PROJECT SUMMARY

To provide a multi-agency (Voluntary, Community & Public Sector) Virtual Recruitment Hub to offer equal access to the Hub’s services to subscribers in relation to the recruitment of staff and volunteers, and to individuals in relation to securing employment or career development.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The objectives of this project, run by Somerset Voluntary Sector Training Alliance (ViSTA) are:

1) Support the Voluntary Community & Public (VCP) sectors to attract a diverse and skilled workforce in order to meet their service delivery objectives through creating a social enterprise initiative

2) Promote working in Somerset

3) Use the internet and virtual networks to promote vacancies across rural areas & within communities of interest under-represented in the VCP workforce (improve diversity)

4) Support applicants and agencies through provision of (or links to) resources and information (ie Interview Skills, writing Job Descriptions etc) via site

5) Promote paper-less processes to reduce unnecessary waste of resources

6) Link various strategic initiatives through the site

7) provide ICT apprenticeship opportunity servicing the Hub

The virtual hub is run via a dedicated website promoting staff vacancies for affordable fees & offering job seekers a search and alert service, offering all parties a range of other support resources. Phase 2 and 3 of this development are linked but independent and include adding to this provision by setting up a voluntary and community sector ICT suite and meeting room with hot desk facility.

ViSTA jobs update Summer 2007

Launched in Spring 2007, thanks to Rural Renaissance funding, ViSTAjobs is a new social enterprise initiative that is progressing from strength to strength.

A growing number of employers (from the voluntary, community and public sectors within Somerset) are placing vacancies for staff and volunteers on the website and an increasing number of individuals are taking advantage of the free ‘search and alert’ service.
Quote from ViSTA: “Only yesterday we heard from Compass Disability Services (formerly SAIN) who recently advertised a job vacancy with ViSTAjobs. They said that they were impressed with how easy it was to post a vacancy on the website and that they were impressed with the number of enquiries and applications they received from advertising with us”.

There is now a comprehensive ViSTAjobs marketing strategy in place and ViSTA are seeking small amounts of funding to support the project and its promotion until it is fully self-sustaining. They are also planning to add new services - to support both employers and those seeking new opportunities – as resources allow.

A new ViSTAjobs logo has been developed – and 6,000 promotional postcards printed which are being widely distributed to gain maximum impact across the county.

ViSTAjobs has been promoted at a wide variety of conferences, workshops and other local events over the Summer and ViSTA are now working with a range of partners to set up reciprocal website links and to share other publicity opportunities.

Please visit ViSTAjobs at www.vistajobs.org.uk for further information about the service it offers. A Final Evaluation Report has been completed for the project.