"Wheels to Work" - Moped Scheme in New Forest

Looking for work usually involves considerable expensive travel by bus or train, for example:

• travel to interviews at employers' premises;


• regular visits to the office of Jobcentre Plus;


• visits to the nearby town's public library to job-search by on-line or in local newspapers; and,


• travel to Learn Direct or some other training establishment.

Walking up and down on the South Downs Way from Winchester in four days of blissful weather, I came upon the New Forest's "Wheels to Work" Mobed Scheme - details were given on a village notice board.

Wheels to Work enables selected young persons to have a conditional loan of a mobed and a variety of "appendages". The package might include for instance:

• the moped with lock and MOT;


• helmet and clothing;


• insurance;


• training in riding a moped; and,


• etc, etc.

For the young cash-strapped seeker of employment or training for work the scheme is a boon.

Referrals to the scheme may be made by a referring agent, such as - Jobcentre Plus, Youth Service, employer,.. self-referral is allowed. Detailed notes on the Scheme were later found (you know where). Numerous schemes are littering the countryside - see: http://www.cfnf.org.uk/ and search 'Moped'.

Mandatory Work for Jobseekers and Job Clubs

Regulations 2011 SI 2011 No 688 has been scrutinised by the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee of theHouse of Lords(?) and the reponse from the Department of Works and Pensions was useful in getting a handle, ie for me, on mandatory work for jobseekers. Initially a minimum of 10,000 persons will come within the scheme and it is expected to grow. For Job Clubs there is scope to help those who might otherwise or will come within the mandatory work scheme. Initially consideration for needs advice and practice might be based upon:

• the importance of the practice of personal time management - setting and identifying targets and outcomes;


• how to source and procure support in personal job searching;


• learning and taking on board innovative and speculative approaches to job searching;


• action-research in obtaining and rationalising work experience into meanful outcomes;


• recording and explaining "work experience" from life experiences in situations involving work (of course) but also leisure, volunteering, church activities; home life and so on;


• networking at courses, exhibitions. business shows etc so as to understand how employers "think2 and "react" to one's personal behaviour;


• the rationale of complaining and the current procedures for progressing a complaint.

Members' experience in and with their job club will enable them to successfully avoid the negative aspects of indicating behaviours (to use the DWP jargon) and so get regular work by their own efforts - this not wishful thinking!

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldselect/ldmerit/126/12606.htm

Intellectual Property Rights No 2 - Protection of IPRs

Since the last post on niche members the government's Department for BIS has issued a press release on the need for companies to protect their intellectual property, ie innovations requiring protection with patent, registered design, copyright, ...etc. The press release (link below) shows the range of services available from the Intllectual Property Office. http//nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=418943&NewsAreaID=2&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bis-news+%28BIS+News%29 The British Library runs a free on-line short course which introduces the subject of IP protection - a good first step!