A4E and Emma Harrison- MEGATHREAD

[seb-88 10]

More sneering at someone who got off her backside and made a success of her life! From wikipedia;

 

Emma Harrison [1] CBE is a British entrepreneur. She is the chairman, owner and founder of A4e (Action for employment). A graduate engineer (BSc Eng), she has received honorary doctorates from the University of Derby and the University of Bradford.

 

Harrison founded A4e in 1991 and now employs 4000 staff across 250 centres worldwide – it is the principal supplier and prime contractor to governments of services such as the Flexible New Deal, Legal Aid Helpline, Social care, Education for Offenders, Business Enterprise and Youth Vocational centres.

 

She has also been awarded the following awards: [3]

 

Veuve Clicquot Woman of the Year - Finalist

Judge for Entrepreneur of the Year, Top Women Entrepreneurs – Management Today

Inner-City UK - Woman Entrepreneur of the Year

International Junior Chamber - Outstanding Young Business Person

National Finalist - Entrepreneur of the Year - Ernst and Young

Fast Track 100 - Motivation Award

Emma Harrison has done positive media work promoting welfare reform, enterprise and ethical directorship as a mentor in Channel 4's Make me a Million.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_harrison_a4e

 

We should be proud of people like her, not having a go at them!

 

 

 

yes Spyke all of this all fine and well, I aint disagreeing with anything that anyone has put, I am merely airing my opinion on hjow that awful place is ran. Yes she may have built the business from nothingness, with or without a golden goose, I am more interested in the fact that people are pressured into working somewhere so that targets are achieved. I was mainly aiming my criticisms at the company and the staff there from personal experience. Although I do not like Emma, good for her for making a success out the business that has brought her so much fortune. Obviously, if I was in her position then I would be feeling extremely thankful.

 

yes I have said things about her, but that is because of her lack of empathy towards the people who are actually giving A4e the profits it is making. As long as bums are on seats and the moneys are rolling in, then thats all that matters. not whether people are actually matched to jobs they want to do.

[shazmacd48 10]

If she did what it says on the tin then yes be proud.

No qualifications at A4E gained by the way unless paid for by the job centre rather feats the object of attending really.

This is fact as I used to be employed by A4E and was good at it but couldn't stand the way clients were treated so packed up and left.

[Shef_Fitness 10]

You just don't get the difference between having opinions and beliefs and and airing snidey comments with no basis in fact or having first hand experience of what is being talked about.

 

I am referring here to your absolutely dreadful remarks about her looks and ponybabes whingeing on about looking after 20 horses and how Emma has never worked hard in her life.

 

IMO these don't constitute reasoned arguments about anything let alone faith or beliefs. Your equating these comments to someones religious beliefs is absolute rubbish. If you choose to interpret my posts as arrogant and bullying than thats your opinion and you are entitled to it.

 

I would never deny anyone any belief or faith, or their right to express it. I will say again for the last time that what I dislike is the constant innaccurate, unfounded and sometimes nasty personal remarks that have charcterised these posts. If I have said someone is wrong in what they have posted then that is because it was factually incorrect.

 

Yes the company was set up by her father, do you know how big it was when he left her to run it or how it has grown to what it is today? Fairy dust perhaps or maybe there was a goose (golden) in the office.

 

I'm not on any kind of soapbox, I haven't defended or endorsed the way A4e is run by the way just tried to redress the balance for someone I know.

 

 

 

 

Do you think A4e offers good value to the public?

 

They offer training courses, but without any actual courses or qualifications. Its similar to giving a Butcher huge sums of public money for him to open a butchers shop, and not sell meat

[Spyke 10]

Do you think A4e offers good value to the public?

 

They offer training courses, but without any actual courses or qualifications. Its similar to giving a Butcher huge sums of public money for him to open a butchers shop, and not sell meat

 

AFAIK A4e isn't about giving people qualifications, it's about helping them to find a job by improving their jobhunting skills. If someone has been unemployed for a long time they obviously need help with finding vacancies, wrtiing a CV, interview skills and so on. Isn't it a good thing that A4e works with the government to provide this?

[Shef_Fitness 10]

AFAIK A4e isn't about giving people qualifications, it's about helping them to find a job by improving their jobhunting skills. If someone has been unemployed for a long time they obviously need help with finding vacancies, wrtiing a CV, interview skills and so on. Isn't it a good thing that A4e works with the government to provide this?

 

 

 

So how can someone gain a job if they have no qualifications or skills?

 

If a job requires a person to have a Level 2 Quakification in IT (as an example), then clearly a person without qualifications can't apply for this role.

 

Job Hunting skills - using the internet, so why not teach people how to use a computer (attachments, emails etc...).

 

With regards writing a CV, if someone has no qualifications, then the qualifications section is going to be blank, so whats the point in doing a CV workshop? why not spend that time gaining an additional qualificaton, so a qualification can then go onto a CV.

 

What exactly are we paying their Tutors to do?

[ponybabes 10]

Firstly Spyke, i am not from Sheffield, just happen to live here now! So, do not use the term "typical of sheffield mentality" in my direction! I am my own person, not some bloody follower! secondly, i know people who truly have built things from scratch THEMSELVES, not, with daddy helping out! And, i congratulate these folk!

 

Thirdly yes, i choose to work with horses, but atleast i dont make myself out to be something i am not! Nor would i talk down to my clients in the manner Miss Oh So Important Harrison DOES! fact!

 

As for got off her fat backside, mmm, that also is debatable! So, dont slam me, on a public forum, if you wish to brown tongue the wonderful Emma, do so! But, when you have seen the FACTS from a clients and staff perspective in the way some of us have, then, tell me how blooming wonderful she is!

[slimsid2000 10]

http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d44/Slimsid2000/?action=view&current=lllllllllllllllll.jpg

[seb-88 10]

I can applaud you for your post Pony.

 

Makes me laugh that a forum is created for open discussions, then when someone airs their own views and opinions, they are quickly shot down and told they are in the wrong. Hmmmmmmmmmmm Feels like a nazi nation being interogated by the Gestapo. Wonderful.

[ponybabes 10]

Thankyou seb-88...oh no, people cant say how they feel these days, they are expected to agree with everyone, not have their own opinions, if that is the case i will go and delete my own forum, from internet land... and tell all my members why! I would like to see miss oh so important, live in my world for a few days.

[Lady Star 10]

For anyone curious about the training offered at A4e, as far as I have seen the clients who are willing to gain new qualifications are encouraged to do so, and can take level 2 English and/or Maths and a range of NVQ programmes... For someone with no qualifications, that's not so bad really... For those who have no or no recent work experience, it's got to be a bonus if you can gain some through voluntary work... Anyone who believes that they are some how too good for certain jobs when they've been out of work for more than 6 months, that's just not true... The market has told you this loud and clear and you need to take that shop job, or factory job or whatever role it is and get cracking or get off job seekers... There is no benefit called 'job selectors'! I graduated and took a part time job in a supermarket just to avoid the dole queues... I never thought I was above any role, and I've been out of work 3 weeks in the last 14 years...

 

I don't doubt that there are some advisors better than others at A4e, I don't doubt that there are many jealous people out there when they see someone with the cash that Emma Harrison has, especially when she is local and still lives locally... It inspires more bitterness than it inspires people to get off their butts and give it a go themselves! I don't care what anyone pretends on here - it's personal re Emma Harrison 9 times out of 10 - you don't bray on about Remploy, Wyse or CTS thread after thread, do you? And they all do the same thing, for the same money, the same way...

[ponybabes 10]

Dont bray on about it, as had nothing to do with those! As for jealousy, i for one could never be jealous of someone like her! I may not have a mansion, my own pool and millions in the bank, but, i guarantee you this, i am a better person and have far more of the "little things" in my life, that matter, than she will ever have! So no, not jealous what so ever! I have grown up around people with money, have many rich friends,i dont judge someone by how much they have got, makes no difference to me at all, i like people, or dislike people, for WHO they are, not what they are!

[seb-88 10]

 

I don't doubt that there are some advisors better than others at A4e, I don't doubt that there are many jealous people out there when they see someone with the cash that Emma Harrison has, especially when she is local and still lives locally... It inspires more bitterness than it inspires people to get off their butts and give it a go themselves! I don't care what anyone pretends on here - it's personal re Emma Harrison 9 times out of 10 - you don't bray on about Remploy, Wyse or CTS thread after thread, do you? And they all do the same thing, for the same money, the same way...

 

I fr one would like to add that jealousy does not play a part on my behalf also. I had never even heard of this woman until I was sent to A4e and was told to maybe read her daily blog, thats when a slight fascination came into play and decided to do some searching the net for her. I for one am not from sheffield so therefore she aint a local person to me.

 

I whole heartedly agree with what you are saying with regards tot hose who are willing to try and gain the qualifications that can only make the job prospects greater than they already were. In am merely commenting on the assistance that is available to Graduate students. Having walked out of Uni with an excellent grade in my chosen subject, I was then sent here to aid my search for work. Everyone was spoken too in eactly the same way, undermining, patronising and belittling. I have had a high standard of education and needed someone too assist me with bettering my job searching skills, not to teach me the importance of Self Esteem, Confidence Building and Team Work. These things I already although after my 2 weeks stint, I feel that they had been shattered as I felt like I was back in Nursery. I know that in those kind of situations you can only work as quickly as the slowest person in your group, but even when issues were raised these fell upon deaf ears.

 

Also never even heard of CTS or WYSE. Just for the record.