Here’s an interesting new document presented recently to the Government, shouting the case for Employer Engagement… Have a look: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file52215.pdf

I’m just wondering why do I have to submit proposals, tenders and quotes to very strict timetables when the contractors often delay the results by months?

The Government has confirmed that the new national minimum wage rate will come into effect in October this year. For those aged 22 or over it will increase from £5.73 to £5.80 per hour. For 18 – 21 year olds it will increase from £4.77 to £4.83. For 16 – 17 year olds it will increase from £3.53 to £3.57.

There are some simple steps to take for businesses to be prepared …just in case!

Check out the advice from Business Link at www.businesslink.gov.uk/swineflu/  

Last week the government launched a new web site - ‘Real Help Now’ - to help individuals and businesses weather the current economic storm. The site provides links to regional assistance but in reality it points straight to the usual support agencies - Business Link, Train to Gain, Job Centre Plus. It does detail some of the developments that are taking place in the SW, though it claims them as ‘NEW’ when many were already funded. In other words a good read but don’t be taken-in by the spin!

Response to Redundancy, ESF, Joint Action Plan, ERAP, New Deal, Flexible New Deal… the list of documents, initiatives, and strategies for ways to drag us out of the recession and get back people into work seems endless. Whilst they will play a part in providing people with the right skills for the right job, we still need vacancies in order to get people back into work -  if consumer and business demand remains low, the supply of opportunities for an ever growing list of unemployed will get smaller by the day, leaving us sliding down the snake after scaling up the ladder!

Gloucester is thankfully doing its thing through the Quays Development - a 60 acre £400 million investment in the heart of the city - where new jobs have been created along with 100’s more scheduled and giving something for the local support projects to feed into directly.

Whilst we wait for other large projects to be bestowed upon us, I’m off to DIY store to get the bits and pieces for a new shed and hopefully do my bit to spend, and build us out of this situation.

Recently DWP outlined future bidding opportunities for Welfare to Work programmes in a UK round of information events.

By 2011 over 200 new outcome focused contracts will be awarded worth up to £5bn, including:

§    Flexible New Deal

§    JCP Support Contract

§    IDEAS

§    ESF 2007-2013

§    Progress to Work

§    Work for your Benefit

§    Invest to Save Pathfinders (AME-DEL)

§    Personalised Employment Programme

§    Pathways to Work

Programmes will be contracted mainly through a standard PQQ and ITT process; the standard procurement process length will be 18 months from PQQ publication to commencement of delivery.  Although DWP are likely to contract with prime providers in many instances, they were keen to allay the fears of smaller organisations, affirming there is still a desire to include local and expert provision, maintaining a diverse supplier base.  To this aim experts were available to specifically advise on the formation of Special Purpose Vehicles.

The events also included an overview of DWP Welfare Reform (focussing on Capability, Control and Contribution) and a Review of Lessons Learnt from previous contracts.

Presentation slides from the event will be available from 6^th March:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplyingdwp/what_we_buy/opportunities_to_tender.asp

One of the most controversial citrus fruit squeezers of the 20th century, Juicy Salif by Alessi is also one of the icons of design of the 1990’s, and it continues to be one of the most provocatively intelligent articles of the Alessi collection.

The squeezer was designed by Phillipe Starck his brief was to design a tray… It is also one of my favourite pieces of design work and I use it nearly every week just because I can and it makes me smile. :-)