NHS workforce planning: Limitations and possibilities
Authors: Candace Imison, James Buchan, Su Xavier Publisher: The King’s Fund, November 2009   ISBN: 978 1 85717 587 5   No. of pages: 54
Report online (pdf 435 kb)

The rural schools in the Aleutian Islands (which are part of Alaska, both part of the USA) are in dire straits and in danger of closing. There aren’t enough students for the schools to operate, and the state budget can’t afford to keep them open.What will happen to the children of these deserted areas, growing up unable to read or write? The terrible aspect of an illiterate population in our country  is scary. Certainly a way can be found.

Spoken from ignorance of all the intricacies, this suggestion is offered as an interim measure: local mothers who know how to read  and write might be persuaded, for pay, to teach small groups of youngsters for  few hours a day in their homes. This would at least acquaint the children with the letters of the alphabet and the ability to write them down on paper to form words.

Forthcoming research from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council will highlight the abundance of volunteers working within local museums and galleries.

Given the increasing interest in the role of volunteering can play in keeping people ‘job ready’ during the recession, this finding may well attract interest from beyond the heritage sector.

Along with a detailed look at the profile of the workforce, Fast Forward 2008 will provide an update on a range of variables, including levels of visiting and average service standards (disability access, audience development, and so on) within West Midlands museums.

The 2008 publication will include an Excel workbook containing the raw data behind the findings. This move will no doubt be welcomed by researchers keen to understand trends in more detail.

Indeed, the publication of the complete dataset is something English Heritage has also trialled in their latest Heritage Counts publication, which has several accompanying datasets.

The move towards making cultural data available in this way is likely to make data more useful to more people. With a consistent evidence base, for example, local cultural providers may choose to refer to data in their business planning and monitoring activity.

Fast Forward 2008 is due to be published in January 2010 and will be available to download from the MLA website, where you’ll also find past Fast Forward publications (2002-2006).

For more information about the role of culture and volunteering in the region’s post-recession recovery, see the recent briefing from the West Midlands Cultural Observatory (Nov 2009) (pdf, 140kb).

Photo by houghtonabout

Australia at Work: In a Changing World – the third report of a five year study released  26 November 2009

University of Sydney Workplace Research Centre

Media Release:

“During the global financial crisis workers who stayed in their jobs did not reduce their working hours, despite widespread government and commentator claims that cuts in hours had helped stem job losses during the downturn, new University of Sydney research shows.

The study, conducted by the University’s Workplace Research Centre, found that while the lives of people who remained with the same employer stayed relatively unchanged or even improved, those who entered a new job, or who changed employer, felt the impact of the global financial crisis most keenly.

The findings are from The Australia at Work study, which is tracking 8,000 workers over five years and is the largest and most up-to-date study of Australian working life. The third annual report includes data from 2008 and the first half of 2009, a period when the GFC was at its peak.”

Further information about the Australia at Work study is available on the website.

Funding Source: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Funding Type: Discretionary, Grant
Total Available: $850,000
Award Ceiling: $300,000
Deadline: 04.14.10
Eligibility: Rural Community Colleges and Technical Centers

Description:
With this RFA, NIFA announces the availability of funding and requests applications for the New Era Rural Technology Competitive Grants Program (RTP) for fiscal year (FY) 2010. RTP grants are for technology development, applied research, and/or training to develop an agriculture-based renewable energy workforce to serve rural communities. Awards will stimulate and enable community colleges and advanced technological centers located in rural areas (Note: see definitions of these terms in Part VIII, E. of the RFA to ensure eligibility) to provide technology development, applied research, and/or training necessary to produce graduates capable of strengthening the Nation’s technical, scientific and professional workforce in the fields of bioenergy, pulp and paper manufacturing, and agriculture-based renewable energy resources.

When you are out of work and looking for a job, worry and stress are constant reminders of the fact you need to find a job. Sometimes, those feelings, and the reality of bills piled on the table, lead us to press harder, and in some cases become desperate for work. You treat finding a job like a job, but when the leads dry up, you either apply for a job well beneath your skill and pay level, and/or you find other ways you think will help in your search. Suddenly your resume looks like Word puked it’s color palate menu all over, and the format gods went border crazy. The “Blah blahs” invaded the body of the resume, once a svelte collection of concise professional accomplishments has bloated to umpteen pages of ramblings that in some states, you would get arrested for. And in the worst cases, embellishing one’s resume leads to downright lies about experience that could haunt the remainder of your career.

But we’re not going to let that happen!

The Resume

STOP! Put down the charcoal-linen-colored parchment you were going to stick in your printer. In today’s world, you resume has to stand on its own two feet. Call them Merit and Accomplishment. Just the facts ma’am. If it worked for Joe Friday*, it will work for us.

Your resume is your business card; it is your introduction to prospective employers, and certainly should not be your autobiography.  It is meant to be representative of who YOU are. Forget the fancy “resume” services out there who will pray on your desperation that you need the world’s greatest resume to get a job. They’ll have you handing over dollar after dollar only to produce something that may look great, and read great, but isn’t you. If a company will deny considering you for employment because your resume wasn’t professionally done, then do you want to work for them anyways?

Your resume shouldn’t be drawn on the back of the kid’s menu/paper place mat at the corner coffee-shop with the waxy green crayons Crazy Grandma Barb at the front counter let you have. But it doesn’t need to come from Saks Fifth Avenue either. Besides, if you still really want help, I know how you can get feedback and help from real professionals – for free! More on that another time…

Building (or updating) your resume is a personal journey that anyone seeking a job really should undertake, as it will help you better understand who you are professionally and what you offer prospective employers. What you find out about yourself in this process is also typically the answer to the “tell me about you” question that starts so many interviews.

So what should the resume look like then?

First, please note that this is geared towards people in technology professions and therefore some of the information may not apply. But read it anyways because most of it will help and because we asked nicely.

There are plenty of templates available on the web and in MS Word (and I presume whatever the Mac folks use), or ask a friend or colleague to see their resume as an example. There are many different formats that work well so find one that you are comfortable with. I highly recommend you do not use templates that are built with spreadsheet-like cells and tables. Many companies, and most of the online job boards, use automated software for uploading your resume to internal systems and some can’t recognize tables and sections. And if someone (a recruiter or headhunter) is going to represent you at a client, they will probably want to move your resume to their letterhead. From experience – that’s not fun to do when it’s full of tables and cells and text boxes.

When printing out your resume, use normal plain white paper. You don’t need fancy paper or colors to get someone’s attention. Maybe back in the day when you had to slather your saliva on a stamp and slap it on an envelope and mailing your profile to a company this worked, but now I look at such resumes and see someone fluffing and trying to draw attention away from their actual skills and experience. Choose one font (Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri all work well) and do not mix and match different fonts in the resume. You can utilize font sizes and styles to subtly distinguish between different sections of your resume if you choose, but this also can be accomplished through the use of bold and underlined lettering.

Any good story has 3 Acts.

Every resume should have essentially 3 sections: Summary, Experience, and Education/etc.

The “Summary” section is a brief description (2-3 sentences) of who you are professionally, followed by a list of your technical skills and abilities. This entire section really should be no more than a half page, maybe ¾ of a page if you really have that many skills. Only list the main skills and not every Tom, Dick and Harry tool or scripting language you have used. We know you know how to use Word and Excel!

Next is your “Professional Experience.”  Trust me, no hiring manager or recruiter wants to see 4 long narrative paragraphs about each job and/or project you have worked on. It might very well be interesting reading – who are we kidding? No it’s not. Regardless, no one has the time to read through it in detail. If we wanted to read a novel, we would go to a library. Instead, briefly describe your role and responsibilities and what your employer does/makes/sells/etc. (2-4 sentences). Then bullet-point your specific, and best accomplishments and achievements (I recommend no more than about 5 such items – after all there will be plenty of time later for patting yourself on the back).  If you worked with specific technical skills on a project or projects, you can then list that technical environment as well.

Following professional experience, highlight your “Education,” including college and any other programs/courses that would be of specific help in the job you are seeking. No, we don’t need to see Underwater Basket Weaving 101 on the resume. Stick to what is important to your background.  Oh yeah, don’t forget to list certifications and other accomplishments outside the realm of your work experience that would be an added benefit to prospective employers.

Lastly, your contact information at the top of your resume is extremely important. DUH! But many people make the mistake of over or under doing it. List your home address (at least city of residence), along with the best number to reach you at (don’t list multiple phone numbers) and one email address. That email address should be something simple that includes your name. If your email address is something like fridaynitepartier@anymail.com, you might want to get a new email address for your job search. Yes it’s ok to list your LinkedIn public profile, but please spare us the Facebook and MySpace and Twitter addresses. We’ll friend you (maybe) if we hire you. Besides, nowadays you could lose your job for pictures on Facebook! . Imagine trying to get one that way.

Lights, Camera…

After you have a draft of your resume, go back and re-read it. Then do it one more time and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. Nothing turns an employer off faster than someone who couldn’t be bothered to spell-check their resume before submitting it. It also tells the employer you are not someone who pays attention to detail.

Once you are satisfied with your resume draft, ask friends or family to review and edit it – you’ll be cross-eyed from looking at it yourself so many times that a fresh set of eyes will notice any grammatical or other errors you and your computer missed.

Now you have your resume! I know, I know – you still hear the ringings of those “resume services” guys and still would like a professional to look at it, right? Then all you need to do is ask your friends and colleagues to recommend a good recruiter or two.  In future posts we will talk all about recruiters, but remember they are the professionals who work with resumes every day. Who better to know what does and doesn’t work? Most of the good ones will review your resume and offer you strong constructive feedback, especially if you ask them to. In some cases, recruiters and headhunters will actually offer to rewrite your resume for free! (okay it’s rare, but we’ve done it).

* Det. Joe Friday on Dragnet (played by Jack Webb who also created the show) never actually said these words that have so famously been attributed to him in pop culture. Read more here.

Check back soon for the next post in the “Looking for a job” series of posts.

Want to learn more about Axis Technical’s Recruiting team? Click Here!

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Comments about the Axis Technical Group Blog? email us here.

Misconception #3 – Garden Centers Should Employ Horticulturists with College Degrees Full-Time, Year-Round and Pay Them Professional Salaries with Comprehensive Benefits

(Read time approx. 3 minutes.)

This is the third misconception in a series of six. The concepts being discussed here will likely be counter to your beliefs. The comments left on the previous posts are quite interesting so you may want to go back and read them. Click HERE to go back and begin with the first post related to this series.

Disclaimer: While I focus on the business side of the horticultural business my education, training, and experience is broad in the green industry including plant production and retail garden center with Scarff’s Nursery, landscape services with Horticultural Advantage, and marketing and sales of plants with Bailey Nurseries, and Sunrise Marketing. Let it be known that I am all in favor of the future success of the many educated and knowledgeable horticulturists in our industry, especially those that are effective in carrying out their responsibilities.

Necessity is the mother of invention. When the facts are laid out and we discover that it is simply not possible to 1) do what we once did, 2) do what others do, or 3) do what we would like to do, then why not open our horizons and explore opportunities we previously ignored? The title of this post is designed to get interest and discussion going rather than to discount the value of horticultural expertise. So please, read on then leave a comment.

The Blended Workforce: A workforce today may include people who have recently launched or are well along in a lifelong career in the garden center business blended with others who have very different expectations. It really has always been this way, but now we depend on it more than ever with high school and college students. It has become more difficult to recruit quality high school and college students, but other resources are increasingly more available.

Career Opportunities are Different for Different People. The times have been changing for quite some time and it is easier than not to lag behind on adapting with our own changes.

There are many people who are looking for opportunities that PREFER NOT to have a full-time year-round job and place little value on the costly employer obligations provided along with it. In most areas of our country there is an abundance of retirees and professionals from other industries (as well as horticultural professionals) who are not looking for the traditional full-time, year-round career. Among the benefits many of these folks offer are often maturity, experience from previous careers, in-the-garden experience, and the ability to engage consumers and help them translate the benefits of our products and services in a way they understand themselves. Many garden center customers are among this potential workforce that often places higher value to a generous employee discount than they do to other benefits.

The presence or lack of a college degree is not the issue at all. The issue is really all about affordability for the garden center, which is amazingly enough connected to effectiveness and productivity. However, providing correct information, products, and advice to the customer is always necessary. For years, garden centers have been exceeding their financial ability to pay for the expense associated with those they choose to employ. The determination of who was on the payroll was based more on horticultural knowledge and education than other factors. The hard economic reality is that we cannot afford to employ anyone we cannot afford to employ. Even more difficult is the fact that we cannot afford to employ people who are not effective just because we are willing to pay for them rather than deal with their ineffectiveness.

“What will we do without them?” This concern is always related to people who are already known to be of marginal contribution to the profitability of the company. The real question should be, “Can we do anything with them?” And of course the answer to that question is sometimes yes, and sometimes no. People who are in question are in question. It is really not more complicated than that. It is just a matter of time, but the result is always the same. Eventually the person in question will be gone. Either they will become an effective person or they will leave on their own accord or because a clear decision is made that the business is better off without them than it is with them. If you can’t afford to carry ineffective people now, you certainly won’t be more able to afford to carry them in the future. Why wait. Or are YOU the problem?

The days of accountability for workforce productivity are ALREADY here.  But what have we done about it? Are our people effective?

For a long time our industry has operated with the assumption those fine folks who had the same last name as the owner, or had “earned” a college degree majoring in Horticulture or closely related subject matter also had the requisite knowledge, experience, and ability to lead and perform functions of merchandise management, marketing, accounting, finance, and other tasks. But it wasn’t always so was it?

Who we REALLY need:

Our industry needs people who are not only knowledgeable, but also effective. Knowledge without initiative is ineffective. Efficient people get things done. Effective people get the right things done efficiently. We can afford only effective people, however, we can afford effective people only if we do not “carry” ineffective people along for the ride.

NEW Belief #3 – Effective Leaders Develop other Effective Leaders. (This is also an Executive Principle taught in our Executive Advantage program.)

Consider these traits of effective people:

1. They define the desired result. This is not always the best possible result, as effective people understand that there is a diminishing return on investment and effort and that good is sometimes required, great is often better, but perfection takes too long and very few customers will pay for it.

2. They map out a process. Planning is a tool used by effective people. Unfortunately planning can be a crutch for some who plan perpetually but never initiate their plans. Don’t throw the bath water out just yet.

3. They strive to reach agreement or consensus. Effective people do not try to live as if they were in a bubble. They recognize their inter-dependence on others whether it be those who provide resources to, or those they provide resources for – their customers.

4. They communicate progress. One of the least understood yet most critical tools of leaders is the feedback loop, also known as the communication loop. And what company have you ever heard of that did not have a communication problem? A communication problem is also a leadership problem as well as an impediment to effectiveness.

There are other traits of effective people of course but these are some that are invaluable and often missing from the pool of incumbent players in many companies. Unfortunately effectiveness traits have not been required to receive horticultural expertise or college degrees. They are learned through continuing education, personal development, mentoring, coaching, training, application, and experience. In other words they are developed over time with specific intent to do so. And that is exactly why and how we offer our Advantage Development System.

I don’t know who to give credit for this but one of the wisest people related concepts I’ve heard lately is, “If you can’t change your people, it is time to change people.” But remember the instructions you hear before the plane takes off: “place the oxygen mask on yourself first, before assisting other passengers.” We can begin by helping ourselves as well as our people become more effective by providing direction, a feedback loop for accountability, and the training and development they need for our companies to succeed. As a result we too will be more effective. This is the most direct route to profitability and business sustainability.

Making it fair – Inquiry into pay equity and associated issues related to increasing female participation in the workforce     House Standing Committee on Employment and Workplace Relations

Single chapter version downloads

Consolidated version download (PDF 2,879KB)

This report is comprised of preliminary pages, 12 chapters, 4 appendices and 1 minority report.

News Release
For release: 12 November 2009
Skills for Health launches core standards for Assistant Practitioners
New core standards for Assistant Practitioners are published today by Skills for Health, the Sector Skills Council for healthcare.
The standards were developed in response to requests from employers and commissioners concerned at variation in the responsibilities, education and training of staff employed in the role.
The six standards cover the deployment and management of Assistant Practitioners, as well as their recruitment, education and training, competences and development.

Definition

“An Assistant Practitioner is a worker who competently delivers health and social care to and for people. They have a required level of knowledge and skill beyond that of the traditional healthcare assistant or support worker. The Assistant Practitioner would be able to deliver elements of health and social care and undertake clinical work in domains that have previously only been within the remit of registered professionals.  The Assistant Practitioner may
transcend professional boundaries. They are accountable to themselves, their employer, and, more importantly, the people they serve.”

Press release

The Standards

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.” ~Meister Eckhart

In the world of storytelling in which we work, we often find ourselves sharing stories of need punctuated by endorsements of thanks: An organization which offers a much needed service of support, shaping lives for the better, which then in turn asks for a community’s support so that they may continue to thrive.

The video below was created to highlight a few of the individual success stories of participants in this summer’s Next Generation Zone program. Each year, over 2000 young adults in need of employment assistance find help at Spokane’s Next Generation Zone, which works in partnership with the Spokane Area Workforce Development Council. The successful Summer Youth Employment Program depicted here was made possible by a one-time grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

It is a humbling story that we tell again and again, of folks who have found their vocation in creating opportunities or offering support to those who are struggling. As we approach the holidays, we all have the chance to reflect on what we are thankful for, and to explore our own struggles and generosity.

Kindness and gratitude, when they go hand-in-hand, can be such a divine experience. It is the spark of light in what could be a dark time, when someone is there to say “I want to help.” And the circle is made complete when we give thanks. We each find ourselves in the position of needing and giving at various times in our lives, and it is that lovely dance that connects us all. For that, I simply say thank you.

Picture this, a familiar scenario: John plans a dinner party and goes to the market to pick up a 6-pack of diet cola in aluminum cans, a couple plastic bottles of water, and some Styrofoam cups and plates, all carried out in a few plastic bags. After the party, a few of the bags fly away. A few cans get forgotten on the street. A few plates fall from the trashcan. What’s the big deal? Well, if these items are not recycled it could take hundreds of years for these items to safely breakdown and not have negative effects on our environment. As part of their preparation for “America Recycles Day” on November 15th, the International Trade Education Program (ITEP) and San Pedro Earth Alert Academy (SPEA) worked with the Cabrillo Aquarium to present an eye-opening demonstration of “Beach Trash” on Thursday, November 5th. <a href=”http://www.itepinc.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=55&amp;Itemid=1″>Read more…</a>

Make what your employees create, searchable.  Hugle, the Human Google.  75+ million ‘Millenials’—the kids who have grown up on the Web—will dominate the workforce over the next 50+ years.  Millenials expect rewards and instant recognition for their abilities, results.

Job satisfaction among all workers has dropped in recent years from 61% to 50%, regardless of age, income or residence.  Among the unhappiest are Millenials—workers under 25 yrs. of age—where 39% are dissatisfied with their jobs.  Conventional communication techniques used to reach employees, bore this Ipod generation, and will work against employers.  Facebooker’s want something fresh and real, like podcasts, wikis, social networks and more importantly they want to have a voice.  Of significance to the enterprise is given the Millenials use of online, collaborative, communication . . . all they do now becomes searchable.

Google for experts, inside and outside the company community.

..of companies in the United States to figure out how to better the standard of living of American workers while at the same time reducing wages so that we retain the product manufacturing and service delivery instead of outsourcing it to foreign countries.

..rebuilding the American workforce. Rebuilding will require not only education, but also a paradigm shift in how we as business leaders provide a better standard of living to our workforce.

..be integrated into the business model to provide a competitive advantage over a company’s product/service competitors?

.. to the business model. We are trained in Business schools to believe that a company’s profitability relates only to the financially aspect, and so we make them profitable, but necessarily at the cost of American workforce, our own human resource. But what about social profit? This is not really part of our business model, yet. We need to give back and greatly if we are to keep this America, our America, alive.

..reduce the American worker’s wages while increasing their standard of living so that we retain the American worker instead of outsourcing to foreign countries the product manufacturing and service delivery that this viable human resource can perform?

.. of capable workers, and passing them by because of their demand for compensation that price them out of the competition for fewer jobs. Our American workforce is losing faith in our ability to lead because they see us making million-dollar salaries while we complain that as viable business we cannot afford to pay the wages that workforce demands.

..American workers can not compete with those of China and India because there is an expectation of a reduced standard of living in order to do so. The United States is sitting on a goldmine of capable workers, and passing them by because of their demand for wages that price them out of the competition for fewer jobs. Our American workforce is losing faith in our ability to lead because they see us making million-dollar salaries while we complain that as viable businesses we cannot afford to pay the wages that workforce demands.

Dupre´Logistics monitors it’s drivers.

Statistics suggest that a significant percentage of accidents are caused by human error. A major contributing factor in a number of these cases is fatigue. It is important to understand what fatigue is and how to deal with it. Dupre´Logistics hold their team accountable by measuring fatigue through Circadian Technologies’ CAS System.

Fatigue is more than just a general feeling of tiredness. It is a loss of our ability to remain vigilant, to perform a task, to maintain situational awareness, to think clearly and logically, to react appropriately and to maintain motor coordination skills. Very simply, when a person is fatigued, he is more prone to making mistakes. Fatigue affects everyone, even the most professional and dedicated people. It is not a question of mind over matter. Rather, it’s the body’s natural physiological response to working too much or getting too little sleep or rest.

Fatigue is monitored by examining the following 9 variables:

• Average sleep length per day
• Percentage of time below red and yellow thresholds on duty
• Average duration of episodes below red on duty
• Average alertness score while awake
• Number of recovery breaks per week
• Hours of work per week
• Hours of work per shift
• Biological limitations for sleep recovery
• Time of day activity occurs

Source:  Circadian 24/7 Workforce Solutions and Dupre´ Logistics

..in that we raise the price of fuel, we raise the prices of electricity and water, we raise the price of day-care for children, we raise the price of health-care. We raise the prices of the goods and services that we expect Americans to pay for. We do all this in addition to providing lower quality. We want our American workforce to pay taxes to support our way of business, but what do we do to support their way of life.

Funding Source: National Institutes of Health
Funding Type: Discretionary, Cooperative Agreement
Total Available: $3.8 Million
Award Ceiling: $225,000
Deadline: 09.29.10
Eligibility: Unrestricted, Governments not Eligible

Description:
This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), issued by the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, solicits Resource-Related Research Projects-Cooperative Agreement (U24) applications from institutions/organizations that propose to conceptualize, plan and pilot an innovative prototype of a national infrastructure to mentor individuals from diverse backgrounds who are conducting research relevant to the mission of the NIMH. In response to recommendations from the 2008 National Advisory Mental Health Council Workgroup on Research Training, the NIMH is encouraging creation of innovative national mentoring networks in scientific domains pertinent to the NIMH mission. It is expected that these networks will enhance the professional development of the participating individuals, sustain their career trajectory through research independence, and lead to scientific advances that will help transform the understanding and treatment of mental illness and HIV/AIDS.

My recent presentation to the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) in Canberra.

Web 2.0 and Workforce Planning: Why an understanding of how people work in a modern, web-savy workforce, is important to the survival of your organisation.

M

Rochester, NY is finding a way to help students with Developmental Disabilities get ready for the workforce.

“Some young adults with developmental disabilities are getting a chance to make a smooth transition from school to the workplace thanks to a new program called “Project Search.” Twelve 18 to 21-year-old BOCES students are spending the last year of high school in internships around the University of Rochester Medical Center. They work in offices, help clean strong’s NICU and greet families in the hospital. Program leaders say the experience is helping the students learn skills they’ll need to get a job later.”

Get the full story here.