A4e Goes Global

At the sharp end: the economic recession

The global response With A4e forging ahead as something of a leader in global social policy, we take a look at the effect the recession is having across its international network

T

he economic slowdown is big news in the UK, and has been for many months. People are worried about losing their jobs, how their savings are performing and whether or not the housing market will ever pick up again. They’re worried that things just won’t ever be the same again. But it’s not just here in the UK that the jobs market is facing a slowdown. While we may be familiar with news stateside regarding the US economy, we don’t often see many reports on how other countries across the globe are faring. With more and more people facing redundancies worldwide, it’s more important than ever to tackle

the problem head-on, and to find ways to encourage businesses to keep staff in employment – or create new jobs.

Boosting job skills Roy Newey, Group Board Director, is responsible for international development at A4e. He’s witnessed first-hand how training programmes have helped people in various countries to boost their job skills and employability, and believes that tackling the global problem head-on is part of A4e’s responsibility as an international business. ‘It’s all about getting other organisations and ourselves to share best practice, and to promote an appropriate way of working with individuals across the globe,’ he explains. ‘If we didn’t step up to that, then there’s the possibility that nobody would. ‘When we talk about being the global leaders of social policy, we see ourselves as being the champion of those people who are most

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At the sharp end: the economic recession

disadvantaged, and although the set-ups in various parts of the world are different, the issues that affect people are similar. There are many organisations that are doing a great job in their own area, and the leadership role gives us the opportunity to bring these teams together to improve the delivery of a service in a local area. ‘When we look at the different services we can offer people around the world, we use the same core principles in each country. We make sure the services are relevant and have a local fit.’ One example of creating a ‘local fit’ is the work that A4e is doing in Jerusalem. The company is helping people gain new skills, restoring their confidence and self-esteem, and helping them to align themselves with talents that are attractive to the local employer base. ‘There’s no point training someone in a great new skill with a certificate if it’s not marketable or valued by the local authorities,’ explains Newey. ‘We’re not a political organisation and we’re not a religious-based organisation, which means that we’ve been able to support the Muslims, Arabs, Christians, Jews and the Orthodox Jews, and bring

We’re not a political organisation, and we’re not a religious-based organisation

BEACON OF LIGHT It’s clear that the recession is affecting countries in very different ways. In Poland, because A4e’s programmes are being supported by the European Social Fund, things haven’t changed, as Katarzyna Jaszczuk, Business Development Manager, explains. ‘We have operations in two regions, and the recession hasn’t really affected the amount of funds we have available,’ she says. ‘In comparison to other countries, Poland is doing quite well. Most of our products are exported and companies still have orders to fulfil, so they’re OK. ‘The second quarter of the year will be worse, but at the moment, our recruiter in Szczecin is still able to find jobs for clients. Of course, there is a change of attitude in the employers and I think they are being more cautious, but it’s not as bad as people think.’

them together in a way which is really quite magical in Jerusalem.’ Before training takes place, A4e has to identify and review the local employer base to find out what the labour market needs are – whether it’s in Delhi, Jerusalem or Manchester – and develop a social network of employers to find out what specific skills and experiences they find attractive. However, in some areas it’s necessary to deliver schemes that are more skills-orientated. For instance, in India there’s a real need to provide a healthy range of skills to help individuals become employable – or valuable to employers. In Germany, however, the situation is the complete opposite.

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roy newey, a4e Group board director

Very often, job-seekers in Germany possess a whole mountain of qualifications. Likewise, in Israel, for instance, the norm is for people to have two degrees. ‘People may have the academic qualifications, they even have the vocational qualifications, but more often than not, they have completely lost their confidence and self-esteem,’ says Newey. ‘In the countries where there is a more developed skillsbase, our work is less about skills and more about restoring people’s confidence.’

Delayed impact Over the last few years, A4e has expanded into countries such as France, Poland, Germany, India and Israel, and has recently been awarded an employment services contract in Australia. Shula Kentwell, CEO for A4e Australia, says that the recession is having a delayed impact in Australia compared to the UK. ‘Like the rest of the world, the country is going through very interesting times,’ she says, ‘and a new employment service is being created, with a complete overhaul of the way in which employment services are being delivered. While it was designed at time when most people were in full employment and the economic situation was very different, these reforms are needed more than ever and will result in better services for job seekers and the employers who need skilled workers in this country.’ Unemployment in Australia is on the increase. Within the last 12 months, unemployment figures have risen from below four per cent to 5.7 per cent, and it’s expected to exceed seven per cent by 2010. Despite the fact that the government is putting measures in place to manage the situation, there are big concerns. The new system, Job Services Australia (JSA), is due to commence on 1 July and will replace the previous JobNetwork and other programs that were considered by many to be outdated, fragmented and confusing for jobseekers. The new JSA will bring seven programs into one, which will mean that jobseekers can access a ‘one stop shop’ type of service. According to Kentwell, the reforms have been designed to create a much stronger and clearer link between employment services and the government’s skills and productivity agenda. ‘Job Services Australia will provide job seekers with more opportunities to acquire skills, and provide them with flexible, personalised support to help them gain and keep a job,’ she says.

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At the sharp end: the economic recession

employment, plus a climate with lots of highlyqualified people suddenly looking for work. ‘We are continuing to work hard to build up partnerships with local community organisations to deliver our service, which will be complemented by those organisations that have been providing valuable services closer to the ground for a long period. We’ve done a lot of the groundwork, but there is always much to be done. A4e has a sound track record in working in new countries, so our experience will stand us in good stead.’

istock © Nathalie Hedström

The big issue

A4e follows the same core principles whether helping people find work in India or the UK.

‘The recession is hitting different types of workers, and we are seeing an influx of Australians returning from overseas to find work, as well as many newlyretrenched workers. Under the new system, we will be providing specific support to this group as well as our more traditional client base.’ Being a new entrant to the market is always challenging, as Kentwell explains. ‘We are delighted

We are seeing an influx of Australians returning from overseas to find work shula kentwell, ceo, A4e australia

to have won this contract, but the hard work really starts now. Australia is a place where you have to prove yourself through actions and results. People want to know what you’re going to do in their country. The fact that it’s got its own unique challenges make it even more interesting. You’ve got a mix of people with longer-term barriers to

In other countries, the focus is less on giving people vocational skills and more on providing literacy and numeracy skills. The big problem in South Africa, according to Newey, is that a lot of people missed out on a basic level of education, so A4e’s task will be to rebuild this when the service agreement is up and running. Crime is also a big issue in South Africa, and as a consequence, there are a lot of people caught up in the justice system – and the prisons are very crowded. ‘We’re looking at developing three centres of excellence in South Africa, as well as working in the prisons to give prisoners vocational and employability skills,’ says Newey. ‘Our key mission in South Africa is about working with black, unemployed youth who also have a prison record, or who are still serving a prison sentence.’ In Jerusalem, Amin Ltd runs the national programme for employment enhancement. It’s a partnership between A4e and the Israeli Aman company, and began in 2005. Despite the economic crisis, over the last six months it has implemented around 650 job placements. However, the increase in the number of people returning to the employment centre reflects the impact of the economic state on the employment in the city. There’s also a decrease in demand for employees in the city and its surroundings. According to Amin, since most of the employers in Jerusalem are within governmental and institutional sectors, the number of people losing their jobs is smaller than in other areas, where employers are mainly from the private or third sector. The core of what A4e does, according to Newey, is improving people’s lives. ‘That sits right at the centre of what we do. We are happy to work with any organisation on a partnership basis around the world, and that has led us into lots of really interesting and exciting partnerships in various countries. ‘We always recruit a local workforce, so it’s not about taking 100 people from the UK and asking them to deliver programmes to South Africa, for instance. This is about recruiting a local labour force, and giving them new skills and talents.’

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