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Summer Youth Employment Program Is A Win-win

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October2009 If you want to know how intractable the unemployment problem is in Detroit, talk to any group of 18 – 24-year-olds and you’ll be amazed at how few have ever had a summer job.

That’s why McDonald’s owner and operator, Jamar Thrower, decided that the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.

“We are always open to getting involved in anything positive to help the community,” said the owner of Jamjomar, Inc. “This was an unbelievable chance for us to train young people at no cost to us, then have them ready to hire when the summer was over.”

Thrower is one of dozens of for-profit employers who participated in SYEP this summer. The Detroit program, which serves an average of 2,500 youth each year, received an injection of $11.2 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act this summer. The federal money helped increase the scope of the program to serve about 7,000 youth ages 14 – 24.

SYEP Participation is Good for Business

With the drastic increase in the number of youth served, City Connect Detroit, acting on behalf of the Detroit Youth Employment Consortium, decided to enlist the help of the business community in addition to the traditional non-profit supporters of the summer program. It was not an easy sell.

“In a troubled economic climate, many businesses were focused on downsizing, not making room for new employees,” said City Connect Detroit CEO Geneva J.Williams. “But when we made it clear that we were providing the youth and paying their salaries, many businesses jumped at the chance to give young people a taste of the real work environment.”

Thrower employed 13 youth in his two Detroit stores. “In such a depressed time, it’s important to expose kids to earning a paycheck and to teach them accountability,” said Thrower, who trained his SYEP youth in all aspects of running his business. “It was such a good experience for me as the employer, I would have no trouble recommending that other stores in our consortium participate next year.”

Cultivating Future Employees

C. has a bad temper-one that landed her in front of a judge earlier this year after the 20-year-old stabbed someone in a fight. The judge gave the first-time offender a choice: Go on probation and get a job, or go to jail.

“I picked probation,” she said. “I’m so glad I was given a chance.”

C. ended up in SYEP doing conservation work with the Greening of Detroit. “This is my first time having a job,” she said while composting at Elizabeth Gordon Sachs Park near downtown Detroit. “It feels good to have a paycheck.”
The biggest lesson she’s learned is how to stay to herself. “You get quiet when you do work outside,” she said. “At first it was uncomfortable being quiet and thinking. But it helps me stay out of trouble.”

It’s a Question of Values

Exposing youth to environmental issues, plus giving them chance to learn the value of hard work is exactly why Johnson Controls, a member of the Detroit Youth Employment Consortium,got involved with SYEP.

In 2006, the Milwaukee-based company began its Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC) to teach urban youth environmental stewardship and leadership. The program has since expanded to two other cities where the company has operations: Baltimore and Detroit.

“We had 2,200 applicants for 110 positions in Detroit this summer,” said Jennifer Mattes, director of global public affairs. “We continue to search for additional funding sources in all three cities – the need is so great.”

In partnership with the national Student Conservation Association and the Greening of Detroit, the CLC was able to give Detroit youth a taste of the green job industry, including educating city residents about energy efficiency; weatherizing and energy auditing 75 homes in Detroit; designing and building an outdoor classroom and indoor environmental lab at Barbara Jordan Elementary School; conducting an extensive tree inventory; and reclaiming two green picnic shelters on Belle Isle using alternative building materials and practices.

Why did Johnson Controls get involved with summer youth programs?

“We wanted to invest in the communities where we do business,” said Mattes. “It’s about challenging the next generation to be environmental stewards and providing them the opportunity to gain leadership skills. Some of them may even become our employees. Plus, we hope they will stay in Detroit because they see a future there.” (For a list of other funders of the Detroit Conservation Leadership Corps, see below.*)

The program also helped Johnson Controls develop a relationship with state and local leaders. “The mayor and the governor are supportive of these summer programs as well,” said Mattes. “We’ve earned recognition as a company that’s engaging youth in a unique and meaningful employment experience that also provides a valuable community service.”
Mattes said that SYEP is a win-win for the business community. “Through the program, we can give youth a perspective of what kinds of skills and education they will need to be ready for the green jobs of the future,” she said. “At same time, they’re doing something to beautify their city. We want to make it a better place for everyone.”
* Johnson Controls is the founding sponsor of the Conservation Leadership Corps. Additional support was provided by: Chase; the City of Detroit Community Development Block Grant and Neighborhood Opportunity Fund; The City of Detroit Workforce Development Department; City Connect Detroit; the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth; Michigan Works! Association; Masco Corporation Foundation; SAP Americas; and the Walmart Foundation.

Importance Of Race Relation Act Questionnaire Rr65 Demonstrated By Banco Santander Group

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The importance of the Race Relations Act Questionnaire RR65 is highlighted by the high-profile Chagger v Abbey National plc & Hopkins (2006) UK legal case, where the Employment Tribunal made a finding of race discrimination, which subsequently led to the record-breaking compensation award of 2.8 million. In 2006, Abbey National Santander Group (the Spanish-owned UK high street bank which will soon be re-branded as Santander, and is part of the Banco Santander Group) terminated Balbinder Chagger’s employment, giving redundancy as the reason. Mr Chagger believed, however, that the real reason behind his dismissal was race discrimination. Santander Abbey National Group employed Mr Chagger (who was of Indian origin) as a Trading Risk Controller and paid him about 100,000 per annum. He reported into Nigel Hopkins.

Employees who believe they have suffered race discrimination at work and are considering pursuing legal action may serve a Race Relations Act Questionnaire RR65 upon the employer. The Race Relations Act Questionnaire RR65 procedure is set out in the Race Relations Act (Questions and Replies) Order 1977.

The employee serves his questionnaire upon the employer via form RR65. It contains some standard questions, such as to what extend does the employer concur with the employee’s version of events, what is the employer’s version of events, and does the employer accept that the employee has suffered discrimination (and if not, then why not). The employee may attach his own specific questions to the end of the standard questions.

The serving of a Race Relations Act Questionnaire RR65 is not a necessary step in dealing with the discrimination via formal legal proceedings; it is optional. But, it is a step that gives the employee a unique chance to collect evidence in support of his case (because it permits the inclusion of questions of an exploratory nature), as well as, to obtain further information useful in deciding whether to proceed with legal action or not. Therefore, the employee should seriously consider serving a questionnaire, and design the questions to uncover evidence that proves race discrimination which is known only to the employer, uncover fully the employer’s case, and ascertain which facts are accepted by the employer and which are in dispute.

The employer must respond to the questionnaire in writing within a reasonable time period (8 weeks from the date the of receipt). The employer’s answers can be submitted as evidence before an Employment Tribunal. The employer does not have to answer the questionnaire, and cannot be ordered to respond to it by an Employment Tribunal. But, failure to respond within the time limit and/or ambiguous or evasive responses may be held against the employer. Where an Employment Tribunal believes the employer deliberately and without good reason did not respond within the time limit and/or the responses were evasive or ambiguous, the Race Relations Act 1976 allows the Employment Tribunal to draw any adverse inferences it considers just and equitable, including the inference that the employer committed an unlawful act of discrimination. Thus, an Employment Tribunal could make a finding of race discrimination based solely on the adverse inferences it has drawn regarding the questionnaire; although, in reality, it is unlikely to do that, it could decide to take a serious stance on the employer’s failure to respond properly and be persuaded by it, along with other evidence. The chance of the Employment Tribunal drawing adverse inferences will be increased if the employee had asked reasonable questions and had made efforts to chase the employer and encouraged it to respond properly. The employer will not know the consequences of its failures before it faces the Employment Tribunal, at which time it may be too late for the employer to make good any failings. Thus, an employee who avails himself of the questionnaire procedure automatically gains this tactical advantage.

Such was the situation Santander Abbey National had got itself into. The Employment Tribunal found that Abbey Santander had failed in answering Mr Chagger’s questionnaire. Mr Chagger had asked Santander Abbey National to supply details of legal actions of racial discrimination brought against it since 1 January 2001. Abbey Santander responded with 17 citations of incidents. In respect of 6 of them, dating from 2001 and 2002, Santander Abbey National simply stated that the outcomes of the actions were unknown and that it was unable to obtain information regarding the outcomes during the time period in which the questionnaire had to be responded to; no further answers were ever provided to Mr Chagger. The Employment Tribunal concluded that Santander Abbey National’s response was evasive. Its failure to answer the questionnaire, along with the other evidence in the case, satisfied the Employment Tribunal that Mr Hopkins and Abbey National Santander had discriminated against Mr Chagger on the grounds of race in his dismissal.

The serving of a Race Relations Act Questionnaire RR65 by the employee does not in itself start off any legal proceedings; the initiation of legal proceedings requires a separate procedure. If no legal proceedings are ever initiated, then the employee’s questionnaire and the employer’s responses remain a private matter between the employer and employee. If the employee is seriously contemplating legal action based on the other evidence that suggests race discrimination, then serving a Race Relations Act Questionnaire would be appropriate, because the employer’s response may help the employee to decide. But, if the employee does not have any serious intentions regarding legal action, then to serve a questionnaire would be inappropriate because doing so may unnecessarily vex the employer and/or the responses may affect the employee emotionally into pursuing a legal action he didn’t intend to pursue.

The Chagger v Abbey National plc & Hopkins case did not end at the Employment Tribunal stage. In 2008, it was appealed to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT). This year, 2009, the case was appealed to the Court of Appeal (being the second highest court in the land). The Court of Appeal’s List of Hearings showed that the appeal was heard on 7 and 8 July 2009. The Court’s records and judgement of the hearing were not available at the time of writing this article. The 11KBW set of barristers’ chambers had reported that the Court of Appeal hearing was only about compensation (not racial discrimination as well). So, this would seem to suggest that the wrong of race discrimination committed by Abbey National Santander and Nigel Hopkins has been settled by the EAT (it had upheld the original Employment Tribunal’s finding that Mr Hopkins and Santander Abbey National had discriminated against Mr Chagger on the grounds of race in his dismissal).

Finding Employment And Jobs For Fat People

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Many employers still discriminate against certain people in the community although they will rigorously deny this if confronted. It has been proven through research that more often than not the attractive person will be chosen for the post, even if they do not have the sufficient qualifications. Jobs for fat people are few and far between though there are people that can be considered naturally fat or built bigger than others. There is a definitive difference between being unhealthily obese, and what is considered being naturally overweight. Many people are a little heavier, though in peak health, and no matter what weight loss pills, potions, or diets, they go on, nothing will change this fact. If you are one of these people you will find getting employment a lot more difficult because of subtle discrimination in the marketplace against fat people.

Society has been brainwashed against fat people

weight loss manufacturers, health and medical industries have labeled fat a dirty word and the social pressure put on people that are a little rounder than others are enormous and unfair. What is even worse is that jobs for fat people are not really advertised, so no matter how well qualified fat people are job hunting is ten times harder. Finding employment can be frustrating to say the least, and because of these pressures it is possible that you could start comfort eating binges and go from being naturally overweight to obese. Your current weight may be apt for your frame, and through eating normally you do not gain weight; and on diets do not lose any either. Consider that your body may have reached a natural balance and you are going to have to accept that you are a little rounder than others. The media and advertising weight loss products and dieting has brainwashed society into thinking that being even a little over weight is totally unacceptable. This has even filtered into business and employment sectors and finding jobs for fat people has become extremely difficult because of discrimination against the fat people community.

Where to look for jobs for Fat people

No doubt the best possible places to look for jobs for fat people would be within a fat people social community, because here there may be employment agencies and employers that do not discriminate on the way you are built, what color you are, whether you are short or tall or a little overweight. The internet has opened many social communities already, and no doubt there is a fat social community that you can join and feel at home plus there maybe jobs for fat people or you can offer employment if you have positions available. It will also be discovered on these fat social networks that employers and agencies that do not discriminate against fat people, have the option of advertising positions freely. The fat people community is a group of people that have the friendliest personalities around, and those business that offer jobs for fat people will end up employing the most dedicated and friendly staff which will certainly end up being valuable assets to any institution.

Are you an employment agency with a lame Excuse?

Many companies will insist that they do not discriminate against fat people for fear of reprisals, but of course they will too subtle to be detected. When you apply for the job advertised, you will probably be wasting your time and will get a notification that the job has been filled by someone better qualified than you. Naturally there is nothing you can do about this. This is what makes hunting for jobs for fat people more than frustrating. More than likely you will be better off not working for a company like this anyway. When you are looking for employment, then you will definitely enjoy better results by seeking out jobs for fat people at employers that will accept your qualifications rather than the way you are built. The internet is the best place where you will find solutions regarding jobs for fat people, and with a little effort you will also find a social network community dedicated to fat people that you can also call home!

How Obtaining A Criminal Pardon Improves Employment Prospects

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Anyone that has ever been arrested or convicted of a crime in Canada and the United States is at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to gaining and keeping a job. A person’s criminal record is readily available to the general public and can be easily accessed by anyone that wishes to check it, including current and potential employers. In today’s computer age, all it takes is the click of a computer mouse to access a wide variety of information on any individual, including details of their criminal record history.

It is standard procedure for many employers to conduct criminal record checks on all job applicants before hiring. It stands to reason that a prospective employee with a criminal record has less chance of being hired than a comparable candidate without a criminal past. Many employers would be hesitant to hire a candidate when it was revealed that he had a criminal record. Even if the charges on record are viewed as minor, they may cause employers to question the prospective employee’s character, as well as their honesty and judgement. In many professions, possessing a criminal record would all but eliminate any chance of being hired. Some jobs require that employees be bonded; however, bonding companies are cautious when insuring a person with a criminal record and typically charge employers more-often more than the employer is willing to spend.

Fortunately, it is possible, in most cases, to have a Canadian criminal record removed with a pardon. A criminal pardon will ensure that all of a person’s criminal records and charges are separated from other personal records and rendered inaccessible to individuals and organizations such as employers, educational institutions, volunteer organizations, and bonding companies; in essence, it is sealing the criminal record. In addition, anyone who has been convicted under Canadian law can apply to the Canadian government for a pardon once their sentence is completed and a certain period of time has passed.

There are many advantages in obtaining a criminal record pardon, especially for those seeking employment or career advancement. The Canadian Human Rights Act protects individuals who have received pardons from discrimination, particularly from employers and landlords. The Criminal Record Act eliminates the need for employees to reveal pardoned convictions on government employment forms. By using the professional services of a firm that specializes in obtaining pardons, the complicated pardon process can be completed in as little as 8 months.

Competition in today’s job market is tough, and employers are more meticulous and discriminating in the selection process than ever before. They have ready access to all types of data when researching the backgrounds of potential employees. Having a criminal record puts a prospective employee at a crippling disadvantage. For individual’s seeking employment, obtaining a criminal pardon can do more to improve their employability and career prospects than anything else they might do. For employees who live with the constant fear that at anytime their undisclosed criminal record could be revealed to their employer, causing embarrassment and wreaking havoc on their careers, obtaining a criminal pardon could offer peace of mind. A Canadian criminal pardon levels the playing field for those with criminal pasts, enabling them to find success and security.

Singapore Employment Pass Application The Facts And Procedure

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Singapores advancing economic structure attracts a great number of individuals who wish to experience its business potential. Any foreigner who wishes to do business in Singapore, either by seeking employment or putting up his own company, must first obtain a Singapore Employment Pass before he can legally transact his business in the country. A Singapore Employment Pass is a work visa issued by the Ministry of Manpower to foreign business people who are already employed in Singapore or to any business person still seeking for employment or who either owns a Singapore company or is a shareholder or director of such company.

The Singapore Employment Pass has three types, depending on the purpose:

P1 Pass for a minimum monthly income of S$7,000 and holds a managerial, executive or specialist position
P2 Pass for a minimum monthly income of S$3,500
Q1 Pass for a minimum monthly income of S$2,500

Applications for a Singapore Employment Pass are submitted to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The MOM is the sole authority that reviews, evaluates and approves EP Applications. To be eligible for a Singapore EP, the applicant must possess specialist skills and professional qualifications. In this case, an applicants educational attainment and background are added considerations, so it is important that a hard copy of the Original Transcript of Records and other relevant certificates pertaining to education is attached to the application. Although, educational attainment is vital, its absence could still be compensated by presenting the following documents: resume or curriculum vitae indicating in details the educational and employment history, testimonials or certificates of employment from previous employers, and a copy of passport. An applicant who has not earned a college degree is not immediately denied by the Ministry of Manpower as long as his application is sufficient in form and substance and his supporting credentials are excellent.

There are three steps in applying for a Singapore EP with the Ministry of Manpower:

First Step: For newly incorporated companies, an authorization code must first be obtained from the MOM before submitting the application. The authorization code is issued within 1-2 weeks.

Second Step: Submit your EP application. An application may be submitted personally to the MOM or online. The approval of the application takes at least 2 weeks.

Third Step: Once an application is approved, the MOM sends through email, an In-Principle Approval (IPA). The IPA must then be presented personally to the Work Pass Division of the MOM upon claiming the EP. The IPA is valid for 6 months from the time of notification of approval. Aside from the IPA, the applicant must also bring a medical exam report (which may be issued by the applicants country of origin or by in Singapore), original passport with entry embarkation cards, recent passport-size photos, and other documents specified in the IPA. Documents which are not in the English language must be translated into English by any Singaporean accredited official translation service.

An EP issued for the first time is valid for 2 years and can be renewed thereafter. The renewed EP is valid for 3 years. Once an Employment Pass (EP) has been issued, the foreign holder may now apply for a Dependent Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass for his/her family members.