Category Archives: Unemployment

Who are your Heroes?

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Before an appointment last week I had something of a lightbulb moment…

…We often ask people, or you may get asked, ‘what motivates you?’ in an interview. I thought about how I personally would answer that question and what it was really asking me…?

Sure, the same old response popped into my head; money, nice car, holiday in the Algarve, golf membership…

Later on I found myself thinking about it over my coffee, in the car, and then mowing the lawn. If I understand better what motivates me then surely I will get the best out of myself; and that can only be a good thing. Furthermore, I wanted an answer that would differentiate me from the standard response, should I ever find myself on the other side of the interviewing table.

Now I am not going to pretend money doesn’t motivate me; as it naturally enables me to have a lifestyle I want and provide for people I love. But there is more to life than that, more about me as a person and who I want to be…

So…I started to think of who my heroes where…Who do I admire? Who do I try and emulate and aspire to be like? What have they achieved that inspires and motivates me to believe I can do the same? What attributes do I value in myself and others?

I thought of eleven and then arranged them in a football team in formation…(No I don’t have too much time on my hands!)

In Goal

Geoff Boycott – For making the most of his talent and for sheer determination & bloody mindedness.

Back Four  

Jean de Valette – Grand Master of the Hospitaller during the 1565 siege of Malta when 550 knights held out against 30,000 Ottoman Turks. For saving Europe from Muslim domination.

Margaret Thatcher – For saving Britain from a sad and slow decline.

Winston Churchill – For saving Britain & the world from Nazi domination.

Stuart Pearce – For taking and scoring that penalty.

Midfield

Hans Joachim Marseille – The best fighter pilot in the world ever.

Sir Richard Francis Burton – You need to read about him on Wikipedia to see why he was a great man!

Matt Le Tissier – Genius with a football and a one club man!

Steve McQueen – The coolest man ever to walk the planet.

Strikers

Harold Larwood – The best fast bowler ever and for refusing to apologise for bodyline.

Brian Clough – The best football manager ever & a fantastic striker.

So I admire determination, persistence, winning against the odds, talent, genius, loyalty, mavericks, anti-authority figures & never giving up for a start…

If I were to ask you who your Heroes are, what would you say?

Who do you admire? Who do you try and emulate and aspire to be like? What inspires and motivates you? It doesn’t have to be a whole person, it can be something they have achieved or accomplished.

It doesn’t have to be eleven people either, it can be as many or as few as you like!

£126 million scheme to tackle youth unemployment…

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The Government’s Youth Contract Scheme has dominated the news lately, creating a considerable amount of backlash in response to Nick Clegg’s invite for employers to join. 

 

The £126 million scheme is set to tackle youth unemployment and forms part of the coalition government’s Youth Contract Scheme which was revealed in November 2011; addressing growing youth unemployment.

The scheme is targeting ‘Neets’ (teens who are not in education, employment or training), offering businesses and charities the opportunity to apply for funding for up to £2,200 to take them on as employees. The scheme is to include 160,000 job subsidies and an extra 20,000 apprenticeships, with at least 55,000 ‘neets’ – those who have no GCSEs at grades C or above – expected to benefit.

The initiative comes in the wake of the rise in unemployment figures for the last quarter in 2011 and Mr. Clegg’s backed plans to increase University fees across the UK, potentially having a serious affect on the graduate jobs market.

The numbers of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work soared by 22,000 to hit 1.04 million in December 2011.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said: “Sitting at home with nothing to do when you’re so young can knock the stuffing out of you for years.”

“This problem isn’t new, but in the current economic climate we urgently need to step up efforts to ensure some of our most troubled teenagers have the skills, confidence and opportunities to succeed.”

Tracey FitzGerald, Partner – Wallace Hind Selection says…

“As part of their growth plans Wallace Hind have identified the need to enhance their administration team. In keeping with our commitment to helping the country tackle youth unemployment we have entered into a contract with Intec Apprenticeship Recruitment scheme to take on a young person to work as a trainee Administrative Assistant.

We believe we can offer a young person a structured and interesting entrance into the working world and our comprehensive training and development plan should ensure they are set up very well for the rest of their working career.”

How do you feel about the Youth Contract scheme – do you think it is a good idea and will it work? Would you consider attending University if the fees were not as expensive?