July 2009 - Guest Speaker at the APM London Branch "Managing your Career in an Economic Downturn"

On the 28th July 2009, the APM London Branch will be holding a meeting focused on the programme and project manager’s career during this economic downturn.

John Thorpe, MD at Arras People will be presenting alongside Anil Kotecha from Deloitte, specifically addressing the need to understand the market for programme and project management skills and how it is essential when successfully managing your career in the current climate

This event will provide an insight into the recruitment market for project and programme management across the UK. It will also provide an insight into the skills and experience that employers are looking for as we move towards the predicted upturn in the economy.

John Thorpe from Arras People will present an overview of their 2009 project management report covering salaries, rates, experience, the current climate and the outlook moving forward. He will also outline good practice in career management during an economic downturn.

Anil Kotecha from Deloitte will provide an insight into the skills and experience that employers are looking for in project and programme managers. He will also outline how best professionals can prepare for these opportunities.

The event also has a CPD rating of up to two hours

Both individual and corporate members of the APM can attend these events for free (as part of your membership subscription) and non-members can also attend for a small fee. To enquiry about places please visit the APM website – Managing Your Career in an Economic Downturn

June 2009 - Arras People in the Community: Career consultations fund generous donation to Youth Charter

Heywood, Lancashire, UK, 19 June 2009.

Arras People, a national project management recruitment agency based in Heywood, made a £500 donation to The Youth Charter, Salford Quays, Manchester. The ceremony was marked with a cheque presentation and photos Thursday afternoon.

Senior Consultant Mick Hides and PR Co-ordinator Dan Strayer made the cheque presentation Thursday to Geoff Thompson MBE, Founder and Executive Chairman of The Youth Charter, at the main headquarters of the TYC office in Salford Quays.

After conducting a series of Project Management Careers Clinics for nearly a year, the total sum of the donations made for each clinic have been rounded up by Arras to present four different charities based around the Greater Manchester area. The four registered charities selected to receive donations this year include: The Youth Charter; George House Trust, a leading HIV-assistance charity; Derian House Children's Hospice, Chorley; and Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, Edenfield, Ramsbottom.

Donations made by Arras People total £2,000, a large grant based on the popularity of Arras People's commitment to providing prospective project management candidates with quality career consultation and advice. Arras People's managing director, John Thorpe and Lindsay Scott, and consultants Mick Hides, Nicola Thorp and Gary Holmes, provide career advice and assistance for people on their CV and share their opinions and tips in areas such as qualifications, training, current job markets in project management. Fees for the sessions were donated to the charity of the candidate's choice.

Said John Thorpe, a director of Arras People: 'It is great to have a dedicated team who are willing to make time to share their experience and at the same time generate money that goes towards helping others in our local community.'

Thompson, renowned as a five-time World Karate Champion, corporate coach and social activist, was pleased with Arras' generosity and stated that money from the donation would be funnelled toward web development for the organisation, enabling greater interaction with those who need their services. Youth Charter provides a variety of leading social and human development programmes through sport, arts and cultural activity toward life development. Through a variety of programmes including social coaches, training & skills development, self-awareness/development programmes and campaigns in art, culture, sport, environment and conflict resolution, Youth Charter has attracted the attention of both public and private sector entities that wish to contribute to a better community. Ambassadors for Youth Charter come from all over the world in a variety of walks of life, including Nelson Mandela, Mary Peters, Lennox Lewis, Kate Hoey MP, John McEnroe and Fatima Whitbread, among many others.

The Arras representatives came away from the visit pleased with Youth Charter's efforts in community building and cultural enlightenment.

Said Hides: 'The Youth Charter has worked tirelessly for years, offering disaffected and disadvantaged young people with the means to take responsibility for their lives. The use of our modest donation demonstrates what can be achieved if the right attitude is adopted. We wish the Youth Charter continued success with their work.'

The Project Management Career Clinic has been set up by Arras People to provide advice and help for people who are looking for project management careers/training/CV/market intelligence advice. To use the service, professionals are asked to donate £25 to one of the three charities nominated by Arras People. The service provided by Arras People's trained staff provides general CV help while also providing educated advice, tips and opinions with students in areas such as qualifications, training, current job markets in project management and other related topics.

June 2009 - Arras People is named as a supplier on the Department of Health/NHS PASA Commercial Resources framework

17th June 2009 - Greater Manchester

Arras People, the Project Management Recruitment Specialist, has been successfully awarded by both the Department of Health & the NHS Purchasing & Supply Agency (NHS PASA) for the supply of Commercial Resources in a national and regional capacity.

Headquartered in Greater Manchester, Arras People as one of the awarded suppliers named on this framework will to work with the DH, its ALBs (Arms Length bodies) and NHS PASA to improve commercial capability through an increased emphasis on efficiency and value for money, specifically in a project and programme management capacity. Arras People is widely acknowledged for its expertise in project and programme management and the company will provide recruitment services and consultancy in the hiring (both for local and national NHS entities) of future non-permanent Project Manager, Programme Manager and Project Co-ordinator positions.

Arras People’s success to date has been attributed to our unique niche in recruitment for targeting project management & programme management personnel, giving the eight-year old national PM workforce supplier a competitive advantage against High Street and other niche recruiters.  As part of the tender evaluation criteria Arras People had to demonstrate ability to present quality candidates that will transfer their commercial skills in a manner that will ensure long-term sustainability to commercial development for both the DH and the NHS. In addition, Arras was awarded supplier status for their cost effective recruitment tactics as a value for money supplier.

"The team at Arras are looking forward to engaging with the NHS and the Department of Health personnel. We feel that our inclusion recognises the value of professional project management and specifically the value that we can deliver as a knowledge based, niche recruitment supplier." said John Thorpe, Managing Director of Arras People.

The plan, titled the Commercial Resources Framework (CRF), is a primary objective of both the NHS and the DH that allows them to bring in non-permanent workers with commercial skills through the help of pre-qualified suppliers.

The CRF (Commercial Resources framework was awarded in April 2009  and commenced on the 1st June 2009- 30th April 2012 (with an option to extend further for 2 periods of 12 months).

If you are a NHS organisation find how more about how Arras People can work with you through the Commercial Framework

May 2009 - Careers Clinics Fund Generous Donation to Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary

Heywood, Lancashire, UK, 22 May 2009.

Arras People, a national project management recruitment agency based in Heywood, made a £500 donation to George House Trust, an HIV Voluntary Organisation, Manchester. The ceremony was marked with a cheque presentation and photos Wednesday afternoon.

After conducting a series of Project Management Careers Clinics for nearly a year, the total sum of the donations made for each clinic have been rounded up by Arras to present four different charities based around the Greater Manchester area.

The four registered charities selected to receive donations this year include: George House Trust; Derian House Children's Hospice, Chorley; The Youth Charter, an extracurricular activities provider for Children, Salford Quays, Manchester; and Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, Edenfield, Ramsbottom.

Donations made by Arras People will total £2,000, a large grant based on the popularity of Arras People's commitment to providing prospective project management candidates with quality career consultation and advice. Arras People's managing director, John Thorpe, and consultants Mick Hides, Lindsay Scott, Nicola Thorp and Gary Holmes, provide career advice and assistance for people on their CV and share their opinions and tips in areas such as qualifications, training, current job markets in project management. Fees for the sessions were donated to the charity of the candidate's choice.

Said John Thorpe, a director of Arras People: 'It is great to have a dedicated team who are willing to make time to share their experience and at the same time generate money that goes towards helping others in our local community.'

Consultant Nicola Thorp and Arras People PR Co-ordinator Dan Strayer were given a thorough tour of the George House Trust (GHT) facilities Wednesday under the direction of GHT Chairman Jim Vann and Fundraising and Events Coordinator Sue Fletcher. Vann and Fletcher presented Nicola and Dan with a Certificate of Appreciation to commemorate the contribution, which would go toward one of several ongoing campaigns GHT is undergoing. Currently, George House Trust offers a variety of group and one-to-one services for those coping with the realities of life with HIV, while also raising awareness and educating the North West with strong campaigns.

The Arras representatives came away from the visit pleased with GHT's efforts.

Said Nicola: 'I feel pleased to be donating to a worthwhile charity which is tackling an issue that often gets overlooked. I didn't realise they did as much as they do, and I think most people wouldn't be aware, like the support services provided by GHT. I can speak for Arras People when I say that we're honoured to contribute in whatever positive manner we are capable of doing.'

George House Trust said they were pleased with Arras' generous offer.

Said Vann: 'George House is the leading HIV charity for the North West; we support over 2000 people in the region. Our work is challenging as many people living with HIV still face stigma and discrimination. Our "still live with HIV" message is at the centre of our philosophy and we work hard to empower people living with HIV to lead the fullest life possible. The opportunity to talk to the forward thinking staff at Arras People about our services is a fantastic way to connect up the voluntary and the private sectors. We're hugely grateful to Arras People for their donation of £500 to support our work.'

The Project Management Career Clinic has been set up by Arras People to provide advice and help for people who are looking for project management careers/training/CV/market intelligence advice. To use the service, professionals are asked to donate £25 to one of the three charities nominated by Arras People. The service provided by Arras People's trained staff provides general CV help while also providing educated advice, tips and opinions with students in areas such as qualifications, training, current job markets in project management and other related topics.

For more about Nicola's take on the visit to George House Trust, click here to read her blog entry at How to Manage a Camel.

May 2009 - Careers Clinics Fund Generous Donation to Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary

Heywood, Lancashire, UK, 21 May 2009.

Arras People, a national project management recruitment agency based in Heywood, made a £500 donation to Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, Edenfield, Ramsbottom. The ceremony was marked with a cheque presentation and photos Monday afternoon.

After conducting a series of Project Management Careers Clinics for nearly a year, the total sum of the donations made for each clinic have been rounded up by Arras to present four different charities based around the Greater Manchester area.

The four registered charities slated to receive donations this year include: Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary; Derian House Children's Hospice, Chorley; The Youth Charter, an extracurricular activities provider for Children, Salford Quays, Manchester; and George House Trust, an HIV Voluntary Organisation, Manchester.

Donations made by Arras People will total £2,000, a large grant based on the popularity of Arras People's commitment to providing prospective project management job candidates with quality career consultation and advice. Arras People's managing director, John Thorpe, and consultants Mick Hides, Lindsay Scott, Nicola Thorp and Gary Holmes, provide career advice and help for people on their CV and share their opinions and tips in areas such as qualifications, training, current job markets in project management. Fees for the sessions were donated to the charity of the candidate's choice.

Said John Thorpe, a director of Arras People: 'It is great to have a dedicated team who are willing to make time to share their experience and at the same time generate money that goes towards helping others in our local community.'

Six Arras People employees were treated to a tour of the Bleakholt facilities by Martin Mercer, Head of Stables at the Sanctuary, which has officially operated near Ramsbottom since 1957 and served as a registered charity since 1969. Mercer led a tour of the stables that feature 27 horses and 11 donkeys; stalls for farm animals, including two New Zealand Kune Kune pigs; and kennels featuring a variety of dogs and some cats. One former circus horse named Serpie showed off her patented hand shake to the overjoyed group, while several different dogs caught the eyes of the dog lovers in the group.

The Project Management Career Clinic has been set up by Arras People to provide advice and help for people who are looking for project management careers/training/CV/market intelligence advice. To use the service, professionals are asked to donate £25 to one of the three charities nominated by Arras People. The service provided by Arras People's trained staff provides general CV help while also providing educated advice, tips and opinions with students in areas such as qualifications, training, current job markets in project management and other related topics.

For Lindsay Scott's take on the visit to Bleakholt, click here to read her post about it at How to Manage a Camel.

May 2009 - Arras People Turns Careers Clinics Into Sizable Donation to Children's Hospice

Heywood, Lancashire, UK, 19 May 2009.

Arras People, a national project management recruitment agency based in Heywood, made a £500 donation to Derian House Children's Hospice, Chorley, Lancashire. The ceremony was marked with a cheque presentation and photos Friday afternoon.

After conducting a series of Project Management Careers Clinics for nearly a year, the total sum of the donations made for each clinic have been rounded up by Arras to present four different charities based around the Greater Manchester area.

The four registered charities slated to receive donations this year include Derian House; Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, Edenfield, Ramsbottom; The Youth Charter, an extracurricular activities provider for Children, Salford Quays, Manchester; and George House Trust, an HIV Voluntary Organisation, Manchester.

Donations made by Arras People will total £2,000, a large grant based on the popularity of Arras People's commitment to providing prospective project management job candidates with quality career consultation and advice. Arras People's managing director, John Thorpe, and consultants Mick Hides, Lindsay Scott, Nicola Thorp and Gary Holmes, provide career advice and help for people on their CV and share their opinions and tips in areas such as qualifications, training, current job markets in project management. Fees for the sessions were donated to the charity of the candidate's choice.

Said John Thorpe, a director of Arras People: 'It is great to have a dedicated team who are willing to make time to share their experience and at the same time generate money that goes towards helping others in our local community.'

The Project Management Career Clinic has been set up by Arras People to provide advice and help for people who are registered with Arras People as a project management professional looking for project management careers/training/CV/market intelligence advice. To use the service, professionals are asked to donate £10 25 to one of the three charities nominated by Arras People. The service provided by Arras People's trained staff provides general CV help while also providing educated advice, tips and opinions with students in areas such as qualifications, training, current job markets in project management and other related topics.

Roya Khadem, the Fundraising/Volunteers Co-ordinator for Derian House, appreciated Arras' generous donation, which she indicated would see immediate use for one particular upgrade at the Derian House facility.

"Thank you very much to Arras People for their kind generosity," Khadem said. "We can assure that the money donated will go toward the new teenage and young adult unit extension we are scheduled to begin building next month. Thanks from everyone at Derian House."

April 2009

Arras People, DWP join in fight for unemployed professionals

Heywood, Greater Manchester – 22 April 2009

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently included Arras People, the Project Management Recruitment people, as one of several organisations to deliver a new job search service for newly unemployed project management professionals.

Arras People was one of several recruiters nationwide to win a tender to launch the JobSearch Support Services for Newly Unemployed Professionals this month. The Heywood-based project management recruitment and consultancy specialist will work with the DWP and Jobcentre Plus on the new programme, launched as part of the Government's response to the economic downturn. The service is targeted specifically at professional or executive jobseekers in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) who have become unemployed after a period of long term employment.

Arras People will be delivering a variety of services across the whole of the UK to project professionals as an extension of our current career support offerings to prospective job seekers. Those who qualify for the service will receive career counselling and guidance on topics such as skills audit, CV writing, cover letter writing, interviewing skills, market intelligence and job search techniques.

"This opportunity to work with the DWP is a natural fit with the services we currently offer to those looking to advance their careers in Project Management," said John Thorpe, Managing Director & Founder of Arras People. "Preparing yourself to be effective in the job market is a skill which many people need help and advice on if they are going to secure a new role. The team at Arras People have a track record in helping people achieve this."

The DWP has introduced a wide range of additional services for their customers, including the JobSearch Support Service for Newly Unemployed Professionals. JobSearch Support is modelled as a one-day package complete with focused, intensive job search support for customers who have little or no experience with current job search channels, but display the confidence and motivation to seek work independently.

To use the JobSearch Support Service provided by Arras People, JSA qualifiers (particularly those with a background in projects) are encouraged to seek further advice about Arras People's involvement in the programme through their Jobcentre Plus adviser.

Those interested can go to http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/DWP/ and learn more about Arras People's involvement with Jobcentre Plus and the DWP in JobSearch Support Services for Newly Unemployed Professionals.

April 2009

Happy Birthday: Arras People Turns Seven Years Old This Month

Heywood, Lancashire, 6 April 2009

Arras People, the Project Management Recruitment Specialist, are celebrating the company’s seventh birthday throughout the month of April. The month-long celebration will be highlighted by a full day of free Project Management Careers Clinics for project management candidates.

Formed in 2002, Arras People has established itself as the premier project and programme management Recruitment Company in the UK, bringing unparalleled levels of service to clients and candidates alike. Recognising the growth in the UK project management market as more organisations took a project centric approach to delivery, the founders used their own experiences to form a company that was able to offer knowledge based recruitment services in response to the growing demand. The principal of using experienced project management practitioners to deliver recruitment services still holds strong and defines the company in the marketplace.

According to Managing Director and Co-Founder John Thorpe, "It is an approach that is based on respect to all our clients, be they clients looking to take on new hires or candidates looking for a new opportunity. It sounds simple, but from our own experiences of the marketplace and from conversations we have with individuals, it still marks us out in the crowd."

Unlike most who celebrate their own birthday, Arras People will be the ones bestowing the gifts this month – namely a free day of the popular Project Management Careers Clinics on the 27th April. These 30-minute one-to-one telephone consultations assist project management professionals who need independent advice in their pursuit of the next step in their project management career. Most often, clinic participants gain advice and feedback on their CVs. However, other clinic participants have used the clinic to get a better feel for the job market, received advice on project management training, and guidance about developing their careers.

The clinic, which normally charges a small fee, was recently offered for free at the Project Challenge Spring Show 2009 at the NEC Arena in Birmingham. So strong was the response for the service that the available slots were fully booked online within 10 days.

"We have a lot of good memories to look back on, and we think going forward that the Clinics will continue to stand out as our unique way of extending our expertise in the field to project and programme management professionals," said Dan Strayer, Marketing Co-ordinator at Arras People. "When you get down to it, the Project Management Careers Clinic is one of the most popular tools we have to show that we are here for our candidates. Any way you cut it, everybody is a winner this month with Arras People."

A web page will be updated throughout the month with features and information on how prospective free clinic participants can register for an open slot 27th April. Keep checking in at http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/seventh_birthday/index.html for more details.

February 2009

Arras People celebrates ISO9001:2008 Accreditation: Raising the Standards in Project Management Recruitment

Heywood, Lancashire, UK, 27th February 2009

Arras People, the project management recruitment specialists, today celebrated the accumulation of months of preparation with the award of their BS EN ISO9001:2008 Certification for the provision of project Management and staffing solutions.

The award, granted by the International Organisation for Standardisation, followed a successful independent audit of Arras People's key business policies, processes, procedures and best practices techniques which are used in the project management recruitment process.

The Certification was the natural next step for Arras People, given the growing expectation in business today that companies can demonstrate and maintain quality management systems. This accreditation not only demonstrates that Arras People is a sound and solid business but also gives official recognition to the wider marketplace of what the business was already doing; providing a project management recruitment service that exceeds expectations for all its clients – both recruiting organisations and candidates.

Lead consultant for Arras People, Mick Hides, commented; "The ISO 9001 Certification now opens up new markets for Arras People, it has enabled us to start working with new clients that had specific procurement requirements in place, specifically that new suppliers must have the accreditation. We're looking forward to supplying our unique services to a wider market"

Commented John Thorpe, Managing Director of Arras People, "It's reassuring to know that we went through the ISO 9001:2008 process with no major changes, we worked hard in the preparation but fundamentally the accreditation shows we're running a controlled business and it is a great platform on which to continue grow and provide our customers with an enhanced recruitment experience"

L-R: Allan Baskerville of Certified Quality Systems, John Thorpe, Managing Director of Arras People, Michael Hides, Lead Consultant at Arras People

February 2009

Arras People to offer Careers Clinics for free

"Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way"

Steppenwolf - Born to be Wild - 1968

Arras People's Project Management Careers Clinic is heading out on the road in 2009, first stop Project Challenge, Spring Show which will be held on the 25th & 26th March at the NEC in Birmingham. Come and visit us on Stand 174-176 for a private consultation (we have two careers booths available), remember to book a slot beforehand to avoid disappointment.

See you there!

February 2009

Arras People supports Best Practice User Group event

London - 2 February 2009

Arras People is supporting the BPUG Congress this year (Best Practice User Group) which takes place on the 10th & 11th February in Central London.

The programme which is comprehensive and exciting covers all the major guidances and methodologies including M_o_R®, MSP™, PRINCE2®, SDTK®, P3M3, P3O and OGC Maturity Models, with presentations from many of the lead authors on the changes and updates to the new versions.

Other impressive speakers include:

• Colonel Bob Stewart DSO – former UN Commander and master military strategist
• Stephen Jenner, Director – Criminal Justice IT
• Chris Miles, Audit Manager, Projects – DHL
• Joost Nuyten, Project Manager – Rabobank (The Netherlands)
• David Law, Head of Risk & Audit – Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA)
• Don Mason, PMO Manager – Emirates Airline Group (UAE)

To book a place and secure the members fee of £550 - please book online.

January 2009

Arras People: The Project Management Recruitment Agency That Speaks to Candidates, Not Just Clients!

Heywood, Lancashire – 26 January 2009

Arras People are a niche project management recruitment agency founded in 2002 with the aim of providing a service that overturned the perception of the recruitment industry.

The founders of Arras People are project staff with experience of recruitment agencies both as client and candidate.

Their experiences mirrored those of current UK job seekers who report an impenetrable industry where the flow of information is all one way.

UK job seekers report feeling undervalued, frustrated and ignored by recruitment agencies where:

Applications are not acknowledged

Candidates are seldom informed of progress. Even notification of unsuitability would be appreciated

Recruiters do not list e-mail addresses or phone numbers

Vacancies are advertised so loosely they are meaningless

Since its inception, Arras People has strived to overturn this perception of recruitment agencies by offering our candidates a service where they are valued as highly as our clients.

Our latest improvement is to individually appraise all CVs received from candidates who wish to register with us and provide feedback within 2 working days. CVs are read on a daily basis by a recruiter who assesses them in accordance with the following criteria:

Does level of project experience meet the criteria typically demanded by our clients?

Is the CV a well produced, competitively pitched representation of the individual's career?

Is geographical location workable?

Candidates are then issued with an e-mail advising them whether their application to register has been accepted. CVs of accepted candidates are added to our database to be matched with vacancies.

Candidates who we feel unable to help secure their next role are directed to the comprehensive resources on our website for assistance. These include a 16-page document assessing project management qualifications, CV writing advice and a suggested template and a project management entrance guides for graduates & career changers. All the above are free of charge and require no personal details to download.

Candidates who wish to go a step further can pay £30 for a 30 minute phone call with one of our recruiters who will evaluate their CV, discuss career options and provide one to one, honest advice on how best the candidate can pitch themselves in an increasingly competitive market place. Candidates can sign up for one of our Project Management Careers Clinics at http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/PMC_Clinic/.

John Thorpe, Managing Director of Arras People, says: "Managing the expectations of our candidates and increasing the accessibility of recruiters to help job seekers improve their competitive edge is an ongoing concern for recruitment agencies keen to be in contact with the cream of the candidate pool".

December 2008

Fourth Annual Arras People Project Management Survey Is Now Online

The 2009 Arras People Project Management Survey was released to UK based project management professionals on Thursday.

Now in its fourth year, the survey once collated will provide a current picture of what is happening in the Project Management field in the UK. Regarded as the most comprehensive report available for the project management marketplace in the UK,questions revolve around practitioners' views on professionalism and accreditation; their views on the current state of the market place; trends around rewards and benefits during 2008 and looking forward into 2009, as well as many other topical issues affecting project management.

"With 2009 looking to be a challenging year, it will be especially interesting to get the views of a group of professionals who can make a major impact on the economy. Challenging times require focussed projects which can deliver real benefits and skilled project professionals to ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved," said John Thorpe, Managing Director/Founder of Arras People.

Surveys from previous years have been cited in many different presentations worldwide since its inception in 2006, and project management professionals have repeatedly cited the Arras People Project Management Survey when looking to present current data and trends in the profession.

All UK based project management professionals are invited to participate in the 2009 Arras People Project Management Survey.

Individuals can take the survey online at http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/projectmanagementsalarysurvey/2009/projectmanagementbenchmarksurvey2009.html

The final report will be delivered in early February 2009.

BCS Session Declares There is a Project Management Skills Gap!

Tuesday 16 Dec 2008, LONDON - BCS HQ saw a pre-Christmas gathering that attracted a healthy mix of project management professionals to take part in a debate on the subject of 'Is There Really a Project Management Skills Gap?' I had the privilege of representing Arras People and joined the panel for this debate, which was ably facilitated by Dr. Brendan D'Cruz, Head of Department: Business & Computing at the Newport

The session commenced with a vote by all attendees on the subject, which to my surprise produced a significant majority in support of the motion. Each guest speaker then had a short session in which to put forward their views on the motion to the floor. My own personal presentation can be seen here.

A debate then followed facilitated by Dr. D'Cruz during which time the floor had the opportunity to question the views put forward by the panel; to seek wider views of the points made; and to present their own take on the subject matter. The debate was lively and at times even contentious as the definition of "skills" became one of the central points of discussion. As an IT centric audience, the public failures of many such IT projects was used as evidence to support the skills gap argument. This assertion in turn took the debate on to the key role of the Project sponsors, governance and politics which all have potentially as much impact (if not more?) as the project manager in delivering success.

Finally the motion was again put to the floor for a final vote before the buffet was opened and the opportunity for networking commenced. The motion was once again carried, though we the dissenters did manage to change one persons view!

A BCS report on the event will be posted in due course on the BCS web site.

Community Volunteer Wraps Up 13-Week Project, Is Immediately Hired

Arras People's recent sponsorship of university graduate Zoe in her volunteer project work with Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale has come to an end. As a result of her hard effort and consistent growth with Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale, Zoe's experience led to her attainment of a full-time position with the organisation as NEET Project Officer Assistant for the Youth Department.

'This job is working on a project with young people that are not in employment, education or training, and helping them pursue any plans they may have for their future,' Zoe wrote in her Week 13 diary entry. 

The thirteen weeks as a volunteer seemed to fly by, as Zoe's contributions to our webpage with weekly diary entries about her volunteering experience have given insight to both us as consultants and her interested online readers. The goal at the beginning was to take a recent graduate aspiring to become a project management professional and plug them into a fast-track programme that would serve as a harbinger of things to come in their professional life. As volunteer organisations are often in need of assistance, we at Arras People felt the online diary and recounts of Zoe's experience in such a role would shed light on what it takes to become a reputable project professional.

In the case of Zoe, her efforts were noticed. Not only have both Arras People and Zoe endeavoured to show what good volunteering can do for developing project management ideals, we got a first-hand glimpse of the rewards of such volunteering!

For Zoe, it all comes back to the gift that is volunteering.

"The experience was very beneficial and interesting, and it provided me with many opportunities and experiences," she wrote. "I would recommend this scheme to any individual that would like experience in a similar field."

Arras People plans to sponsor another voluntary assistant in the future, so be sure to stay tuned to all forms of Arras Services Media (including blog, website, and newsletter) for any upcoming events.

October 2008

Groundwork Volunteer Project Kicks Off For Arras Sponsored Candidate

Because Arras People project management consultants are asked constantly about ways to get into project management, we adopted Arras in the Community: The Groundwork Volunteer Project, in September to give our online readers a glimpse at answering the most common project management FAQ among job seekers.

Setting up a volunteer project assistant co-operation with Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale, Arras People will sponsor recent graduate and former Arras summer intern Zoe in a 13-week volunteer programme designed to build her project maintenance capabilities. Groundwork is currently developing Zoe's abilities through project participation and involvement in environmental/regeneration programmes. You can learn more about Zoe's take each week with diary entries (you can start at week one and work your way up) and analysis from our PM Consultants about elements of project management Zoe encountered that week (week three is located here).

Arras People plans to sponsor one graduate each year in a similar Groundwork project. For more details, check back in periodically to find out our requirements. But this year will provide the ground work (no pun intended) for what we hope will be annual event. Each week on this page during her 13-week assignment, Zoe will provide us with an updated diary, complete with reviews of her assignments, images of her work and previews of what lies ahead. The diary entries will tackle several elements of project management, from the working atmosphere to teamwork to resources available to planning.

August 2008

Arras People sponsors the 14th PPSOSIG Conference

The Programme and Project Support Office Specialist Interest Group (PPSOSIG) will be holding the second 2008 seminar from 17-18 September at Warwick Conferences in Coventry. Arras People has sponsored the event for five years and looks forward to another successful conference in September 2008.

The event, entitled Sweating Your PPSOs Assets: How Do You Get Best Value Out of What You Already Have?, seeks to help Programme and Project Support Officers take what they know their assets be and get the most out of them in a belt-tightening, credit crunching, recession-wary business era. Delegates are given the opportunity to evaluate their most valuable assets in their PPSO and learn more about how they can get the most value from what they already have without the need for extra outgoing costs and resource expenditure.

Sweating Your PPSOs Assets will guide their delegates with presentations, workshops, networking and Q&A sessions that concentrate on four main asset concentrations: infrastructure, skill sets/knowledge, personal skills and information. The intent is to provide delegates with a whole new set of ideas and plans to take away from and implement into their PPSO structure.

Sweating Your PPSOs Assetsis an overnight event (accommodation is included in the delegate rate) commencing at 9.30am on Wednesday 17th September and concluding at 12 noon on Thursday 18th September. Go to www.ppsosig.co.uk/Events.php for more information on rates and the seminar agenda as well.

May 2008

Project Management professionals benefit Little Monkeys

Another donation from our successful project management careers clinics to a local charity - Little Monkeys

> Read more about the recent press release

April 2008

New member of staff at Arras People

Dan Strayer started with Arras in April and brings a wealth of media knowledge and experience, with special expertise in writing, research and internet relations. He joins Arras as a Research/Marketing Officer and has previous experience as a project co-ordinator within the education publishing area.

Charity money goes down a tweet

> our recent day out to present one of our nominated charities with our PMC Clinic fundraiser proceeds

Arras People in the Community:
Career consultations for project management professionals
Benefits local North West charities

After conducting a series of Project Management Careers Clinics for almost eight months, Arras People have matched the total donations made by our candidates for three different charities based around the Greater Manchester area.

The three registered charities nominated to receive donations this year are  Francis House Children's Hospice, a respite house for families caring for very sick children based in East Didsbury, Manchester; Heywood Little Monkey's, a charity geared toward vulnerable families and their children, based in Heywood, and; Three Owls Bird Sanctuary and Reserve, a hospital for injured or orphaned birds based in Norden, Rochdale.

Donations made by Arras People will total £1,040, a grant increased thanks to Arras People's commitment to matching the original donations made by each candidate as payment for the consultation they received. Arras consultants Mick Hides, Lindsay Scott and Nicola Thorp, provide career advice and help for people on their CV and share their opinions and tips in areas such as qualifications, training, current job markets in project management. Fees for the sessions were donated to the charity of the candidate's choice.

Said John Thorpe, a director of Arras People: "It is great to have a dedicated team who are willing to make time to share their experience and at the same time generate money that goes towards helping others in our local community."

A new selection of charities for 2008-2009 have been selected by the consultants and Arras looks forward to another year of fundraising

> Find out more about our project management careers clinics

March 2008

01/03/08 - New Member of the team at Arras People

Gary Holmes, an experienced programme co-ordinator with experience in financial services, IT, customer service and legal. Gary joins our growing programme and project support office recruitment team - something that reflects the growing popularity of support roles within programme and project management.

February 2008

27/02/08 - The 2008 Project Management Survey is now available

> Read the press release

> See the report

January 2008

09/01/08 - Over 1000 people have taken part in our 2008 Project Management Survey, here's a snapshot of some of the data we've seen so far:

Want to see the whole report in February 2008?

> Take part and receive the report free of charge

December 2007

Third Project Management Salary Survey and Benchmark Report Launch

Arras People launched its popular benchmark report for 2008. In this years report this will allow us to tell you:

How your salary/day rate compares to that of your peers

Whether your salary expectations anticipated at the start of 2007 have been achieved

How competitive your salary is compared to that of both men and women at your level

> To take part and received the report free of charge

Corporate Member for the Association of Project Management

Arras People became corporate members of the APM this month, our aim is to contribute to the professional development of project managers and use our own experiences of the project management job market in a proactive and useful way. As we've project management practitioners too - we're looking forward to using our membership status to ensure we stay informed on project management best practice.

October 2007

Giving Advice for Charity

Arras People kicked off its "charity donation in exchange for project management advice" in the form of its popular project management careers clinic. Candidates can book a half a hour slot in exhange for a £10 donation to one of three charities. We've selected Francis House - a children's hospice in Cheshire, closer to home in Lancashire we've opted for Cheeky Monkey's - a Heywood based children's charity and Three Owls Sanctuary - a lovely rescue centre for birds near our head office.