Welcome to our news pages, and from everybody at Kennedy Scott our best wishes for 2005, a year which promises to be challenging and, we all hope, even more rewarding.

In Autumn last year Mike Ley, Centre Manager at our Bedford Centre (opened in July 1999) was approached by Luton Borough Council about offering specialist services to eastern European clients (primarily Polish) who had settled in the Luton area and were also clients of Jobcentre Plus. Mike was confident of both KS’s repute locally and our ability to provide relevant help with CV’s, Interview Techniques and Vacancy Sourcing. So it proved to be that after initial enquiries we were given the go-ahead and the course started in October 2004. It’s a partnership between Luton Council, Jobcentre Plus Bedford District and KS and is funded through Neighbourhood Renewal Funds and is called ‘New Beginnings’...

Our primary objective, of course, can be expressed most simply in terms of numbers into work, a bit like airlines talking about ‘bums on seats!’ But what is really satisfying is the human side of the operation; we’re a people business after all. At risk of ‘self-congratulation’ here’s a few examples of what clients have said about us, reproduced really because this is what ultimately rewards us...

As a result of the Business Unusual Event held by Central London District office last January KS have been involved in an innovative programme designed to offer external mentors to internal JobCentre? Plus staff. The high turnover in the Client Advisor role prompted Teresa (our very own MD) to propose a pilot project, aptly named ‘Bridging Links’. This is designed to train external mentors for Client Advisors, particularly aimed at supporting those in the first six months of the job. The purpose being to share years of valuable experience gained by Provider staff with relative novice Client Advisors. This will be launched in January & is being watched eagerly by other Districts.

Our centres in Holloway Rd are part of a labyrinth of re-furbished Victorian factory buildings that now house a number of diverse businesses including the rehearsal rooms of the National Youth Theatre. Progressively KS are taking over more space and improving facilities and now we move into 2005 with a new Employer Suite...

With the advent of a new licensing regime within the security sector, we are pleased to announce a new programme coming on line in April. ‘Women in Security’ is designed to meet the new licensing requirements for an appropriate qualification and to attract more women into what otherwise might be described as a traditionally male-dominated world...

London’s east city fringe is an area of considerable contrasts. On the edge of the city of London, substantial parts of the East End are being progressively developed. Starting in the trendy clubs and restaurants of Hoxton, extending into up-and-coming Shoreditch High Street and then further into bohemian Bethnal Green.
Many of the old warehouses and light industrial buildings are being converted into fashionable apartments and Manhattan style lofts and clearly visible from the Kennedy Scott Centre is the towering ‘Gherkin’, that landmark symbol of corporate and financial power and winner of the Stirling prize for architecture.
Yet, amongst all this visible wealth and affluence, Tower Hamlets has within its boundaries some of the most deprived wards in England...

A lot of applicants for jobs don’t realise that there are ways of designing CVs effectively so that not only do they clearly convey the pertinent facts relating to an individual’s skills and experience but also they look ‘easy-on-the-eye’. Just as how a candidate presents him or herself is important so the way the details look can contribute a lot to that vital first impression...

When we refer to a ‘heavy duty’ biker we don’t mean the Bedford chapter of Hell’s Angels but ‘cyclist supreme’, our very own David Stone, Gateway tutor of that ‘parish’ who, in terms of competitiveness, is about as ferocious as KS get. He’s clearly a bit of a free spirit...

KSNews invited Gloria Lombardelli, DPQM from Jobcentre Plus (London Central District), into the comfy chair to give her thoughts on Kennedy Scott and some of the challenges that the partnership faces for the future.

We are now running a very exciting new pre-recruitment programme for the Metropolitan Police Service. Having made our mark over the last two years with a number of Job Prep Courses for the Home Office, Pensions Service and the Commonwealth Office...