Following a very successful event in 2011, the second Celebrate Aberdeen parade will take place in June 2012. The Urquhart Partnership are again delighted to be involved as part of the event management team.

The aim of the parade is to unite Aberdeen’s third sector in a bright and energetic celebratory parade and to highlight the diversity of the third sector – of organisations of all sizes.

It is also to allow thousands of third sector participants to be involved completely free of charge and provide an opportunity to thank the third sector for their invaluable contribution

So, at 11:00am, on June 9th 2012, the third sector will again join together with private sector sponsors to parade down the city’s Union Street, supported by an array of street performers and musical entertainment.

Last years parade was a huge success and filled the entire length of union street with:

• Over 3000 participants

• 126 charities and community groups from the third sector

• 92 sponsor organisations

• More than 300 street entertainers

For more information, visit www.celebrateaberdeen.org

Whether you are a school leaver, graduate, looking to change career, or just curious about the industry, make sure to log on to MyOilandGasCareer.com!

The brand new site was launched by OPITO and is a really fantastic resource for information on careers in Oil and Gas.

The site is filled with information from people who work in the industry, including video case studies, details on training and education and learning tools.

There’s also great tool called Career Explorer, which allows school leavers and graduates to discover which roles they might be suited to in the industry, based on selecting  statements about things they like doing or are good at.

The tool allows you to browse a whole range of careers, from lots of different fields, and read up on information such as a job’s typical duties, entry requirements, salary information and career development opportunities.

Here at UP, we were delighted to have helped with some of the content for the site, working in partnership with OPITO and Hampton Associates.

We’d thoroughly recommend you check it out!

Thanks from all the UP team for your fab contribution over the years.  Here’s to the next 10!

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,200 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Each year, many of us resolve to make the most out of life by changing one (or more) things about ourselves, whether it’s stopping a bad habit, or getting into new and exciting ones. And we certainly don’t seem to do things by halves either, setting popular resolutions such as:

• Losing weight
• Quitting smoking
• Eating healthier/exercising more
• Learning something new
• Spending more time with your family/friends
• Getting out of debt/saving more money
• Drinking less
• Travelling to new places
• Being less stressed
• Volunteering

And we all start out so confident and determined, sure of the fact that 2012 will be our year and that things will change for the better…yet a few weeks down the line and many of us are already falling by the wayside.

What is it about New Year’s resolutions that make them so hard to keep or achieve?!

Well, why don’t we look at things from a business perspective…compared to the business targets or objectives we see at work, our own personal goals begin to look more than a little bit vague…not very SMART you might say!

Many will know that SMART is a well used acronym for setting effective goals and objectives. It stands for:

Specific – It should say exactly what needs to be achieved and, where appropriate, how it should be achieved.

Measurable – You should set out how you plan to measure your success so you can easily check progress and know when your goal has been completed.

Agreed – Are other people affected by your goal? If so, do they agree to it too?

Realistic – Are you setting yourself a target that is simply impossible, or unachievable within your other constraints?

Time-based – When are you going to achieve this by? (by the way, ‘ASAP’ doesn’t count!!)

Lets take a look at a one of the most popular resolutions:

“Loose weight”  Not very clear is it?

• How much do you want to loose?
• How are you going to do it?
• Do the rest of your family agree to the padlock on the biscuit tin?
• Remembering that losing 20lbs in 2 weeks might be a little unrealistic!

How about: “Lose 20lbs over the next 10 weeks, (or roughly 2lbs per week – a healthy amount), by exercising more and eating healthier, and maintaining the new weight once the target has been reached.”

Although this isn’t going to make cutting out the rubbish and forcing yourself to the gym any easier, it will make it more manageable to keep track of your goal, and may make it seem less daunting.

It has been found that people who break down their resolutions down into smaller, more achievable targets are more likely to keep on track and succeed in their goal! And SMART can help you do just that!

And if you do slip up, instead of giving up completely, just re-assess your SMART objective – maybe you just need to change one part to make it more attainable.

Good luck!

It’s been a fair few years since I wrote my last letter to Santa, so think one is way overdue.

So here it is…

Dear Santa,

For Christmas this year, please can I please have the following…

• Some more new clients – to add to the collection of lovely clients we have already.
• A few more interesting new projects in exciting locations likeEast Africa.
• Some fab new colleagues to work with to help us deliver the extra work we expect to win next year.
• A steady oil price – so that the next year or two remains buoyant in the North Sea – right the way up to the North Pole!
• A tangerine and an apple – 2 of my 5 a day…(Ok, before you say anything, zip the lip, it’s grapes innit?)
• Finally, can we all please have some competent Politicians and also some Bankers that lend money to small businesses instead of paying themselves fat bonuses out of the cash we all bailed them out with. (Please don’t worry if you cant give this as a present. My daddy already said that was an awful lot to ask for and not to get my expectations up. I know you can deliver present to everyone in the world in one night on your own, but even I realise this may be too difficult even for you).

I have been a good little boy this year; have worked hard and kept out of mischief. Well, mainly kept out of mischief…so please can you help make my Christmas wishes come true?

Fank yoo

Lots of love

From

Campbell

Aged 43 and ¾

If you think you’re having a busy time just now, trying to buy presents, fretting over having to prepare Christmas dinner, dealing with extended families…then spare a thought for the good folk up at the North Pole!

They’re really really busy just now; making last-minute preparations before Santa makes his round the world trip on Christmas Eve. To make it all happen, Santa has to have a highly skilled team of elves to help him.

Must like working in the cold!

As one of the world’s most important teams, Santa has to make sure that everything runs smoothly between them, so he takes his recruitment very seriously.

There are probably a lot of personal qualities that Santa looks for in his Christmas Elves; cheerful and friendly, diligent, energetic, reliable… good at singing Christmas songs?

And because Santa’s not a ‘cotton-headed ninnymoggins’, he’d want to make use of Belbin’s Team Roles too. This would help him to ensure that new elves will fit in well with the rest of the team and are suited to their new roles; whether it be making toys, caring for the reindeer or getting the sleigh ready with all the deliveries.

With Belbin, most people tend to be a combination of several key role types; some that come naturally to them, some that are manageable and some that they aren’t quite so suited to.

But Santa, as we know, is not ‘most people’. And in fact he’s such a unique guy, he is the only person in the world who exhibits all 9 Belbin Team Roles naturally! Here’s why:

Santa the Plant

A creative thinker, Santa comes up with incredible ideas for different toys every year and knows exactly which toys would suit billions of children across the world.

Santa the Co-ordinator

Santa does a fabulous job as a Co-ordinator – each year he is fully up to speed with the objectives that need to be met and is able to successfully delegate the work to his team where appropriate and bring the project together on time.

Santa the Resource Investigator

As a Resource Investigator, Santa is great at going out into the real world (in secret of course!) and making sure that he always stays ahead of the game by being aware of all the latest toy trends and fads and communicating these back to the elves. He also has an excellent network which includes Toys R Us, Hamleys and F.A.O Schwarz!

Santa the Implementer

Delivering presents around the world at Christmas – there’s no other task quite like it! Santa puts his practical and logical mind to work and is always able to come up with a strategy to ensure that all presents are delivered on time and as efficiently as possible across the world!

Santa the Completer-Finisher

Santa would never let a toy leave the workshop without it being perfect; that’s because he’s a fab completer-finisher and makes sure he scrutinizes all the toys to make sure they are up to the North Pole’s highest standards!

Santa the Team Worker

With a large team of elves and reindeer, Santa hones his Team Working skills and tries to ensure that the team gets along and gels well together; no arguing or conflict allowed at the North Pole!

Santa the Shaper

With a task like his, Santa needs to be able to drive his entire team (and reindeer) and give them the momentum to finish the project on time and to the highest standards. One day – hundreds of countries – billions of children – now that’s task focused!

Santa the Specialist

Christmas only falls on one day -25^th December – but Santa spends the other 364 days focussing on it! There’s no other guy in the world that can do his job! He is completely specialised in his field, and what a grand job he does!

Santa the Monitor Evaluator

As lastly…of course, only good boys and girls get presents from Santa, therefore he has to be a good Monitor-Evaluator to scan his logical eye over the naughty/nice list and decide on who should receive presents. Or a lump of coal. (FYI Santa – I’ve been a very good girl this year!)

Reading through Santa’s roles, do you see your own traits in any of them? Do you wonder what your own natural team roles would be, or whether the people in your own team have a good mix of roles between them? Do you have an upcoming vacancy and want to know if your candidates will suit the role and the team? Or do you just fancy joining Santa’s team?!

If so, then why not take part in your own some of our Belbin exercise? Whether it’s a matching a person to a job, finding out the roles of your team, or even if you’re just curious to know your own strengths and allowable weaknesses –  why not get in touch and we can help!

If you’ve visited our website since its re-vamp earlier this year, then you might have noticed our new Top Tips section – full of hints and advice on a range of recruitment, training, job hunting and management issues. Well, with a fab Lancastrian actress on our team we then thought – “why not bring our Top Tips to life?”

So, we’re now delighted to bring you the Top Tips series in movie form! Starring Rebecca Charnley and filmed by Mark Smith!

To view any of our Top Tips clips, visit  upwebsite.com/tips (which will also let you print off a summary) or you can view them on our uplimited YouTube Channel!

Now all that’s left to do is order a big bag of popcorn!

Every few years or so, I start hearing the same old complaint from people I meet with. That there’s a ‘shortage of skills’, and ‘it’s getting really difficult to recruit’ here in the North East.

I’ve heard it so many times now that you’d think it would be easier if I just nodded, smiled and agreed with them.

But I just can’t. Because, honestly, what they’re saying is a load of rubbish! Every time I hear it, I feel like delivering them a swift karate-chop…Miss Piggy style!

Talent needs to be developed!

Why? Well, to tweak a quote from that same pig, “Talent is in the eye of the beholder…and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.”

Skills are just like a natural resource; they exist in a raw state – ‘talent’, but you only really get the best value from that raw material if you develop it. And just like some of our earth’s natural resources, unless we look after and sustain them, the pool will eventually dry up.

So, if we are facing a shortage of skills, it’s because we haven’t developed and nurtured people with talent.

The trouble is, I always seem to hear the same excuses as to why companies aren’t investing in talent development;

1. We’re in a tough economic climate, like we are now, where although companies have the time to develop people, money is tight. Or…
2. Business is going well; so although the company is in a position to fund training or take on interns, they’re too busy operationally to make commitments.

It’s a vicious circle, but companies are going to have to break it at some point.

Maybe we are an area of Muppets… think of our aging workforce; full of people like Statler and Waldoft. Eventually these talents will retire from the workforce and leave a considerable skills gap behind them. Unless we start developing people now, what will we do in years to come?

Meanwhile, people like Kermit’s little nephew, ‘Robin the Frog’, are left unemployed. He’s a clever and talented little soul, but he has no experience. Just like many other talented, but unemployed, school leavers, graduates or semi-skilled employees, he’s not had the chance to reach his full potential. Because companies focus so much on looking for ‘finished article’ employees, people like Robin are being overlooked. If only a company would take them on as apprentice or develop them; think how much it would benefit them if they were able to gain a little experience and really develop some transferrable skill sets.

Too many companies are just burying their heads in the sand; hoping someone else will take responsibility for developing new talent and that in a few years time, the skills pool will grow and sort itself out. But unless we make a conscious effort, as businesses, to select our people properly (by which I mean for talent and behaviour and then develop them) we’re going to end up in exactly the same situation a few years down the line.

And I’m going to have to hear it all again! So:

 It’s time to play the music,

It’s time to light the lights,

It’s time to get things started,

‘n help some new talent tonight!

Apologies if that’s set alarm bells ringing in your head – but if it has, then I know how you feel…as it was only earlier this week that I realised how near it was myself….

That’s right…it was that special Coca Cola advert and it was only then that it dawned on me…it’s only 37 days ‘til Christmas!

The run up to Christmas can be a hectic time of year; so many things to prepare for and organise, and the closer it gets to the big day, the less time we have to do some of the things we wanted to…

That’s why we’d like to remind you now about some of the great charity appeals that are going on in Aberdeen at the moment:

Helping the vulnerable and homeless

Can you imagine what spending Christmas without a home must be like? It’s something that none of us would want to experience, but for many homeless people around Aberdeen– that’s exactly what they’re facing this year. Christmas can be a difficult time for charities, as they stuggle to help maintain their services over the festive period. If you want to give a little extra support to homelsss people in the area, then two charities that sping to mind are:

Caring Christmas Trees

If you like to buy a real tree each year, then this year why not buy one that is both sustainable and supports a good cause? All the profits from each Caring Christmas Tree (lovely fresh Nordman firs) go to the Bethany Christian Trust in Aberdeen, which is used to help vulnerable and homeless people in the area.

Cyrenians Christmas Appeal

The Aberdeen Cyrenians are hoping to raise £30,000 to help keep some of their services going over the Christmas period; including Street Alternatives (a project allowing rough sleepers and clients staying in temporary accommodation to have access to shelter, food, showers as well as a laundry service) as well as providing clients with a card, a present, celebratory meals, entertainment and companionship over Christmas and New Year.

Helping vulnerable children

There’s nothing better than seeing the look on kids’ faces at Christmas – it’s such a magical and special time for them. But for some kids, and for a range of reasons, Christmas isn’t as happy a time for them as it should be. Why not give Santa an extra bit of help this year in reaching some of these kids by buying and extra present for someone who needs it?:

VSA Toy Appeal

VSA are looking to collect 100s of parcels for young carers and children from deprived backgrounds, from babies to 16 year olds. There are a range of places you can drop off your gifts and the website contains some helpful hints on buying presents!

Cash for Kids – Xmas Toy Appeal

Northsound’s charity, Cash for Kids Aberdeen are collecting toys for disabled, sick and underprivileged children, from 0-18 across the North East. You can either drop off a present or make a cash donation at various ASDA stores or the Northsound reception.

And many more!

These are just a few of the many Christmas charity appeals out there in Aberdeen at the moment – if you know of any other great causes, please leave a comment below!