annual discussions with their employees — apart from their annual or bi-annual performance review meetings — to discuss succession planning or career development. If your best people know that you think there’s a path for them going forward, they’ll be more likely to hang around” You can contact Mike with the details provided below on consultative advice in hiring even if you don’t use a recruiter.

As Christmas approaches, thoughts inevitably turn to New Year’s resolutions. A snapshot survey of over 100 legal support staff on behalf of specialist legal recruiter, DMJ Recruitment has revealed the top resolutions they wish their boss would make. Over half (51%) of respondents wanted their manager to make more efforts to assess and provide training opportunities to their employees. “When pay rises are off the cards, I think firms should take more time to assess the needs of their staff as an alternative” commented one PA. “Not only will it improve our skill set, but it will enable us to perform other tasks that may currently be outsourced – thereby cutting costs”. Over a quarter of those surveyed felt their manager ought to be more visible within their team, have more contact with them, and to be more approachable. “There’s no doubt that associates and managing partners are operating in highly pressurised environments” said one Legal Secretary, “However, we are too! Making steps to be more approachable and interact with the whole team would not only make me feel more valued, but it would also encourage me to work that bit harder for the boss.”

The New Year, new job scenario is a regular trend each January, even in tough economic times, says Caroline Rhodes, a consultant at DMJ Recruitment. “This trend is often driven by a lack of morale, or indeed the desire to have more opportunity to further skills and experience in another role. Top rate legal support staff are the backbone of any firm – perhaps these New Year resolutions should be closely considered.”

The top five resolutions found in the survey are: • Assess and offer more training to those of employees that need/deserve it.
• Appreciate the work I do more.
• Be honest – if the business isn’t doing well then say so.
• Don’t promise a promotion or pay rise in order to get me to work harder.
• Be more visible, have more contact with the team and above all be more approachable.

ENDS
Andie Hill
BlueSky PR
T: 0845 130 8290 E: andie@bluesky-pr.net
W: www.bluesky-pr.net

Allen & York are firmly established within recruitment into the Health & Safety arena and have identified some noticeable career trends for 2012. Vicky Kenrick at International Health & Safety Recruitment Specialists, Allen & York, takes a look at the expanding industries that are welcoming many new Health & Safety professionals for and throughout 2012. Allen & York outline their predicted increase in job opportunities for the Health & Safety practitioner within the Risk & Safety, Chemical and Renewable Energy sectors. Risk & Safety in Oil & Gas Industry Boom
Growing health & safety presence with the Oil & Gas industry is leading to an increase in risk & safety professionals. Specifically, greater supervision must occur in offshore oil and natural gas drilling sites in order to prevent environmental crises. With it being announced as recently as the end of October 2011 that the likelihood of a major offshore accident in European waters remains unacceptably high; there is a call to create effective emergency response plans for this industry. In turn, the European Commission has proposed a new law which will ensure that European offshore oil and gas production will respect the world’s highest safety, health and environmental standards everywhere in the EU.
Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said: “Today, most oil and gas in Europe is produced offshore, often in harsh geographical and geological conditions. Given our growing energy demand, we will need all the oil and gas from beneath our seas. But we need to prevent accidents like Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico from happening. Securing best industry practices in all our offshore operations is an undisputable must.”
Today over 90% of oil and over 60% of gas produced in the EU and Norway comes from offshore operations and there are more than 1000 offshore oil or gas installations in operation in European waters, of this – most production is from the North Sea region and the majority of the oil coming from the UK and Norway where the job opportunities are multiplying.
This safety update is good news for the environment, but it’s also good news for the risk & safety job market. Under the new rules, the European oil and gas industry would have to assess and further improve safety standards for offshore operations on a regular basis under the control of national regulatory authorities. According to Brussels, this approach would lead to a European risk assessment process that is continuously improved by taking into account new technology, know-how and risks; in turn creating an increase in job opportunities for risk & safety professionals within Oil & Gas. Senior Risk and Safety Consultant at Allen & York, Stuart Kingsnorth, comments that “there is a demand for risk & safety consultants within the oil & gas industry, in particular this role requires an individual who is able to work in a commercially-focused environment, delivering technically complex work on time and on budget to a range of clients”. One of the key responsibilities of the Risk & Safety Consultant is risk mitigation within Oil & Gas; technical skills that are of particular demand within the area of risk mitigation are HAZOP’s (Hazardous Operability & Study), HAZAN’s (Hazard Analysis) and HAZID’s (Hazard Identification) and are requirements for candidates seeking a new role within risk & safety. Demand for Health & Safety within Chemical Sector
The significance of risk, safety & health in the chemical industry has been a progressively vital issue in achieving productivity and an edge in the competitive world.
Chemicals companies are facing increasing pressure to improve their EHS record, in particular, reducing pollution levels and improving energy and resource use. Meanwhile regulatory requirements are increasing, with the IPPC directive, EU Emissions Trading Scheme and REACH; these are having significant impact on the transparency of chemicals usage in manufacturing products. Providing a safe environment for workers is also key and contributes towards attracting and retaining a skilled labour force. At Allen & York, we are witnessing a demand for health & safety professionals to work within the chemical industry responsibilities would include identifying potential areas, where possibility of flammable mixture are possible, making efforts to avoid hazardous mixtures, by inert gas purging and other methods and to declare hazard zones and providing flame proof electrical fittings and equipments. Health & Safety in Renewable Energy
The building of new renewable energy sources continued to outstrip new fossil fuel power plants in Europe and the US during 2009, a report issued by the BBC (2010) has shown. One of the forces propelling the sector’s rapid development is the potential to create new industries and millions of new jobs, not only across Renewable Energy but also Health & Safety. Allen & York have witnessed that Health and Safety professionals with experience within heavy industry, manufacturing and engineering will undoubtedly have transferable skills which are desirable to the renewable energy industry. The hazards in this industry include working from height, contact with moving machinery, possible risks of electrocution or from fire and construction in very windy conditions. Offshore construction is even more hazardous including risks from large waves, diving activities and issues such as stepping from a boat onto a turbine. Wind turbines also require regular maintenance; therefore workers will be exposed to these risks regularly. This is a high risk environment with new challenges for the health and safety professional, not only are there new risks to access there is the accompanying legislation to learn, particularly with the development of more powerful wind turbines, Health & Safety professionals with this knowledge will increasingly be in demand throughout 2012. Allen & York are a leading sustainable recruitment consultancy that specialise in providing the most talented professionals within; CSR & Sustainability, Renewable Energy, Health & Safety, Engineering and Energy Services.

4MAT have released the Mobile in the Recruitment Industry Report 2011. The only report to use data from over 50 recruitment agency websites, it gives one of the most accurate indications of mobile usage in the sector available.

A dramatic growth in browsing recruitment agency websites on mobile devices is evident over the last 18 months. In January 2010 1.24% of website traffic was from mobile devices. By August 2011 it was 5.93%. Apple devices continue to dominate, however the report illustrates rapid growth in the use of Android devices by 2050%.

“As a leading provider of recruitment website design, marketing services and more recently mobile websites, 4MAT is in a unique position to provide agencies with the tools to capitalise on the undeniable demand for mobile browsing. The Pocket DV3 platform mimics the functionality of a desktop agency website, capturing the data that is vital for recruiters to fulfil their business objectives.” James Saunders, Managing Director, 4MAT.

The report places the recruitment niche within the context of other mainstream reports. From this we conclude that browsing in our sector is behind the mainstream average, with poor mobile usability likely to be one of the reasons for this. However, 2012 is likely to see a rush of recruiters purchasing mobile sites to provider job seekers and clients an appropriate platform.

Click here to download the full report: http://www.4mat.com/mobile-in-the-recruitment-industry

www.4MAT.com