Newsletter December 2005
Inside:
- Upfront - Comment by Maureen Scholefield
- Feature Article: Recruitment: Getting it
right or wrong?
(PAC Candidate Dave West writes about his experiences in recruitment policies) - Selected News
- News Analysis
- Changes in the HR Scene
- Candidates - Your Shout
- PAC - Blowing the trumpets on achievement!
- CPD Opportunities
Upfront
Welcome to our December issue. How the seasons roll on! One minute we are looking at bright skies and brilliant sunshine, the next it's all brown leaves.
Kate Davis and Dawn Blee have been working in Cardiff and we will be offering our certificate programmes in Mid Sussex next year. Isobel Wilkinson, Carol Bates and I have also been on the Isle of Man. We get around!
Incidentally, writing in the season of remembrance, I learned that the Isle of Man was a place of internment camps in the first and second world wars.
At the outbreak of the second world war, thousands of people who had originated in Germany or Italy, were put into camps in the island's deserted boarding houses and holiday hotels, to the delight of impoverished landladies. Many were Jews fleeing Nazi oppression, only to be locked away by their allies.
But can time ever be wasted on the Isle of Man? I suppose so, but veritable universities of extra mural activity were established as people drove off the boredom of incarceration. Education, it seems will always find a way.
Many internees emerged to experience ultimate career success. The founders of the world famous Amadeus Quartet came together here. Brilliant medical professionals and academics too. Many shared their considerable knowledge and skills with others. A learning community, you might say.
There is a lesson here somewhere. Organisations can easily waste their talents and abilities. Or they can nurture them. Nurture your people and they will grow. Well, we think so. That's why we are in this business.
Incidentally, I have no idea whether anyone was offering Certificates in Personnel and Training Practice in those days, but it is a nice to think we might be adding to a unique tradition!
Maureen Scholefield
Changes in the HR Scene
At this time of the year when personal details need to be transferred into the 2006 diary, it helps to know what is going on. Ringing the changes seasonally with the DTI's policy of implementing employment legislation twice a year, is the way it is now.
The Age Discrimination Regulations are due to be implemented in October next year (see Selected News).
Then there's the CIPD's round of conferences and forums. Visit the CIPD's events site http://www.cipd.co.uk/cande/ (will open in a new window) for information on the events coming up.
The Managing Change at Work conference on 7/8 December and the Annual Reward Conference in February are the first, but there are quite a few to consider pencilling in for a visit.
With all the change going on, we aim to bring you a few items of analysis of HR news in future issues of our newsletter. This issue brings our first selection - see Selected News and see also News Analysis)
Candidates - Your Shout!
Have you got something to say? You must have! In learning, informal contacts can be as stimulating as formal seminars. In virtual learning, such networking opportunities are often hidden.
Our PAC candidates come from a wide variety of interesting backgrounds. You each have something unique to offer - let's hear about it!
Madeleine Campbell's stimulating account of the HR dimension in Contingency Planning in our last newsletter provoked keen interest. This issue we provide some insights on The Recruitment Process by Dave West.
CPD Opportunities....
Many of you will be aware of ACAS - the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. Their website is really good and we have been particularly impressed with their eLearning packages. These are easy to work through and have the added advantage of remembering where you stopped! http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=977 (will open in a new window). Have a look at the new eLearning package on Harassment http://www.acas.org.uk/ (will open in a new window).
Another good site found is Legal 500. If you click on Legal Developments and select Employment there is a good selection of employment articles. We have found this an excellent way to keep a finger on the pulse of employment legislation. http://www.legal500.com/l500/frames/l500_fr.htm (will open in a new window).
Other helpful sources include the TUC's Work Smart web site, which provides advice to employees: http://www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/rights_main.cfm (will open in a new window)
Do you have any sites that are particularly good?
Certificate Programmes - Dates for 2006
We have set our dates for the popular CIPD Certificate Programmes. These offer the choice of Certificate of Personnel Practice (CPP) and Certificate in Training Practice (CTP). The programmes are extremely practical and provide excellent foundations for careers in Human Resources. They are very cost effective in terms of time away from work as there are only 9 days for the CPP and 10 days for the CTP. Most of the theory is covered by open learning workbooks, leaving time to develop skills during the tutorials.
Click here for the dates http://www.csgconsult.com/qualifications/certs.html
