Monday 9th August 2010, 17:40Who Knows BestI have made a TV show called Who Knows Best - in which i help an amazing young man called john find his first job - Hope you enjoy the show.
Remember it is TV.
John and I worked together for Six weeks - not 48 minutes!!!!
John and i went on a long journey together and many people joined us on the way.
Before i even met john i had pulled together a crack team of A4e staff to tell me of their best ideas for someone who finds themselves long term unemployed in London.
The ace team know that certain traits are often to be found in someone that has been un.. View Complete Post Monday 9th August 2010, 16:57John - Who Knows BestJohn Is amazing... Who Knows Best - Channel 4
How many John's are out there - undiscovered - hidden from view - just waiting and wondering how they are going to get their chance?
What should we be doing to find John - get to know John - and really really support him in finding and making the most of his chance?
Everything and anything. The benefits are felt by everyone.
ps. I spoke to John's employer two days ago. At a board meeting they discussed how they can find more John's to train up. They know that he would never ever have made it through thei.. View Complete Post Thursday 25th February 2010, 16:07Rich Famous and Jobless BBC1
Read all about it – I am on TV again March 9th and 10th
Just before Christmas I agreed to take part in a new TV programme for BBC1 called ‘Rich, Famous and Jobless.’ It is a follow up to last years highly successful Rich, famous and homeless in which four celebrities went to live on the streets on their own and after four days buddied up with a homeless person. This was ‘done’ to them by two ‘presenters’ Craig Last and John Bird (the Big Issue guy.)
Thursday 31st December 2009, 09:17New Years Honours - CRIKEY
Minding my own business – sitting at my desk – my assistant Sue waved some post around and said, ‘looks like something from the taxman.’ My response? – ‘Im offf to make a cup of tea – don’t fancy looking at that just now – wanna cuppa?’
In the kitchen – sipping at my tea, Sue appeared. ‘Here Ems, look at this – it is a bit odd – a letter from the Cabinet Office.’ Crikey I thought – surely I don’t owe that much tax…
Thursday 26th November 2009, 09:10Big Day TodayToday is the day that our 100 strong senior team gather from around the world to talk about the future.
The title of the day is 'Inspiring People.' I have seen some of the plans for the day - and it seems that the whole day will be filled with Stories. Through the telling of people's stories we will inspire and be inspired.
I am so pleased there is not a corporate bit of nonsense in sight - no boring discussion on values and finances. No dull lectures on divisional structures!!!
Inspiration, encouragement, engagement and fun - oh - and a pub meal and quiz .. View Complete Post Tuesday 17th November 2009, 08:25Top Tips for Entrepreneurs - E'sJust done two speeches in London - Institute of Directors and the Launch of Global Enterprise Week. Oh how i wish I could have had more time to speak with the hundreds of people who were there - I literally got mugged as i got off the stage - people hungry for more tips and 'how to' and 'how did I'
Seems that people really want the practical, pragmatic stuff - the been there done that - made the mistakes - found the gems.
So, some top tips - because - I love to share - and because - for those that mugged me - i promised i would.
Number O.. View Complete Post Tuesday 27th October 2009, 09:49A4e CommunityHave a look at the main web site mya4e.com - then explore our community site. We are trying to build the biggest online community of people that want to improve their lives and those of others - all by sharing our knowledge and by supporting each other. The A4e community is brand new and growing - and it only grows when people contribute. So, i am asking all clients of A4e and all staff to join in a minimum of once a week - share some knowledge, tell a story from your week - anything and everything that might just inspire another person. Ask questions on the forums too - everyone .. View Complete Post Tuesday 6th October 2009, 13:19Happenings and thinkingsSpent all last week around the Uk, meeting 800 people who have all been chosen to work in the most innovative 'back to work' programme that A4e has ever launched. ( The Flexible New Deal - FND)
I tried to personally greet everyone - welcome them and thank them for the hard work that lies ahead. Non Stop - energy, questions, black coffee, trains, cars - living out of suitcase.
When i returned home - exhausted - my case trailing behind me - ready to drop - i found an empty house. Within two minutes my son walked through the door - and asked me what was for tea!!! I was too tir.. View Complete Post Thursday 17th September 2009, 15:53People Helping People PHPImagine this - a global movement - People Helping People- PHP...
Let's not wait for the cavalry to come over the hill - let's not wait for someone to come and "fix" our community - or the "Government" to allocate funding to resolve a neighbourhood crisis - let's all agree that we are people who like to help other people and do just that.
Let us all accept that People Helping People (PHP) has been happening for ever - and that it gives us all a wonderful sense of purpose and is a thing that we can all do. PHP builds communities, friendships, self est.. View Complete Post Thursday 17th September 2009, 15:53Build the solutions around real peopleMany people spend their lives in very senior roles where they support or deliver services to others.
Time and time again I come across policy makers, consultants, leaders and managers who create vastly complex structures and complex solutions to deal with the issues that they identify. Juggling what they already have - squeezing things to make them fit - dancing around the staus quo - writing vast diatribes and of course coming up with things that don't improve the lives of the real people that they were meant to serve.
The answer is the same each and every ti.. View Complete Post Thursday 17th September 2009, 15:52The Cost of Social CarePerhaps you think that this is going to be the same old stuff trotted out about the rising costsof Social Care - not enough money etc etc. No its not.
I want to raise an issue that i first came across many years ago.
I was invited by a friend to meet a friend - they wanted us to meet to see what would happen. Sitting in a London restaurant waiting for my blind date to appear - a woman came towards me - in an electric wheel chair - with what looked to be her carer in attendance. She said, 'Emma - i presume' - here was my date. Jill ( made up name to protect her identity).. View Complete Post Tuesday 15th September 2009, 16:38Do you know someone? Great JobGreat job available at A4e...
I am looking for an A1 PR/public affairs and marketeer - top of their game. Exceptional, creative, modern, highly connected. Someone who can take the messages of A4e and make them hum around the world. Someone who passionately cares about improving people's lives. This person would have to work with me! ( aaarrgghh - scary!)
Do you know someone? View Complete Post Monday 14th September 2009, 14:43Benefit BustersStill getting loads of people contact me - contributing to the debate and the thinking that the programmes raised.
Many people offering their ideas on how they would support people who are long term unemployed back into the workplace. Thank you - However - the second of the two programmes - Hull - was a little misleading in that it only showed a tiny, tiny element of the work that is done to support and train people who are long term unemployed. It only showed the 'self directed jobsearch' element of the 13 week course. It did not show the other modules - for example,.. View Complete Post Thursday 3rd September 2009, 20:37Conversation timeI have been having an email conversation today with a man Called Keith - I asked his permission to copy it into my blog as i think it expresses very well how some people are feeling in this current economic climate and the things they are doing to try and make things better.
Hi Emma,
Responding to your dare with trepidation! And I'm afraid nothing inspirational springs to mind. I guess this is not the sort of blog material that yo..View Complete Post Friday 28th August 2009, 11:51FLEXIBLE New DealOctober time will see the start of the FLEXIBLE New Deal - a massive and welcomed change in how supposrt will be offered to people who are struggling to find work. After a period of time working with the Job Centre - if an individual has not been successful in finding sustainable employment - they will be referred to the FLEXIBLE New Deal (FND).
The big change is that the organisations running FND have been given the freedom by the DWP to come up with a plan for each individual - a plan that is unique to the circumstances of the individual - and does not have DW.. View Complete Post Friday 28th August 2009, 10:07Benefit BustersThe Programme that focused on Long Term Unemployed people in Hull was aired last night. As i said - it was a gritty slice of reality showing the real problems that some people face in a city like Hull - where there is high unemployment and many low skill, part time jobs.
I visited Hull yesterday - and spent time with the clients and staff in the A4e office. Within the large building there are many activities - all supporting people. A lot of the activities are attended by people who have volunteered to be there as well as people who have been mandated to attend. Education,.. View Complete Post Thursday 20th August 2009, 16:05Get in touchI get a lot of feedback from my blogs - you seem to love them - and read them - and when i go missing - i get gentle prompts.
So - how about you doing some - yes you. Got something inspirational to say, a story, a thought - anything. Send it to me and I will get it up on the A4e blog site. ( You will be read around the world - by thousands and thousands).
Go on give it a go
Dare you
Emma View Complete Post Thursday 20th August 2009, 15:59TV Benefit BustersI thought i would share the inside track on the making of the Documentary - Benefit Busters.
More than a year ago a guy called Stephen Lambert phoned me up. Stephen and i had previously worked together on two TV programmes - Make me a Million and Secret Millionaire - he is very good at what he does. He told me that he wanted to make a documentary about real people involved in the benefits system to be screened on Channel Four. We had a couple of meetings ( and a few phone calls) and after some serious thinking A4e agreed to take part. The Department for Work and .. View Complete Post Thursday 20th August 2009, 09:52BBCThe Benefit Busters series on Channel Four is getting a lot of publicity. I was just watching BBC Breakfast - and there was Hayley Taylor 'the star' of the Doncaster based programme that features the work she does with loan parents.
I have met Hayley many times now - and she is a force to be reckoned with - The BBC obviously thought so too - asking if they could clone her and send her around the UK helping people with her remarkable brand of 'tough love.'
This would be a good idea! - apart from it is not really necessary... I have also met thousands of A4e p.. View Complete Post Monday 17th August 2009, 21:53a4e a victim of fraudAs i have previously refered to - a4e was a victim of a fraud two years ago when two Hull employees colluded with an outside agency to falsify documents and thus gain a benefit for themselves.
On discovery we held a thourough investigation and we sacked an employee ( the other had already left). £15,000 was paid back to the DWP.We took the whole matter very seriously and in addition to our normal and constant auditing procedures we also retained Deloitte to determine if there was more we could do to prevent any more instances.
As is the way of these things - stuff.. View Complete Post
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