http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/ en-gb Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:23:08 GMT http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/August-2010/Fasttrack-courses-to-help-jobseekers.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/August-2010/Fasttrack-courses-to-help-jobseekers.aspx Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:40:59 GMT Young people are being given a stepping stone into employment thanks to short, intensive work experience courses. The Get Into programme is being run by the Prince's Trust with help from placements such as one with building materials company Lafarge UK, based in Syston. Seven trainees went to the company's quarries, concrete and asphalt plants and its headquarters. They were also taken out on the road during the 12-day taster. Prince's Trust spokesman Linda Norville said: "Our results show that more than three in four young people on Prince's Trust schemes go into work, training or education, despite many lacking previous qualifications." http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/August-2010/Marching-back-to-civvy-street.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/August-2010/Marching-back-to-civvy-street.aspx Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:39:42 GMT For the estimated 45,000 personnel due to leave the armed forces later this year, returning to civilian jobs could be one of the toughest battles they will face, says Lisa Bachelor (The Guardian) Chris Green has seen plenty of action during his 25-year service with the British army. Working in telecommunications, the 41-year-old has been involved on the front line in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, to name just a few. In May, life took a fresh turn for him. He returned to the UK and started a new job and a new life based at the Ministry of Defence college in Shrivenham teaching IT applications to soldiers who are about to head out to Afghanistan. "After 25 years with only one job interview [for the Army] under my belt at the age of 16, it was quite daunting to be interviewed for the position," he says. However, despite his fears Green secured the job before he had even left active service. He is pleased to have secured paid work so quickly, and in a role with which he is so familiar, but he knows he is one of the lucky ones. According to some reports, 45,000 personnel will be leaving the armed forces later this year, putting major pressure both on those trying to find a job, and on the battered UK jobs market to provide them with employment. "Forty-five thousand forces personnel leaving the services is incredibly worrying, especially at a time when the economy remains in such a fragile state and the jobs market is becoming increasingly saturated," says Gethin Roberts, director of the British Forces Resettlement Services (BFRS), which was recently set up to help army personnel move from active service to the civilian jobs market. "Figures have highlighted that 25,000 are leaving through 'natural wastage' while 20,000 will be flooding the civilian jobs market due to major military cuts," Roberts says. The task of securing a job for someone fresh out of the Army, RAF or Navy can be arduous and daunting. Many soldiers and other military personnel will, like Green, not have had a job interview since joining the forces as teenagers and may never have written a CV. Colonel Richard Kemp, former senior British army officer and bestselling author, speaking at the first BFRS jobs fair in March, said: "In my experience, most former service people tend to very much undersell themselves. It is really important that they recognise the impressive range of skills and experience they have acquired in their military service so they can market themselves to employers." Harry Dean, who runs recruitment agency Gemini Forces, which provides help, advice and a placement service to both service leavers and former service personnel, recalls the case of a sergeant from the military police who came to see him with a CV that focused on his experiences as a police officer. "I helped him instead to identify the managerial skills he had used in that role and showed him how, in many ways, he had been working as a facilities manager. In other words, his skills could easily be translated into the civilian workplace," Dean says. "He had also had to manage 120 people, but he didn't even think of putting that on his CV." But it is not just practical skills that can make ex-military servicemen and women good employees, it is their personal qualities. And these need to be emphasised. "There are qualities such as dedication, loyalty, commitment and impeccable time management that can make these men and women stand out," Dean says. Even if a CV is successfully adapted and accepted by a civilian employer, the job interview can prove equally, if not more, problematic for many returning armed forces personnel. Dean points out that people do things automatically in the military and are used to following orders, so they can often come across as lacking confidence in an interview situation when they are suddenly faced with selling their skills. Green agrees. "I used to have to stand up in front of people to do presentations as part of my job, so I am relatively confident," he says. "But even I found it strange to be doing a job interview again." Thankfully, anyone faced with the prospect of leaving the forces for civilian life is not left to their own devices when it comes to finding a job. The CTP provides career guidance, vocational training and employment support through 10 regional resettlement centres – nine in the UK and one in Germany. Everyone leaving the services is entitled to a standard £534 retraining grant, though more money (into the thousands) is available for some longer serving military personnel. Non-government affiliated agencies such as Gemini Forces have sprung up over the years to complement the CTP service, while the White Ensign Association (WEA), a charity founded in 1958, caters specifically for returning Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel. Keith Ridland, chief executive of the WEA, agrees: "Ultimately, during a time of recession, if somebody comes out of the armed forces and is going for a job against someone who is from the sector that job is in, the employer obviously sees less risk in going for that other person. That is the principal problem all these returning armed forces personnel are going to have to fight against." A study published earlier this week should help their case. The study, carried out for the MoD and endorsed by the Chartered Management Institute, concludes that reservists deployed to Afghanistan gain up to £18,432 of relevant civvy street experience. It says that officers, who make up 14% of all reservists, gained the most valuable experience during a typical nine-month campaign, with warrant officers picking up training worth £14,682 and corporals clocking up £8,307 of relevant experience. It also estimated that in a typical year a reservist gains skills and experience from military training that would cost an average of £8,327 a year for their civilian employers to buy. Meanwhile, recruitment agencies are working overtime to build up more relationships with a wider variety of employers, as the long-established relationships have already proved so fruitful. Employers actively recruiting from the military include Siemens, E.ON, British Gas, Sellafield and Amec, plus BT, BAE Systems, Associated British Ports and Rolls-Royce through the WEA. Both Ridland and Dean think that some of the most marketable ex-army and navy personnel are those with a technical background. Gemini Forces works with a company called Venatrack, which supplies the technology for video analysis in sporting events such as Premier League football matches. The company has just recruited seven ex-military personnel including 32-year-old Kris McEvoy, a former Royal Engineer with the signals section of the British army. He finished serving in November last year. "I wasn't impressed by the standard of some recruitment agencies as they would contact me about jobs, put my name forward but then never get back to me," he says. "My first job was with the army and 12 years down the line trying to find work when you have been out of the market for that long is quite a task." He went on the CTP workshop but says he didn't find it very useful, but then found that he did need some unexpected help with his CV. "I put down my key achievements, some of which I thought had a real wow factor," he says. "But Gemini took one look at it and advised me to take them out and put in other things. They put my IT skills high up on my CV and also highlighted health and safety and NVQ qualifications I had never even though of including and drew attention to army skills, such as leadership," he says. His advice to other people about to find themselves in his position is to think hard about what they have learned in the army outside of the obvious, and to draw on those skills. "One thing you learn in the army, for example, is when to keep your mouth shut and when it's OK to speak up," he says. "You develop a lot of common sense in the army and it is easy for soldiers to forget just how valuable this can be." (Adapted with courtesy & thanks from The Guardian) http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/August-2010/Its-time-for-the-carnival.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/August-2010/Its-time-for-the-carnival.aspx Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:18:41 GMT Caribbean carnival fever is set to grip Leicester at the weekend when thousands of revellers celebrate the festival's 25th anniversary. The final preparations are under way ahead of Saturday's celebration, on the streets and carnival ground, at Victoria Park. Dozens of groups are putting the finishing touches to their costumes, while calypso musicians, steel bands and dancers round off their rehearsals. Organisers have been working for months on the biggest event of its kind outside London's Notting Hill Carnival. Carnival co-ordinator Juliette Brade, said: "The excitement is building. "Preparations have gone really well and we're applying the finishing touches. "We've got people coming from London, Birmingham, Bradford – all over the country – to take part in the parade, perform and simply soak up the unique atmosphere." Lincoln Rahamut, artistic director of North London carnival group Masquerade 2000, said: "It's a fantastic carnival and one of our favourites. It's so vibrant and has such a great cultural mix.We've been very busy preparing for the big day, but it's been a joy." The theme for this year's carnival is Celebrating Our Caribbean Heritage. Carnival Day activities begin at Victoria Park, at 1pm, with the opening ceremony, followed by a three-hour parade of 45 floats and 19 dancing troops and bands through the city. At Victoria Park, there will be a children's village, arts and crafts zone, fun fair, reggae zone and music in the main arena from 2pm to 8pm. There will be up to 75 stalls, with food from the Caribbean and around the world. Organisers feared they would need to cut back on this year's celebrations after revealing a £40,000 funding shortfall. However, after launching an appeal for help, £3,000 was raised in just a few days. Juliette Brade said: "We are not out of the woods yet but are confident donations on the day will help us meet the shortfall. "If everyone donated £1 then we should be okay." Martin Peters, chief executive of Leicester Shire Promotions, said: "The carnival is bringing in a growing number of visitors. It's a wonderful showcase for the city." For further details please visit: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/s-time-carnival/article-2486299-detail/article.html http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Have-You-Got-What-It-Takes-To-Be-A-Games-Maker.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Have-You-Got-What-It-Takes-To-Be-A-Games-Maker.aspx Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:57:55 GMT London 2012 announces plans to recruit passionate and inspirational volunteers for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games With almost two years to go until the London 2012 Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today announces plans to recruit up to 70,000 volunteers for the London 2012 Games. In the biggest post-war volunteer recruitment campaign in the UK’s history, LOCOG will be looking for dedicated and inspirational people representative of the diversity of London and the UK to apply for a wide variety of volunteer roles. Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: “London 2012 needs brilliant volunteers to help us deliver a great Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our volunteers will be called Games Makers to reflect the important role they will play in staging the 2012 Games. The programme to find our Games Makers will launch on 27 July 2010 and I urge anyone that is interested to come to our website from the day onwards to find out everything they need to know about volunteering in 2012.” There are two types of Games Maker roles, specialists in areas such as medical services, sport or press operations and generalists, with roles ranging from spectator assistants, uniform distributors and ticket checking. In addition to these volunteer roles being recruited by LOCOG, the Mayor of London will shortly announce plans for the recruitment of London Volunteers, stationed at key transport hubs, at visitor attractions, and on the streets of the capital to make sure all visitors to London get the best possible welcome during the Games. With recruitment starting exactly two years before the London 2012 Games, key dates for the application process are: • 27 July 2010: applications open for pre-identified applicants for specialist sport, press operations, anti-doping and medical roles and members of a wide range of disability specialist organisations. This is also an opportunity for those interested in the generalist roles to find out if they have what it takes to be a Games Maker via a dedicated section on the London 2012 website. Recruitment also starts on this date for the Mayor’s London Volunteers scheme. • 15 September 2010: applications open to the public for generalist roles and continue for specialist roles. LOCOG today also confirmed that up to 1,500 of the Games Maker roles will be made available for those under the age of 18 through the ‘Young Games Maker’ programme that will be unveiled in July 2011. The role of volunteers has been integral throughout Olympic history. London pioneered the use of volunteers in the 1948 Games which saw the first official use of unpaid members of the public to help with the Games. For more information please visit: http://www.inspireleics.org.uk/news.html http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Training-agency-to-create-250-jobs-in-Leicester-city-centre-offices.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Training-agency-to-create-250-jobs-in-Leicester-city-centre-offices.aspx Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:12:50 GMT Up to 250 jobs are being created in a major boost to Leicester's regeneration plans. Training agency Learndirect is expanding its national hub in the city as part of a Government push to improve skills. The body will move into One Colton Square, off St George's Way, in the city centre's biggest office letting deal in a decade.Business leaders said it highlighted the need for further office development in that part of the city. Learndirect, which helps users via telephone and the internet, has run its operation for England from offices in nearby Waterloo Way for ten years. The 40 staff working there have transferred to the new offices in the past two weeks, with another 50 posts created. The other 200 jobs will be added over the next 12 months. Learndirect spokesman Adrian Beddow said: "We decided to make this investment in Leicester because we already had a major operation here. Leicester's central location and availability of good people also had an influence on our decision." Gill Craven, from Learndirect, said the expansion would allow the service to help more than 150,000 learners currently supported each year. She said: "In the current climate, people have to keep improving their skills and we want to make it easy for learning to fit around their lives." David Hughes, chief executive of job creation agency Prospect Leicestershire, said: "This is the biggest single letting in the city centre for a decade. It shows that if you build quality office accommodation near the railway station, you will attract investors." City council leader Veejay Patel, said: "Leicester is an established university city but it's now becoming a hub for online learning too. "I'm delighted Learndirect has expanded its base in Leicester and warmly welcome the new jobs and opportunities that will be created for local people." For further information please visit: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/250-jobs-created-skills-agency/article-2432832-detail/article.html http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Leicester-charity-rowers-rescued-from-treacherous-tides.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Leicester-charity-rowers-rescued-from-treacherous-tides.aspx Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:03:42 GMT A team of charity rowers had to be rescued by the Coastguard after becoming caught in treacherous weather conditions. The team members – who aim to be the first to travel the length of the country by water – were involved in the rescue when their boat was caught in a violent tide. Dominic Gomersall, Paul Bassett, Ian Mattioli and Andy Lyon are rowing 1,097 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats. They got into difficulties as they rowed towards Hull on Wednesday. When they failed to reach the city in the time they had set, they were caught out by the turning tide. Huge waves began crashing against their boat, pushing it close to the Humber Bridge. Fortunately for the Leicester rowers, the Coastguard had spotted them on CCTV cameras and a rescue was launched. Leader Dominic, owner of Leicester jewellers Lumbers, said: "As we were turning in on the Humber Bridge, we felt the tide becoming extremely erratic and we knew we were in terrible trouble. Heading towards the bridge, we felt the consequences could become dire and we had little time to rescue ourselves. "We were heading towards the bridge at a pretty good rate, which obviously wouldn't have been good.We managed to get the boat on to a muddy area at the side but the tide was coming in rapidly and there were big rocks nearby. "Eventually, we would have been swept away." Luckily for the group, the Coastguard had monitored their progress and began a rescue mission, sending a rig out to the team to return the boat to safer waters. The men were told the mud in some parts of the estuary would have swallowed them. Dominic said: "In a lot of the muddy areas, we would have been completely covered, apparently, so that could have been another disaster. "But it was only up to our knees in that spot." Even with the 350 horse-power rig towing them the two miles to Hull, the journey took two hours. "It shows how strong the tide was," said Dominic. "There's no way we would have made it. "Hats off to the coastguards. If it was not for them, we would have been in real trouble and I can't begin to imagine what might have happened." The team will have to wait until Saturday to continue their journey due to force 10 storms hitting the east coast of England. They hope to make it to John O'Groats by the end of next week. They hope to raise £100,000, to be split between Rainbows children's hospice, the Brain Tumour Trust, the Royal National Lifeboat Institute and the Prince's Trust. "The nice thing is, all along the way we're setting records," said Dominic. "We're already the first people to have rowed across the country on the route we've done.I'm enjoying parts of it. In terms of satisfaction and the challenge, it's fantastic." For further details please visit http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Charity-rowers-rescued-treacherous-tides/article-2421932-detail/article.html http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Job-prospects-in-Leicestershire-improving-at-faster-rate-than-rest-of-UK.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Job-prospects-in-Leicestershire-improving-at-faster-rate-than-rest-of-UK.aspx Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:29:22 GMT Employment prospects in Leicestershire are improving at a faster rate than the rest of the UK, figures suggest. Statistics released yesterday showed the number of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants in the county fell by 1,244 – 5.5 per cent – to 21,125 last month. It was the biggest recorded monthly fall in almost three years. The decline compared with the 1.4 per cent drop in the number of claimants nationally in June, to 1.46 million. Experts said it showed the county was doing better to fight its way out of the recession than the rest of the UK. They were confident the positive trend would continue. Hundreds of small firms in Leicestershire are believed to be looking to create jobs over the next few months. Business leaders hoped the employment boost would help offset the hundreds of public sector redundancies expected as a result of spending cuts by the Government. Martin Traynor, managing director of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, said: "Last month's fall in the claimant count is excellent news. "It concurs with the findings of our quarterly economic survey, which said both manufacturers and service sector firms were looking to recruit. "Hundreds of small firms are looking to take on new staff over the next few months. "The fact we are outperforming the rest of the country highlights how robust the county is." David Hughes, chief executive of Prospect Leicestershire, the agency charged with helping create jobs in the county, said he was talking to many businesses that were looking to expand after an upturn in demand. He said: "From the conversations I'm having with small and medium-sized businesses in Leicestershire, there are companies which want to go to that next level by expanding and creating jobs." Professor Eric Pentecost, economics lecturer at Loughborough University, said: "The large entrepreneurial culture and diverse economy in Leicestershire certainly helps its jobs market." http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Community-centre-will-create-25-jobs.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/July-2010/Community-centre-will-create-25-jobs.aspx Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:12:12 GMT An entrepreneur expects to create up to 25 jobs at a £500,000 community centre for people with learning difficulties. Hema Patel, of Loughborough, already runs three care homes in Leicestershire and opened her first venue, Cherre Villa, in Leicester, in 1995. Now, she has taken over a former doctor's surgery in Narborough Road and named it The Community Resource Centre. About 15 staff are being recruited initially with the figure expected to grow to 25, bringing the total number of people employed by her company, Cherre Residential Care, to more than 70. The aim of the centre, which was opened this month, is to provide essential life skills to individuals with learning difficulties and prepare them for the world of work. It includes a computer suite where visitors can get help with writing CVs, as well as rooms for music, arts, crafts and relaxation. There is also a gym and a kitchen to help people learn how to cook. Ms Patel, who has care homes in Fosse Road South and Daneshill Road, Leicester, and a third in Mountsorrel, said: "Following the success of my care homes, I was determined to help the individuals I support not only to live comfortably, but to provide opportunities to promote personal development and to gain skills to work towards total independence. "With this in mind, I had vision of creating a facility that the people I support and the community could use which was so much more than a day centre. "The £500,000 does sound a lot of money and it's a big gamble, but if my clients and clients from other care homes can benefit in some form, then it has paid off." She said if it was successful she would look to open similar centres. "The focus is on empowering people rather than helping them," she said. "It's about helping people to learn new skills – life skills that we take for granted. As far as I know, there's nothing else like this in Leicestershire." She said the centre offered customised learning programmes and could open in the evenings as well as during the day. If you would like to find out mor please visit: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Community-centre-create-25-jobs/article-2396211-detail/article.html http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/June-2010/Minimum-wage-to-go-up-13p-an-hour-in-October-2010.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/June-2010/Minimum-wage-to-go-up-13p-an-hour-in-October-2010.aspx Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:58:46 GMT The minimum adult hourly wage will rise by 2% in October to £5.93 an hour. The increase is in line with a recommendation from the Low Pay Commission. But it is far behind the retail price index measure of inflation, which is generally used as a benchmark for wage rises. That figure, for May, showed prices rising by 5.1%. A new £2.50 hourly minimum wage for apprentices is also being introduced. Younger workers between the ages of 18-20 will get a 9p increase to £4.92 an hour, while 16 and 17 year-olds will get £3.64 an hour, 7p more than previously. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "We welcome the new Government's decision to confirm the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission. "The minimum wage has been a great success, and if this announcement means that this is an area that will see continuity rather than change it will win wide support." http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/June-2010/Piemakers-put-money-behind-World-Cup-band.aspx http://www.GeminiResourcing.co.uk/News/June-2010/Piemakers-put-money-behind-World-Cup-band.aspx Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:10:45 GMT Pukka Pies will soon be banging the drum for England at the World Cup in South Africa. The Syston firm – which makes the nation's favourite half-time pie – has extended its sponsorship of the official England Supporters Band. The cash means the band, which has become a fixture at international football games in the past 14 years, will be able to make themselves heard again at next month's extravaganza.Every day, the band will be uploading a video of their exploits and adventures to give an alternative fans' eye view of the tournament. The band – which features drums, trumpets and euphoniums – can regularly be heard blasting out tunes for fans including the Self Preservation Society, Three Lions, Rule Britannia and even the A Team theme. The band officially launched its World Cup 2010 campaign at Villa Park, where they were joined by former Leicester City striker turned media pundit Steve Claridge to give them a rousing send off. "You might not always see them but you can always hear them," said Steve."The band brings an element of fun and colour to England international football and that's always great to see." South Africa will mark the band's fourth World Cup finals appearance.This time they are determined to keep Fabio Capello's men in harmony on the way to lifting the most glittering prize in world football. Tim Storer, joint managing director of Pukka Pies, said: "The band has become synonymous with English international football. It puts a smile on people's faces and help us enjoy our football. We have been delighted to extend our partnership with the band. Two years ago we sent them to the Beijing Olympics and our athletes returned with a record haul of medals. We sincerely hope that they will play a part in helping Fabio Capello and his England team return from South Africa with the trophy." Reference: Leicester Mercury. http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/England-band-set-Pukka-World-Cup/article-2218982-detail/article.html 09th June 2010