Good news..... well almost......!

Hello everyone,
I have managed to find a new employer I am very pleased to report. They will remain nameless for the moment however they seem to have seen the wisdom, knowledge and frankly shocking talent that is me!

I then witnessed the talent and shocking lack of it from a lady driver whom 'ploughed' her 206 into the back of my Audi! Ouch. Now please don't misunderstand me, women drivers tend to be safer, calmer and frankly better than those of a male disposition.

This lady is an exception.

She drove into the car behind me at mach 10. .

That car then was forced into me. That car was (emphasis on was) forced into the back of my Audi \ challenger tank. My advice to anyone reading is "Do not by a Kia at all". It was destroyed by the front of a fast moving Peugeot and the stationary rear of the Audi.

Happy days on the job front for me. Sad days dealing with insurance companies. I will of course let you know if Swift-cover and Lloyds can be dealt with in a straight forward and reasonable manner.

My blog may have turned into a study into how insurance companies deal with these things, hopefully quickly and easily.

In the meantime I must hand in my resignation on Monday to current employer, and look towards a fresh start with the next. In the meantime. Happy holidays to all.

Finding work in these dark times......

Dear All,

Well it looks like the end is coming, well for me anyway. My contract with the Council is being brought to a premature end thanks to budget cuts. It's a shame as the position itself is crucial and a great opportunity. I've learnt so much and worked with some truly talented people.

So my questions to you are. What next? Where do I go and who is recruiting right now in the UK?

The UK's deficit has hit every single one of us without exception. Every person I speak to is tightening their belts and businesses are doing the same. So what does this mean for ICT expenditure? Staffing? who knows all we can do is sit and wait, and brace ourselves of course.

In the meantime, should anyone out there need a talented, passionate and frankly saggy round the middle ICT professional then by all means drop me a line  :o)

Reduction in uptake of ICT by Students in the UK

I read with great interest (and worry) about the reduction of school pupils taking up ICT as a subject at GCSE and A-Level. This is a somewhat worrying trend due to the expansion of ICT in all of our everyday lives. ICT is everywhere from set-top boxes for our TV's, mobile phones and of course games consoles.

Where are we going wrong?

We need to make ICT more engaging for students. We need to show them the possibilities and the rewards of the application of ICT. We need to encourage the student by showing practical examples of ICT being used in ways that moves their perspective away from the beige box under a desk.

Show me anyone who isn't captivated by the latest feature from Pixar? The awe and wonder from what images come from Space? or the everyday things we take for granted such as the app's on our phones. None of this would be possible without people being enthused, excited and passionate about ICT.

I believe this should be tackled at the highest level as quickly as possible. Our future workforce will need to be ICT literate and competent for the UK to continue to produce the highest quality products, services and skills.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone (or just you),

I have decided to create a blog so that I can discuss / share my experiences in Public Sector ICT with others. And hopefully help people avoid mistakes I have made and share successes too.

If anyone else out there also has similar idea's to contribute then great everyone is welcome (as long as they play nice, otherwise you're out-a-here).

Cheers

Barry