Volunteers Needed at Carlisle Youthzone

Carlisle Youthzone are still keen to recruit volunteers to help with sessions for young people, especially the ones that take place over the weekend:-

• Friday Gym Club (3.30 - 6.00 pm)


• Senior Club (Friday evenings for 13 -21 year olds)


• Inclusion Project (for youngsters with disabilities on Saturday mornings)


• Junior Club (8 - 12 year olds on Saturday afternoons)


• Saturday Night Session

For more info and contact details, visit www.carlisleyouthzone.org

Thanks to Julia Mullarkey of Carlisle Youthzone for this update.

Chrysalis Cumbria

Based in Wigton, Chrysalis provide a range of services for adults with learning disabilities in Cumbria.

I understand Chrysalis are happy to receive speculative CVs from students who are interested in working or volunteering for them, and may have some current opportunities for relief support workers.

You can find out more about Chrysalis from their website http://www.chrysalis-cumbria.co.uk

Do Employment Agencies Use Shady Practices?

A recent encounter with a disgruntled job seeker (who understandably wishes to remain anonymous) has drawn attention to a number of websites that suggest that some employment agencies are prone to using some rather iffy practices. The key accusations levelled are: mentioning spurious vacancies, knocking down clients' salary expectations in order to increase profits and elliciting unnecessary information from clients to promote the agency's own interests.

A quick google leads to web pages such as http://www.contractoruk.com/agencies/recruitment_agency_tricks.html http://www.it-training-advice.com/it-recruitment-agency-tricks.html or http://www.employmentking.co.uk/job-information/recruitment-agencies-a-bit-trickly/ which tell of similar tricks, and a few more besides.

But is it all true? Are some agencies simply disreputable 'bad apples' that let the responsible ones down, or are all agencies prone to using certain 'tricks of the trade'?

A look at the above websites will at least give you a good idea of things to watch out for when dealing with agencies. But how does this all tally with your own experience of employment agencies?

Comments welcome...

Are you thinking about a career in teaching?

We are running two sessions for University of Cumbria undergraduates, principally those in their second and third years.

For information on entry routes and how to make a successful PGCE application, come along to:

Applying for a PGCE seminar

Wednesday 19th October 12.30-1.30 pm

Lecture Theatre 1

Brampton Road campus, Carlisle

GTTR applications workshop

Wednesday 2nd November 1-3 pm

Room 102, Learning Gateway

Fusehill Street campus , Carlisle

For information on the sessions or for advice on planning your next steps after graduation, email: careers@cumbria.ac.uk

Source: Joanne Watson

Getting Into Publishing

Applications to attend 'Penguin’s Annual Graduate Open Day: Getting into Publishing 2011' are now open.

The event will take place this year on 3rd November 2010 from 9:30am – 2:30pm at 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL. It is a chance for students and recent graduates, particularly those from ethnic minority and other diverse backgrounds to find out more about career options at Penguin and in publishing.

To apply, students and graduates should send a CV and a short covering letter no longer than 200 words on why they would like to attend to: gettingintopublishing @penguin.co.uk by 14th October 2011.

We will email to inform applicants if they are successful. Any queries should be directed by email to dele.fatunla@pearson.com

Vacancies Across the Border

At a time when neither graduates looking to start their career - nor new students looking for part-time work - are having an easy time, there is at least some encouraging news with a little spate of vacancies being advertised in the Dumfriesshire area.

Here are some links to those that may be of interest:

http://www.talkatlas.co.uk/recruitment.html
Atlas Communications

http://www.dghp.org.uk/admin/current-vacancies
Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership

http://www.spectrum-care.com
Home Carers (Dumfries) - contact direct for application details

http://www.aberlour.org.uk/vacancylisting.aspx
Aberlour Trust

http://www.sppa.org.uk/job_vacancies/sppa_vacancies.html
Scottish Pre-School Play Association

www.myjobscotland.gov.uk
Youth Information Worker (Dumfries)

The last is a particularly useful resource as it covers Local Authority jobs across the whole of Scotland.