blog.jobsgopublic.com

The clouds are lifting. No, I’m not talking about the weather or the end of the recession (sorry!) I’m talking about the emergence of the Government Cloud or ‘G-Cloud’.  Intrigued? As am I. It’s a new initiative (as of June 2009) to centralise public service infrastructure to cut costs, administration and laborious data entry.  Part of the government’s Digital Britain concept, the move to ‘virtualise’ public sector data and systems management is believed by many (and especially those in the Cabinet Office) to be the next logical step in the digital switch over. Makeitbetter.co.uk – a Conservative-led website reporting Government ICT initiatives – likens the concept to the introduction of centralised electricity in the early twentieth century. In the days before electricity was procured as a utility, organisations used their own electricity generators. Looked at from this angle, doesn’t it make sense to centralise data in one place, especially if it is said to cut down on costs and administration? Certainly both New Labour and the Conservatives agree on this ‘necessary’ development in public sector ICT.

The latest news is that the government would now like private sector companies to provide their own cloud for public sector use as an alternative to the G-Cloud.  Government IT chief John Suffolk explained at the launch of Socitm’s IT Trends 2009-10 Report that the new advice was due to the vastly different demands of public sector bodies such as healthcare providers and the police force.

It seems to be getting more controversial by the day. Sharing data in a centralised platform is a huge security risk. Outsourcing this shared data to a variety of private sector companies – albeit specialist – is an even greater risk. And although the government assures us that anyone providing a computing cloud platform would need to be fully accredited before they can offer secure data storage to public sector organisations (and John Suffolk insists that personal data will not be kept on the G-cloud until it is absolutely ready), I am not sure how this will work in practice. You only need to pick up any newspaper or browse any news site to read about the latest ‘confidential data lost’ scandal. It also makes for a greater accountability issue. If and when mistakes are made, will it be possible to trace the source of the error?

Even so, the government are hoping this centralised infrastructure system will be successfully implemented within the next three years.  And as their policy has been met with support from all political sides, it is highly likely that this will go ahead.

Who knows, it may mark the beginning of a new era for public sector ICT. It may actually deliver on its promises and benefit all involved. In the meantime, we at Jobsgopublic would like to hear from you.

Do you think the G-cloud is a good idea? Why? Or do you feel uncomfortable with an online data storage system?  Let us know your thoughts.

It’s going to be a tense few months in the lead up to the May general election. No one quite knows where (and more to the point, when) the government anti-public spending axe will fall.  One thing is certain: it will fall. The three main parties have been promising (threatening?) these ‘necessary’ public sector cuts in a bid to scoop up support from the private sector: thinly-veiled attempts to persuade voters that this is the best move for the economy. And who knows, maybe it is -in the short-term. Although I can’t help feeling that a slightly better move would be to freeze bonuses (and maybe even freeze the pay) of those big earners in the financial sector. Take the cream from the fat cats, says I.

And as if the imminent cuts weren’t enough to strike fear into every public sector workers heart, the media seems to be on a mission to paint the public sector in the most blackest of terms. Stories of failing children’s services and senior officials losing confidential data abound. We need to put this in perspective: many public services are over-stretched, yes, and it is clear there does need to be a major shake-up in specific areas (especially children’s services) but it is the nature of news organisations to report the unusual stories, the shocking stories, the stories of incompetence and negligence, not the success stories (unless particularly unusual or ‘feel good’). And there are success stories within the public sector. A lot of them. We at Jobsgopublic work regularly with a vast range of councils up and down the country to improve their recruitment systems and show them how to utilise talent in candidates from all backgrounds. We are working hard to improve things within the sector and we are succeeding. And as I mentioned in a previous blog, the public sector remains a great sector to be involved in. There will be cuts, but this is the case across the economy in all sectors. And while the public sector is going to be hit hard (no doubt about it), salaries are still higher in many areas when compared to the private sector and there are generous retirement packages. And there are still jobs going: hundreds of them. If you don’t believe us, look here. At the time of blogging, we have currently 1,084 live job vacancies available. This number is highly likely to increase as 2010 picks up speed.

It occurs to me that all this pessimistic talk in the media around the public sector has become something of a trend. But I wonder how much of this pessimism is going to be self-perpetuating. What came first after all: the chicken or the egg? So don’t let all this media pessimism and scare mongering de-motivate you in your job search.  Ride the internet waves and browse public sector job boards in the UK. Not just ours (although we’d love you to come back and maybe even apply for a few jobs!) but everywhere. You’ll see there are huge numbers of public sector jobs out there for a wide range of levels. In fact, record numbers of graduates are starting out in careers in the public sector, according to a November survey carried out by the Higher Education Careers Service Unit. Why? Because these graduates know it’s the place to be in the future. So whether you are just starting out, moving sectors or if you’ve been working in the public sector for years: take heart.  There are jobs out there – you just need to find the right one.

There is no doubt about it: job hunting is one of the most stressful employment-related activities you’ll ever have to do. From the initial job search on a hundred and one different websites, to filling out the job application form, right through to the interview and imperative follow-up letter, it’s not exactly a barrel of giggles. And when it comes to the initial search of trawling through the job boards on the off-chance of finding that perfect vacancy, well, I’m sure there are many other things you’d rather be doing. So why not skip a stage?  I’m not talking about skipping the interview here (although I’m sure many of us would prefer not to go through such barbaric torture). I’m talking about allowing us –the nice bunch at Jobsgopublic.com  – to find the relevant jobs that meet your criteria. Sound good?

All you need to do is sign up to our Jobs-By-Email service, register your details, tell us about the type of jobs you are looking for and bingo! You’ll receive relevant job vacancies delivered straight to your inbox whenever they’re added to our network. Meaning you can spend more time applying rather than searching for your next job.

Of course, we can’t guarantee you a job from the vacancies we send through (although we’d like to!) but it does free up a lot more of your time so you can get on with the nitty gritty.

Still not convinced? Here are my top 5 reasons why you should register for Jobs-By-Email:

• Convenient: the automatically-generated alerts delivered straight to your given e-mail will prevent you having to manually search for jobs that may not be relevant anyway
• Time-saving: frees up more time for filling out job applications
• Efficient: Receiving these alerts will highlight job vacancies you may otherwise have missed
• Motivating: The regularity of these emails will keep you motivated in your job search
• Discreet: Receiving these emails instead of looking at live vacancies during work hours will be less conspicuous to other colleagues/your boss if you are looking for a job or career change.

Oh yes: and did I also mention it’s absolutely, utterly, definitely and entirely free?

2010. A new year, a new decade. Who’d have thought we would get this far? Well OK, most of us, (apart from the occasional ‘End of The World’ prediction that circulates every now and again). But at times during 2009, the idea of our economy recovering seemed just a pipe dream. Yes, we still have a long way to go, and for the job-seeking among you, the going can be tough. Tough, yes, but not impossible. Things are picking up: new vacancies are on the increase. I’d go as far as to say that the public sector in 2010 is going to thrive.

For the job-despondent, I ask you this: who do you know who has got a job in the past 12 months? I’d hazard that you know quite a few who have. Friends, relatives, acquaintances, the girl next door, whoever. There are jobs out there. Public sector employers are waiting for candidates just like you.

And here’s another bit of encouraging news: there has never been a better time to work in the public sector. We still may be in the recession, but according to Straight Statistics.org, the average public sector salary is streets ahead of many private sector salaries.  Employees in the public sector work less hours, there are excellent pension schemes and other benefits a-plenty. Indeed, The Times deems it “the public sector’s golden age”.*  And while it’s not so good news for those in the private sector, it is even more of a reason why you should take a public sector job (jobsgopublic.com are currently inundated with vacancies up and down the country). And to give you an even better chance of finding your ideal public sector job, make sure you sign up to our Jobs-By-Email service that is tightly targeted to your personal criteria.

Go on: sign up – and make 2010 your year.

* Taken from The Public Sector Starts at No1 Easy Street Times Online, January 3 2010.