To wonder how g4s couldn't recruit enough security guards who speak fluent English?

[rhondajean]

In this economy?

How big a fuck up is this.

Because they were told to recruit 2000 until that was upped at very short notice by another 8000. At £8 an hour in London with no travel expenses etc - I wouldn't have liked to be in charge of that recruitment drive. Would you?

Perhaps it was more to do with having a traceable history for security purposes if they've come from other countries?

I don't know, I'm just guessing.

My DS1 applied for a security job a couple of months ago...went through all the long laborious security checks, then they lost his bloody application

Fortunately, he got a much better and permanent job after that anyway.

Calibre of candidates was atrocious ...DH was one of the companies passing Cvs to G4s.... immigrants will work for peanuts (and do a good job) - locals CBA to haul their sorry arses out for an interview. Nuff said.

The whole operation has been a shower of shite from the off - G4S don't have the greatest track record but I do believe it's not ALL their fault. I expect all applicants had to be CRB checked and get the SIA did they? That alone is way too much admin for a two week event. Someone's bollocks should be on the chopping board for the whole fiasco - not sure whose though!

Lentilly - I wasnt aware of that and happy to put my hands up and say it.
It sounds from the stories on the news that things that could have been done haven't eg crbs and people are on their lists that won't be cleared til after the games end.

Perhaps it highlights the need to improve employability help in Britain.

Jumping please don't trot out the insulting old 'immigrants will work hard for peanuts but British people are lazy bollocks'.

There were plenty of locals (many of whom are immigrants anyway) employed...however G4S royally fucked up many, many applications and were almost impossible to contact at times.

I expect all applicants had to be CRB checked and get the SIA did they?

Yes absolutely and the SIA was something that slowed the entire process down as you can't just apply for an SIA licence...you have to complete the training.

No this is not meant to be about immigrants, just how on earth did this happen.

The people who have been on the news saying they are waiting for clearance are all native English speakers from the sound of it.

It's not an intensive course though worra! Max three days deoending which one.

Too true Worra. A taxi driver I know had to wait 4 months to get his CRB though. He wasn't being lazy!

what Worra said really ...this government seems happy to throw stupid amount of public money at private employment and training providers who continuously fail to deliver on their promises - letting down a whole generation of young people who are actually looking for work

They offered to provide a service they could never provide for a price they could never achieve. The joys of the tender system.

Oh well Im so sorry, of course, bows to MN and its superiority, for actually knowingwhat is going on behind the scenes. I do so apologise.

Oh look, there are some sack cloth and ashes, do excuse me whilst I go and put them on, and have a quick flagellation of birch twigs for actually daring to post with a non conformist fact.

It's not an intensive course though worra! Max three days deoending which one

I know that, my mate's DD went on one...it was a 5 day course but everywhere was booked up for months. When she did finally get on one, she passed but then it took weeks for her licence to come through.

Then there's the expense...not all courses are free even if you are on JSA.

G4S have asked someone I know to send a batch of applications they have submitted FOUR times in different formats. They asked again yesterday! Pathetic.

I know the numbers went up, but they knew this and accepted the amendment at the beginning of the year.

Jumping

Don't wear the sack cloth, it makes your arse look big.

Because you have to have a clean traceable record to get an SIA licence which then takes weeks to arrive (I know as dh does the cash side of things for them, has done for 13 years with not too many fuck ups other than two armed attacks).
Also the goverment have to take some blame in all this as the amount of places that need filled versus the unemployment in this country should have made it piss easy to cover but why would you do 6 weeks honest work when you can sit on your arse and get given money for nothing?

I'm being naive worra...

I presumed they would run the courses bespoke for applicants.

I also live in Scotland. Of you earn under 22k here you get 200 pounds a year for work learning, ie sia course.

FFS they've had SEVEN YEARS to get this lot sorted, they could have researched the whole family tree of each bloody applicant in that time.

G4S should not have tendered for the job if they couldn't complete it in the time required,& should have made it clear at the first meeting when ideas were being batted around what the time frame would be to for them to get all the required clearances.

Whoever wrote the job spec for the Olympic Committee needs shooting for not making the criteria clear enough, early enough in the planning process.

I get that mcpie - but when we the games awarded again? And could we really as a Country not be organised in that time??

Doesn't fill me with confidence.

Also people were expected to confirm they'd work for the Olympics back in March, lots of people would've got full time jobs in the meantime.

It does seem like a total farce, dh has a security company - staff all crb checked and hold valid SIA licenses.

Dh's company contacted G4S several months ago to discuss subcontracting arrangements and were told by G4S that they had all the security staff they needed and would not be subcontracting out

Bet they'd snatch his hand off now Hokey!

They had a couple of large acquisitions planned that didn't happen, hence the last minute need to get people on board. Of course, the government has known about this for ages, just buried its head