JDO RAW has been discovering, celebrating and nurturing the design industry’s best emerging talent since 2013. And with students grappling with the aftershock of a disrupted year due to Covid and an uncertain future – initiatives like JDO RAW have never been more important.
Widely recognised as one of the industry’s foremost brand/design competitions with a track record for spotting design stars of the future – JDO RAW has a reputation for setting challenging briefs designed to test the students’ ability to take big ideas and ‘package’ them to deliver fully -formed coherent, engaging brands.
And the brief for JDO RAW21? To take the supermarket’s most shocking packaging designs and turn them into something you’d be proud to put in your trolley.
“JDO RAW is all about preparing students to have a career in the design industry – which, at every stage, is hugely competitive” says JDO Principal and Group Creative Director, Ben Oates “And whilst we are hoping to find ‘unexpected’ and original voices we are not looking for the finished product. Raw talent, passion and an eagerness to embrace new ideas and concepts is key – and we are confident that this open brief will deliver some exciting results.”
Throughout the last 12 months, JDO has hosted a program of events designed to support young creatives through a time of unprecedented challenges including: You Can Do This, a webinar for grads offering practical tips on how to secure that first job and a Black Creatives Matter webinar that addressed the lack of diversity in the creative sector and how best we can support young creatives to build a more inclusive design community.
JDO RAW 2021 is now open. Deadline for entries, Friday 30th April. To find out more about JDO RAW21 visit the competition website: http://www.jdoraw.com/
FURLOUGH, Brexit and IR35 will be among the topics discussed at a virtual employment law event.
Supertemps and S2 Recruitment, based in Colwyn Bay and Bangor, have again teamed up with Manchester legal firm JMW Solicitors for a free seminar covering a wide range of themes on Thursday March 4.
The session will be held online due to the Coronavirus, and the pandemic itself will be among the issues employers can raise during an online Q&A.
Sarah Ellwood, Managing Director of Supertemps and S2 Recruitment, said: “Given the unprecedented situation we have been in for almost 12 months I’m sure a lot of employers will still have questions about the impact COVID-19 has had on their workforce, and the effects it could have in the future.
“From furlough to the vaccination roll-out and PPE (personal protective equipment) there have been challenges and obstacles for private and public sector organisations in completely unchartered territory.
“And there are other changes on the horizon, including IR35, and whether furlough will end in April and what happens when it does. We hope people will join us to find out more.”
Representing JMW Solicitors will be partner Simon Bloch and Paul Chamberlain, Head of the company’s Department for Employment Law.
“The National Minimum Wage and some of the most interesting and insightful employment law cases of the last 12 months will also be covered on the day,” said Simon.
“I’m sure people will have a lot of questions given everything that has happened in the last year, and we will do our best to answer them.
“Sadly, we cannot hold the event in person as we have in the past, but our partnership with Supertemps and S2 Recruitment continues to grow – as does the popularity of these seminars – so we hope to see a positive response.”
Jobseekers and employers can also watch videos with advice and guidance on a range of subjects from virtual interview preparation and furlough vs working, to online on-boarding of new starters and how to respond to the challenges of COVID-19.
Sarah added: “One of our biggest priorities since the onset of the pandemic has been to keep North Wales working and be there to support not only our clients but any organisation that needs our help.
“We are starting to see positive signs of recovery but obviously there will be long-lasting reaction for many people; there are also opportunities and as things start to open up again, we could see the landscape change – it’s important we are all ready for that.”
A third of companies and tradespeople (31%)1 who regularly hire apprentices feel that the program has been made harder due to the pandemic, as new ONS figures2 show a 30% drop in new construction apprentices between August and October 2020, compared to the same period the previous year.
Demonstrating the effect of Covid-19 on the scheme, more than one in five (22%) companies that usually hire apprentices took on fewer in 2020, despite a fifth (19%) of tradespeople believing that the program is more important now than ever.
Commissioned by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, in the run up to National Apprenticeship Week (8th to 14th February), the study also reveals that one in 12 tradespeople (8%) believe that the government has not done enough to support apprentices throughout the pandemic.
Looking at the year ahead, the positive news is that a quarter (23%) of businesses and tradespeople plan to bring on apprentices in 2021. Building surveyors (34%) and electricians (28%) are the most likely trades to be looking for apprentices this year, while painter/decorators and landscapers are least likely (15% and 5%, respectively).
Men in the industry are more likely than women to think that an apprenticeship is a great way for people to learn skills (31% vs 23%). Contrastingly however, it is tradeswomen and female-led companies that are most likely to be looking for an apprentice in the year ahead, with a quarter of women (25%) planning to hire a trainee compared to only one in five tradesmen (20%).
According to the Office of National Statistics, female apprentices in construction are also on the rise, increasing by 19% in the 2019/20 academic year compared to the previous 12 months. This represents a much larger trend in growth as there are a huge 333% more female construction trainees than in 2014/2015. So far in the 2020/2021 academic year, the percentage of female new starters has increased to 9%, suggesting that this growth is set to continue.
The statistics also reveal a changing story for apprentices of colour. While BAME apprentices made up only 6% of new construction apprentices in 2019/2020, this represents a 16% increase to the previous year and an 82% rise since 2014/2015. What’s more, despite the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic, the proportion of BAME trainees continues to grow as they make up 8% of new starters so far this academic year.
The proportion of new apprentices with learning difficulties is also on the increase, making up 14% of the 2019/2020 intake. This is a 53% increase from 2014/15. This trend seems set to continue as 16% of the 2020/2021 year’s new starters so far have learning difficulties.
Commenting on the research, Marco Verdonkschot, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect, said: “It’s great to see many tradespeople and companies are still looking to make use of the apprenticeship program, despite the difficulty of the past year.
“We think the apprenticeship scheme is an amazing way to help shape the next generation of tradespeople. That’s why we’ve launched a competition for a UK based tradesperson or company to win £5,000 towards funding an apprentice.”
“There are so many people who do amazing work in the industry today who started out as apprentices, so it’s important that the program continues to be well-funded. More needs to be done to support apprentices throughout this pandemic to ensure that we continue to have great talent in the future, and we wanted to do our bit to help!”
Wade Macdonald, specialist recruiter based in the Thames Valley region, today celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The company was founded in February 1991 by work colleagues, Dominic Wade and Philip Macdonald. Both saw a gap in the market for a recruitment firm that challenged the stereotypes, they wanted to create a firm that was ethical, customer-centric and transparent.
When asked about this ethos, Philip said: “So many recruiters were, and still are, numbers focused. While, yes, we need to have a good grip on the bottom line, this isn’t what recruitment is about. Recruitment is about people.
“We wanted to be different and so, we worked hard to build a successful business on the foundations of open communication, friendliness and solid working relationships.”
The company has gone from strength to strength over the past three decades. Having weathered four recessions and currently navigating the pandemic, Wade Macdonald’s turnover has remained consistently strong.
In addition to rising to become the largest independent recruitment business in the Thames Valley region, Wade Macdonald currently ranks in the top 10 per cent of the top independent recruiters across the whole of the UK.
Post-pandemic, growth plans are on the cards for Dominic and Philip who look to expand into new sectors and scale internationally.
Development plans include:
Advancing into the Data Science sector to fulfil the demand the pandemic has created for higher volumes of Data Analysts and Data Scientists.
Engaging with more Blue-Chip clients overseas and moving the business from a national to an international name.
Grow the current team substantially.
Dominic, co-founder, commented: “I am phenomenally proud of how much the company has grown and evolved over the past 30 years. Most importantly, our ethos and values have remained ever grounded into the foundations of the business.
“We have built a strong reputation which has created long-lasting working relationships, friendships and created a fantastically strong team of specialists who also strive to fulfil the same values.”
Dominic and Philip met in 1986 while working for the same niche recruitment firm, The Focus Group. The pair gelled immediately, both sharing the same business values and both with the dream to set up a unique and innovative recruitment business.
Philip added: “It’s been an amazing 30 years, but none of it would have been possible if I didn’t have a business partner by my side who complemented my every move and vice versa. Here’s to the next three decades of Wade Macdonald.”
Leading recruitment software provider Tribepad has announced plans to place Sheffield at the centre of work-tech innovation, with the launch of Tribepad Ventures and a new £1m fund.
Based in Sheffield, Tribepad Ventures will serve as an incubator and accelerator for new companies in the HR technology space. As a non-executive Director of Tribepad, Alex Raubitschek joins Tribepad founders Dean Sadler and Dan Kirkland on the board of Tribepad Ventures. Alex is a specialist work tech adviser with over 20 years’ experience and will lead Tribepad Venture’s investment committee, offering strategic oversight to companies within the ecosystem.
Tribepad Ventures aims to attract work tech businesses at the incubator and accelerator stages of their life cycles. Those businesses will receive advice to help refine their ideas, scale the technology and build out business plans. These businesses will also have access to seed capital, technical support, and business coaching. Work tech businesses in the early stage of growth will qualify for Tribepad Ventures’ accelerator support. Here they can access capital, best in class technical support and scaling advice so they can achieve growth outcomes over a defined period.
Tribepad serves some of the UK’s best-known organisations including the BBC, Subway, Sodexo and Tesco. Its award-winning talent acquisition software – including its Applicant Tracking System, Video Interviewing, Onboarding and Contractor Management solutions – helps organisations save time and money in the recruitment process, all while delivering a great user experience.
Despite COVID-19, the UK is still the unicorn capital of Europe. Technology investment soared to over £10bn in 2019, more than Germany and France combined. Furthermore, UK investment in early stage companies is currently £3.9bn across 77 unicorns with three digital tech unicorns in Yorkshire alone.
Work tech businesses keen to apply to Tribepad Ventures’ programme are urged to apply through the website, here.
Commenting on the launch of Tribepad Ventures, Dean Sadler explained: “The UK economy has been hard hit by Covid-19. At the same time, we’ve seen huge changes in the way companies, large and small, operate. We’ve gone from occasional flexible working, to full-time hybrid models. And that’s thrown up huge challenges in how businesses manage and hire people.
“But we’ve hit a problem. Businesses are demanding better solutions to help them cope with these challenges. But investment is hard to come by at a time where the economy has contracted and purses have tightened.
“Through Tribepad Ventures we want to offer budding entrepreneurs our tech expertise, world leading enterprise-level technology, and anonymised data on millions of job applications to create the work-tech of the future. We want to work with new companies to help change the face of business productivity and employee experiences at businesses large and small, while driving and establishing Sheffield at the centre of tech excellence.”
New research conducted by Accountancy and Finance, HR and Data Analytics recruiter, Wade Macdonald has found that 44 per cent of employees are finding working from home much harder, physically, mentally and emotionally, than being in the office.
The survey canvassed opinions from 415 respondents – nearly all of whom reported the biggest challenge being faced relates to people, or the lack of them. Employees stated they miss the regular social interaction with colleagues and find it much harder to conduct meetings, conferences and training sessions.
The issue of isolation extends further than day-to-day bug bears of work; nearly a third (28 per cent) of employees said that their mental health has declined as a direct result of the pandemic.
Other issues were reported by respondents, with the most common hurdles faced when working found to be:
Broadband and connectivity (30.5 per cent)
Home schooling (31.4 per cent)
IT infrastructure (24.7 per cent)
Nevertheless, despite the negativity surrounding the struggles of working from home, a significantly large proportion (86 per cent) would be happy to work from home more frequently than before post-pandemic. Nearly 20 per cent of those would be happy never to return to the office again.
The understanding is that this high desire to continue working from home post-pandemic comes with the knowledge that, once we are out of lockdown, children will return to school, broadband will be less heavily used, therefore performing much better, and companies will have had enough time to iron out any issues with IT infrastructure. These aspects will undoubtedly make remote working more viable and efficient.
What else has changed for the workforce over the past year?
As a consequence of the pandemic, nearly a third of workers say that their expectations from an employer proposition have changed significantly compared to pre-pandemic. Of this percentage of workers, the most valued benefit is flexible working (73 per cent), followed by a good pension scheme (38 per cent), a bonus scheme (34 per cent) and healthcare (31 per cent). Parking was also highly rated (20 per cent), as was a gym membership (14 per cent).
Healthcare and parking increased in value significantly compared to an earlier report conducted by Wade Macdonald in 2019. This can be most certainly explained by the pandemic. Employees are more concerned about their health than they were a year ago and less people are keen on using public transport due to the high transmission risk, and they are looking to their employers to help support them in keeping themselves and their families safe and well.
Other than COVID-19, another significant item on last year’s agenda was the Black Lives Matter movement, and this has had a large ripple effect which has permeated into workplaces and working cultures; employees now rate the importance of having a diverse work culture as 7.4 out of 10. Moving forward into 2021, organisations that demonstrate awareness and create a policy around a more diverse and inclusive working culture will certainly be at a competitive advantage over those that do not.
Chris Goulding, Managing Director for Wade Macdonald, said: “Working from home for most employees will no longer be a ‘nice to have’.
“Despite its hurdles, the pandemic has proved, and continues to prove, that working most of the time from home does not necessarily have a negative effect.
“We anticipate the shift to be accelerated in the coming months, especially with the third lockdown recently implemented. However, employers still need to ensure that the technology is robust enough to support the ‘new normal’ and that major financial investment continues.
“Additionally, due to the change in attitudes amongst staff as to what benefits and perks are of importance to themselves and their families, companies would be wise to ensure that they are listening to individuals closely to provide tailored packages. This will not only retain current staff but give businesses a competitive edge.”
Bristol-based CRM agency, Armadillo, which works with big-name brands including McDonald’s, Disney, P&O Cruises and Cunard, is now offering staff external coaching with renowned confidence coach, Jo Emerson.
The introduction of external coaching to its team comes with the company’s move away from a traditional line managed structure as 2020 draws to a close. Armadillo has made the decision to replace line managers with networked support; task-based support to bring clarity to deliverables, skills-based support to build expertise in key specialism, and growth-based support. This is where coaching comes in. This move aims to give people the headspace to work through their challenges, ambitions, frustrations and ideas, empowering staff to seek their own solutions and decide their own actions.
Fiona Craig, Strategy and Planning Director at Armadillo, explains why external coaching was a must-have for the business: “Internal support is very much focused on the work we do for our clients – you could say the client is the key stakeholder here, and all efforts are focused on doing a good job for them.
Craig continues: “The support offered by external coaching is centred exclusively around the individual – often there can be a tension between the two areas of focus, and in a traditional structure, line managers can struggle to do a really good job of supporting on all fronts. So, this allows those who are exceptionally skilled in one area to excel, while the individual still gets supported on all sides.”
Jo Emerson is a confidence and human behaviour expert, author, and the winner of International Executive Coach of the Year (2019-2020).
Craig goes on to say “Jo is highly experienced in dealing with change and confidence, and has a wonderful energy that felt right for us here at Armadillo. She will spark some great conversations and even greater ideas, we feel sure.”
Jo adds, “It’s a real privilege to be working with Armadillo at such a critical time and to support team members as they grow and develop within an incredibly fast-paced industry. Armadillo’s new networked-support structure coupled with external and objective coaching shows what an innovative and agile company they are!”
About Armadillo
Armadillo is a specialist CRM agency based in Bristol. We use the latest technology to create digital communications based on real data insights. And we cover everything CRM, from email campaigns to social media, websites, apps and more – all effectively targeted to the right person, in the right place at the right time.
Because we’re flexible enough to adapt to a range of challenges and budgets, we work with clients big and small. CRM has been our passion for over 25 years and the possibilities never cease to amaze us.
Specialist recruitment marketing agency Growth Recruits are offering 12-months’ free work to one lucky respondent who completes their marketing survey.
The free marketing service up for grabs equates to £24,000 of work and will include support across SEO, PR, website performance and more.
The digital marketing agency, who cater exclusively to the recruitment industry, are calling upon recruiters to share insights into their marketing activity with an industry-wide survey.
The purpose of the research is to support the development of the agency’s groundbreaking Visibility Index which will be analysing and ranking the marketing efforts of specialist recruiters across the UK. The survey will also allow Growth Recruits to further identify how marketing is prioritised and managed within the recruitment industry, and where recruiters could gain most value from support with their marketing activity.
The survey asks for insights around how marketing is prioritised, what activities are utilised and what the key goals are for marketing teams within the industry.
Growth Recruits are encouraging respondents to share their thoughts by offering £24,000 worth of work completely free of charge to one respondent who will be picked at random. Respondents who refer another participant will be given an extra entry into the prize draw for any person they refer who completes the survey.
As experts in marketing for recruitment companies, Growth Recruits offers a wide range of marketing support ranging from SEO and PR to web design and development.
The agency has worked with clients including 360 Resourcing, VetFinders, and JGA Recruitment – boosting enquiries for those businesses and improving their visibility in search engines like Google.
The team have also worked with global leisure and hospitality agency Silver Swan Recruitment for many years, having gained incredible results for the company including press coverage on major national and international news publications and growing their audience from 1,000 to 40,000 visits each month.
Founder and Director of Growth Recruits Tom McLoughlin says, “We are incredibly excited to be launching our Visibility Index and are incredibly keen to hear from as many recruiters as possible to aid us in our research.
We are thrilled to be able to offer £24,000 of marketing to one of our respondents, and we really appreciate the insights of everyone who takes the time to participate.”
The #GetHired campaign proactively sources talented candidates whose careers have been impacted by Covid-19 at zero cost to employers
To tackle mass unemployment and the impact of a second lockdown, RecruitmentJunky has launched a new #GetHired campaign and is pledging to find employment for at least 100 people in the next four weeks.
The initiative aims to help people get back into work after their careers have been derailed by Covid-19. The #GetHired campaign, first launched during the national lockdown in March, proactively matches employers with talented people who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic, all completely free of charge. In its first phase, the campaign successfully found employment for 250 people who became unemployed or faced redundancy.
Despite the extension of the furlough scheme until March, redundancies are expected to rise as the UK comes to terms with a second lockdown. “We couldn’t just sit by and do nothing at a time when so many people are struggling,” commented RecruitmentJunky CEO Rosanna Kierney. “We’ve successfully placed many individuals left jobless in the first lockdown and now we want to ramp up our efforts and make it our absolute mission to get as many people back into work as possible.
The data-led recruitment business is also committed to challenging traditional recruitment methods, Rosanna continued, “We also want to invite the wider recruitment industry to recognise this opportunity to change the negative perception of recruiters and really demonstrate our industry’s value in this time of crisis.”
To support the #GetHired campaign, RecruitmentJunky is leveraging its network as a force for good by sharing available candidates’ CVs daily through its LinkedIn page. The company has also launched a directory on its website to help match candidates affected by Covid-19 with the right roles.
With the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealing that approximately 192,000 EU workers are employed in health and social care, the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) has warned that the sector could face a significant skills shortage when the Brexit transition stage ends.
Data published by the ONS revealed that 6% of the UK’s health and social care workers employed between 2017 and 2019 were EU nationals, while 6% of all key workers in the country were from Europe. With the Migration Advisory Committee recommending that social care workers are added to the Shortage Occupation List in September and a number of healthcare roles already identified as in short supply, the UK could face a shortfall of staff if employment routes aren’t suitable for relevant European workers.
As Tania Bowers, Legal Counsel and Head of Public Policy at APSCo, explains, the limitations of the post-transition visa options for EU nationals has the potential to impact skills availability for those on the Shortage Occupation List, including health and social care:
“For those sectors that rely on EU talent due to a short supply of in-country resources, the changes to how you can hire from across Europe post-transition present a real challenge, particularly for those recruiting flexible workers. The details published so far on the points-based immigration system provide a disappointing lack of detail around the movement of and access to highly skilled independent professionals across Europe.
“Under the Skilled Worker route an individual has to have a job offer and be sponsored by a licensed sponsor to gain access to this – an option that isn’t viable for independent professionals seeking to work on multiple projects. The Tier 1 Global Talent visa is also very limited in scope and, as a result is not suitable for independent professionals. While the document recently shared by the Government references a broader unsponsored route within the points-based system which will allow a smaller number of the most highly skilled workers to come to the UK without a job offer, the Home Office has made clear that this will not open from January 1st 2021.”
“Without a visa route that is geared to attract highly skilled contractors into the UK and, with lucrative opportunities available to these individuals in other countries, few are likely to willingly tackle the UK’s immigration system post-transition. Given the sheer number of EU workers employed in roles that are on the Shortage Occupation List, this potential drop in numbers is concerning to say the least.”
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