Tag: Recruitment

Armed Forces Day – New career at Amazon for Bathgate military veteran

The team at the Amazon delivery station in Bathgate is celebrating Armed Forces Day (25th June) by shining a light on some of the veterans and reservists working across Amazon’s UK operations network. 

One of the veterans currently working at Amazon in Bathgate is Daniel Da Silva, who joined the company in 2020. 

The Amazon Military Programme offers members of the military community the opportunity to pursue a wide range of exciting new career paths at Amazon.

This year Amazon will recruit (or has recruited) over 300 veterans, reservists and military spouses across the business in over 35 different jobs ranging from health & safety specialists, engineers, sales managers and team leaders to senior managers. These new employees join over 2,500 already employed at Amazon since it commenced its military programme in 2011.  

Amazon has been awarded the Employer of the Year Award at the Ex-Forces in Business Awards for two years in succession for its outstanding efforts in supporting ex-services personnel and military spouses. The Ex-Forces in Business Awards is the world’s largest celebration of military veterans in second careers. 

The awards are dedicated to providing a much-needed platform for uncovering and showcasing the business achievements of ex-military, recognising the value veterans add to businesses as well as the employers that support the transition of servicemen and women.

Amazon’s military onboarding plan dedicated mentoring platform and thriving employee resource group ‘Warriors at Amazon’ continue to ensure our ex-forces have the best possible start to their second careers in Industry.

Amazon is also a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. The Covenant, originally introduced in 2011, has a focus on helping the Armed Forces community to access the same support from government and commercial services as the public. 

Amazon first signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2013 and renewed its commitment in 2021, vowing to uphold its key principles and to demonstrate its commitment to serving personnel, reservists, veterans and families.

Daniel Da Silva joined Amazon two years ago and is currently working as a Health and Safety Coordinator based at the Bathgate delivery station. 

Before joining Amazon, Daniel decided at age 17 to join the marines in Portugal. Due to an injury after 12 months of training, Daniel was told he couldn’t finish the last three weeks of his course. After recovering from his injury, Daniel started the same training once again and after 12 months, he received his well-deserved blue beret. 

“At some point in life we all fall, but it is down to us to stand up and use that bad moment as a fuel for something greater,” he said. 

As lockdown struck, Daniel found it very hard to stay at home. His brother was working at Amazon, so he decided to apply for a temporary part-time job but decided to stay on with Amazon after lockdown restrictions lifted. 

“I started to enjoy the diversity of roles here and opportunities and when it came to the time to go back to my previous job, I decided to stay at Amazon,” Daniel said. 

“For six years of my life, I had done a lot of leadership training and learned a lot during that period. I can now use those experiences to put what I learned into practice at Amazon. It’s something that comes naturally to me now. 

“Amazon is a great company to work for and a brilliant place to develop skills. You can go up the levels if you have the passion and commitment to do so.” Daniel added. “Comparing the opportunities that we have at Amazon to the military, it’s a much safer environment and you can spend more time with family, which are two big bonuses for me.” 

Clare Cornbleet, Senior Delivery Station Manager at Amazon in Bathgate said: “The Amazon Military Programme has been a fantastic success and Daniel is one of the many brilliant veterans and reservists working in Amazon buildings here in Bathgate and around the UK.

“The skills learned in the military are highly transferable to a role at Amazon and we’re pleased to continue offering employment, training and development opportunities to former servicemen and women through our programme.” 

Gillian Russell, Principle Programme Manager, Global Military Affairs and retired Royal Navy Officer at Amazon, added: “The military community brings huge value to the workforce and we have a dedicated team focused on bringing that talent into Amazon.

“We offer opportunities across the whole business and we train, develop and support veterans, military spouses and Reserves to flourish and thrive here. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to lean new skills and build their career at Amazon.”

Launched in 2021 the Amazon Corporate Military Internship Program is one such opportunity. It offers a direct path into corporate roles in e-commerce for those transitioning from the Armed Forces.

Those on the programme are supported throughout their transition to the corporate world, including a military mentor who already works at Amazon, tailored support from line management and an on boarding buddy.

To find out more about beginning a career with Amazon, visit Amazon Jobs

Amazon provides competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees. The roles pay a minimum of £10.00 or £11.10 per hour depending on location, and Amazon employees can also take advantage of Amazon’s pioneering Career Choice programme, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, up to £8,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. 

Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as cross-training, transferring to a different department and promotion into a managerial role. 

Amazon has invested over £32 billion in the UK since 2010 to provide convenience, selection and value to UK consumers, while supporting tens of thousands of businesses and creative professionals including small businesses selling on Amazon’s online stores, Amazon Web Services developers and Kindle Direct Publishing authors.  

Getting On With The Job? Prime Minister rallies employers to help get 500,000 into work

Over 347,000 unemployed people on benefits have found work in just four months through the government’s Way to Work campaign – an ambitious national push to get half a million more people into jobs by the end of June.

  • new figures show 347,000 people have moved into work since January – thanks to a government-backed drive to fill vacancies
  • with one month to go until the campaign ends, the government is calling on UK employers to join forces with Jobcentres to help more people find work
  • alongside vital job support to lift incomes, the new £15 billion package to help with the cost of living will help millions of households

The Prime Minister and Work and Pensions Secretary haveurged employers of all sizes to use the free recruitment support from their local Jobcentre to help fill the record number of vacancies in the jobs market and support the continued economic recovery by getting people into work.

Since January, DWP jobcentres across the UK have been ramping up operations with weekly jobs fairs – bringing employers in for face-to-face appointments and offering jobs on the spot to thousands of people.

Jobseekers walking away with roles have also secured an income, with those getting full time work set to be thousands of pounds better off than if they were on benefits. Helping households improve their finances and manage current cost of living pressures is a key priority for the government, with a £15 billion package announced on Thursday to support almost all of the eight million most vulnerable households across the UK.

On a visit to the North East of England, the Prime Minister and Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey visited CityFibre, a new employer to the Way to Work campaign who have already benefitted from 200 new recruits from around the UK, hired through their local Jobcentres.

During the visit, they also met local employees who have secured skilled jobs as a result of the campaign and the support of their local Jobcentre.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: ““I was only ten years old when unemployment was last this low.

“But with a vast number of vacancies in the jobs market, it is more critical than ever to access the huge pool of untapped talent in towns and cities right across the country, which is why I am thrilled with the progress we have made with the Way to Work scheme.”

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Thérèse Coffey said: “Unemployment is at its lowest since the 1970s with full time workers across the UK £6000 better off than if they were on benefits.

“And there are still vacancies to fill. That’s why our jobcentres are helping employers short circuit the recruitment process so they can get talent in fast.

“So, if you’re hiring, make the most of the help on offer from us.”

Greg Mesch, Chief Executive at CityFibre said: “CityFibre is rolling out the UK’s finest digital infrastructure to millions of homes and businesses nationwide. To build these new Full Fibre networks, we’re creating thousands of new network construction  jobs and providing industry training to those that need it.

“We and our construction partners are working closely with DWP nationally, and local Jobcentres, by engaging with schemes like Way to Work. We look forward to increasing our involvement in the future.”

Alongside vital job support to help jobseekers secure an income, the new £15 billion cost of living support package will help almost all of the eight million most vulnerable households across the UK as they are set to receive help of at least £1,200 this year, including a new one-off £650 cost of living payment.

The government has also announced a £500 million increase for the Household Support Fund, delivered by local authorities, extending it to March 2023. This brings the total Household Support Fund to £1.5 billion.

To find out more about how DWP can help fill vacancies with quality candidates, please visit the Way to Work page on GOV.UK

A trickle of Tory MPs have submitted letters of no confidence in Boris Johnson following the publication of the Sue Gray report.

Unless that trickle becomes a flood over the weekend as MPs attend constituency surgeries it appears Johnson has got away with it. Again.

SUE-GRAY-REPORTDownload

Volunteer Edinburgh looking for new board members

VOLUNTEER EDINBURGH is looking for new board members.

Volunteer Edinburgh’s aim is to inspire more people to become active citizens and volunteer. We’re looking for people of all backgrounds, ages and experience to join our board of trustees and to help us achieve our goals.

You can find out more about applying to join the board, and what’s involved in the role, in the nomination pack on the trustees page of our website here.

Now is the time to apply – deadline for nominations is 16.00 on Friday 20 May.

If you have any questions, or if you would like information in a different format, please get in touch with us at finance@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.  

 click to find out more

Trainee Youth Worker opportunities in North Edinburgh

The North Edinburgh Youth Work Collaborative have this amazing opportunity back up and running! This is an ideal opportunity for a school leaver.

If you would like to see the job description please click this link:

https://docs.google.com/…/1P1A38JSBbkDIL4…/edit…

If you would like to apply please click this link:

https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLScCCy8pbc6…/viewform…

If you would like to chat to someone about the opportunity please contact shelley@grantonyouth.com or any member of staff at Granton Youth, FetLor, Spartans, Pilton Youth & Childrens Project or Muirhouse Youth Development Group.

Skill shortages: Scottish kitchens waiting FIVE MONTHS to find chefs

Scottish kitchens are having to wait an average of five months to recruit and onboard chefs with the right skill set, according to research from fine-dining water S.Pellegrino.

The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, a global initiative which is currently searching for the best chefs under 30 as part of its Young Chef Competition, surveyed over 100 chef employers to reveal some of the biggest challenges facing the hospitality industry today and identify what support the sector needs.

Challenges facing gastronomy industry

Even though the research found that across the UK, 55% of chef employers believe there is a wealth of gastronomy talent, two thirds (67%) said that the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has put young people off from starting a career in the industry. A vast majority (77%) went so far as to say that more effort needs to go into attracting young talent.

The research also highlighted the need for greater support for those wanting a career as a chef; 78% said there needs to be more mentoring to help young chefs thrive, and over half (56%) said there weren’t enough networks for chefs to share practice around the world.

The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy is campaigning to improve perceptions of the sector and nurture the talent of tomorrow through a global network where some of the world’s leading chefs can share ideas, best practice and inspiration.

S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2022-23

The S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition is now open for entrants, and chefs under 30 years of age have the chance to register for the competition until 31st May 2022, sharing the Signature Dish that expresses their unique creativity and vision. Applications will be assessed by ALMA, the International School of Italian Culinary Arts, which will draw up the shortlist of competitors ahead of the Regional Finals.

Selected participants for the UK competition will join the Regional Finals event that will take place on 11th and 12th October. 

They will show their talent and compete in front of a prestigious jury made up of renowned members of the chef community, including:

·       Jason Atherton: Jason launched his flagship London restaurant, Pollen Street Social in April 2011, which was awarded a coveted Michelin star within six months of opening. Since then, his global restaurant group, ‘The Social Company’, has won multiple awards and accolades for its contribution to the UK restaurant scene. Jason now operates seven acclaimed London restaurants, two of which hold Michelin stars, and a further 7 international outposts in New York, The Philippines, Mykonos and St Moritz

·       Francesco Mazzei: Francesco Mazzei spent the early part of his career working in major cities such as Rome and London before going on to open restaurants in the likes of Edinburgh, Milan, and Bangkok. In 2008, Francesco went on to open his first restaurant in London, L’Anima, with a menu inspired by traditional cooking from Calabria, Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia. He has also been Chef Patron at Sartoria in Mayfair since 2015 as well as Radici, a neighbourhood trattoria in Islington, and Fiume, a riverside restaurant in Battersea.

·       Lisa Goodwin Allen: Lisa Goodwin-Allen is a British chef best known for being executive chef of the Michelin starred Northcote restaurant. She also won BBC’s cooking show Great British Menu. 

·       Claude Bosi: Known for combining highly skilled classical techniques with the world’s best produce, Claude Bosi is one of the best chefs in the UK today. After rising to the top at his restaurant Hibiscus, he now mans the kitchen at the two Michelin-starred Bibendum in London.

·       Sally Abe: After cutting her teeth at the likes of Brett Graham’s The Ledbury and Phil Howard’s Elystan Street, Sally Abé rose to fame at The Harwood Arms. She’s now at the helm of The Pem inside the Conrad London St James hotel, along with three accompanying establishments.

·       Skye Gyngell: Skye Gyngell works closely with biodynamic farm Fern Verrow to bring the UK’s best produce to London. Skye has an emphasis on simple, zero-waste cookery.

·       Sat Bains: Best known for being the chef proprietor of the two-Michelin star Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms in Nottingham, England. He won the Roux Scholarship in 1999, and worked in France, before returning to the UK and opening his own restaurant. Bains was also one of the winners on the BBC show Great British Menu in 2007.

The research found that 76% believe that top fine dining chefs are the biggest inspiration for young chefs, which is why S.Pellegrino works with leading chefs every year to be part of this initiative.

Commenting on being part of the UK jury, Jason Atheron said: “It’s a pleasure to be part of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef judging panel.

“Now more than ever we need to inspire and nurture the next generation of chefs and this competition helps to do just that. There is so much talent within our industry and to be able to spot and highlight these extraordinary individuals is an honour.”

Sat Bains added: “It’s so important to put the future of our industry first – and the best way to do this is by shining a spotlight on young chefs.

“Therefore, I am honoured and privileged to be involved – and I look forward to meeting the finalists in October.”

Skye Gyngell commented: “When I was starting out in my career, I always looked to other chefs for inspiration – so being able to work with, future talent is something that’s incredibly important to me.

“S.Pellegrino’s Young Chef Academy is all about celebrating and nurturing young talent, something we must do for our industry to continue to thrive.”

The current edition, opening the Regional Finals to a higher number of competitors (175 young chefs representing at least 50 different Countries/Regions), will offer even more opportunities for young talent to embark on a culinary journey that will bring visibility, prestige and the chance to compete for the global S. Pellegrino Young Chef Award at a Grand Finale in Milan in 2023.

As with the 2019/21 edition, the 2022/23 competition will also feature three additional awards alongside the main prize: the S.Pellegrino Award for Social Responsibility voted for by the Sustainable Restaurant Association which runs the Food Made Good program, the Acqua Panna Award for Connection in Gastronomy voted for by the competition mentors, and the Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award voted for by Fine Dining Lovers readers.

To start the application and discover more about the initiative please visit: 

https://www.sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com/the-competition/application-form

NHS Scotland recruitment boost

Scottish health boards have recruited more than 1,000 additional healthcare support staff and almost 200 registered nurses from overseas to help address the unprecedented challenges facing the NHS.

The support staff recruitment drive, backed by £15 million, was launched by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf last October. The new employees will be working in a variety of roles, both in acute hospitals and in community health teams.

Under a separate £4.5 million initiative, offers of employment have been signed with 191 nurses from countries including India and the Philippines, with some already arrived and in posts in hospitals across the country, while agreements are in place with recruitment agencies for a further 203. The figure is likely to increase significantly over the coming months as boards take advantage of new infrastructure for employing qualified international staff.

All international recruitment is in line with the Scottish Code of Practice for health and social care personnel, which demonstrates Scotland’s commitment to ethical recruitment to protect the healthcare systems of developing countries.

Health and Social Care Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The pandemic has been the biggest shock our NHS has faced in its 73 year existence. To help deal with Winter pressures and pressure brought on by the current Covid wave we are expanding and investing in our NHS workforce.

“Our hardworking and compassionate health and social care staff have been on the frontline of patient care throughout the pandemic and I am incredibly grateful to them all.

“In October, we set ambitious targets to boost the number of health care support staff and step up international nurse recruitment. I am delighted with the success of the recruitment campaigns and seeing the new staff already providing frontline patient care.

“Scotland has the best paid NHS staff in the UK and record workforce levels, with more than 155,000 whole time equivalent (WTE) staff now working in the service. We are determined to continue this progress as we recover from the pandemic.

“Our National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care commits to understanding how we can achieve a more sustainable, skilled workforce which makes careers in health and social care – at all levels – more attractive.”

Recruitment problems? Hire prison leavers to bolster workforce

With firms saying they are struggling to recruit in the face of record job vacancies, Nacro is calling for firms to hire those with criminal records to reduce reoffending and bolster the workforce.

Nacro chief executive Campbell Robb said: “We are overlooking one vital resource to address the country’s shortage of candidates: hiring prison leavers.

” Each month around 4,000 people leave prison, but only 14% are in employment six months later – yet employers who hire prison leavers often say prison leavers are harder working and more reliable workers.

“Alongside this, having work is a vital factor in reducing reoffending. Yet so many viable job candidates could be overlooked simply because they have a criminal record.

“The UK economy can no longer afford to ignore those leaving prison, we have a golden opportunity to reduce reoffending and staff shortages in one fell swoop.”

Scottish Ambulance Service recruits in record numbers

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has continued to increase its staffing and resources at pace this year as part of its Demand and Capacity Programme.

An additional 540 frontline A&E staff have been recruited this financial year – the highest number of staff ever to have joined the Service in a single year.

The new staff include 414 Technicians, 25 Paramedics, 58 Newly Qualified Paramedics, 23 Advanced Practitioners and 20 Ambulance Care Assistants. 192 staff have been recruited into the East, 111 for the North and 237 for the West.

A dedicated recruitment team was implemented to enable SAS to deliver the ambitious recruitment plan this year and to enable the foundations to be built in order to recruit a similar number of staff next year.

This increase in staffing and resources, coupled with alignment of shift patterns to patient demand profiles, aims to improve patient safety and staff welfare.

The programme has been supported by £20m investment from the Scottish Government so far.

This year, additional ambulances have gone live in Edinburgh and Lothian, Greater Glasgow, Tayside, Grampian and Clyde.

SAS has also established Seven new satellite stations, of which six are co-located with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Scottish Ambulance Service Chief Executive Pauline Howie said: “The last 12 months have been the busiest ever in terms of recruitment for the Service and this is great news for the people of Scotland.

“With the increased demand for our services, it’s vital we introduce extra resources and staffing. This will ensure we continue to deliver the very best patient care by boosting capacity and increasing our resilience in communities across Scotland.

“These new staff will compliment our existing staff who have done an incredible job before and throughout the pandemic.”

Cabinet Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The Scottish Ambulance Service is the heartbeat of our NHS and staff have worked incredibly hard over the last two years to meet the unprecedented pressure.

“This record recruitment is a demonstration of the action we are taking to help our Health Service at its time of critical need. They will be vital in enhancing the service already provided by dedicated staff.

“The Scottish Government is fully committed to ensuring SAS has the resources and skilled staff in place to continue to deliver a high quality emergency health service.”

Police Scotland to hold online recruitment event for women

Police Scotland would like to encourage more women to consider becoming a Police Officer in Scotland.

We are hosting an online recruitment event aimed at women on Monday 10/01/22 from 6.30pm – 8pm via MS Teams.

Email to sign up: recruitmentpositiveactionteam@scotland.pnn.police.uk

Appeal for more vaccinators

Jason Leitch rolls up his sleeeves

Scotland’s National Clinical Director Jason Leitch is becoming a vaccinator and is encouraging more people to enrol to help accelerate the national booster jab programme.

Since 19 November, the equivalent of 300 full-time additional staff (more than 1000 individuals) have joined the national vaccination effort and health boards are actively recruiting to create extra capacity.

Following the most recent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) everyone aged 18 and over who is eligible will be offered a slot for the booster jab by the end of January. Currently those aged 40-49 are invited to make an appointment through the online portal or the national helpline, from 12 weeks after their second dose. The national programme is also delivering second doses to 16 and 17 years olds.

Professor Leitch said: “I am pleased to join the fantastic team at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and look forward to helping administer booster jabs to adults and second doses to 16 and 17 years olds as we continue to protect Scotland’s population as quickly as possible.

“To be a small part of this national mission is a real privilege. It also gives me the opportunity to thank the clinical teams and volunteers who have got us this far.

“This has been the biggest immunisation programme in the history of the NHS and the hard work and commitment shown by health boards and vaccination teams across Scotland means we have the highest vaccination rate for people aged 12 and over of all UK nations for first, second and boosters/third doses and the winter vaccination programme has already delivered more than 2 million booster and third doses to the most vulnerable groups, covering 45% of the adult population (aged 18+).

However, we would warmly welcome any former NHS employees and of course, they will receive full training before giving any vaccines. I’ll be helping when I can alongside my main role.

“Even a shift a week will help, so if you’re a dentist, a nurse, an optometrist or a doctor and you can help us then please contact your local health board. Every vaccine dose given is another step out of the pandemic. If you don’t have a clinical background, it’s not a problem, you can still assist the programme in another capacity through the British Red Cross.

“We have accepted the JCVI’s updated recommendations and aim to offer the booster vaccine to everyone aged 18 or older who is eligible by the end of January, and we would love some more vaccinators to join our incredibly national programme to assist us through this particularly busy period.”

Vaccination Programme Director at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Anne Harkness said: “In the last year, our vaccination team at NHSGGC have administered more than 2.1 million jags, working with the public to protect our communities.

“We are continuing to build our pool of vaccinators and we are delighted to welcome Jason to the vaccination team and wish him – and all the new recruits – well.”

People who wish to apply to become a vaccinator can find more information at NHS Scotland

Volunteers who are not currently involved in COVID response, or other critical work, who would be interested in assisting the COVID response generally and the vaccine programme in particular, can find out more by emailing:

Covid_19ResponseScotland@redcross.org.uk