POST 00300 : EMPLOYMENT FEEDBACK 2

Post00300 EMPLOYMENT FEEDBACK 2 21 November 2000 CONTENTS 1. EMPLOYMENT FEEDBACK CONTINUED 2. MORE FEEDBACK ON JOB OFFERINGS 3. GREYING TECHNET: INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE? 1. EMPLOYMENT FEEDBACK CONTINUED In Technet Post00298 Employment Feedback, 14 November 2000, Robert Steinglass, BASICS II, replied from the point of view of an employer and technical manager. Robert confirmed the widely held perception that the demand health logisticians exceeds the supply. In the same posting, Sarah Dugdale and Claire Nadya raised the question of entry into the EPI and international health logistics starting with a background of national experience, interest and enthusiasm and more. * In todays posting, Terry Hart, IT Power India, discusses IT Power's experience of failing to achieve staff entry into the field despite the accumulated field exposure. Feedback, comments and additions please: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] or use your reply button ___________________________________________________________________________ More then 20 immunization and logistics positions have been included in Technet Forum posts during the last year. In Post00292, EMPLOYMENT, 26 October 2000 the following question was posted: The Technet forum has posted many vacancy notices in the last year. * Our perception is that there are more health logistics and immunization jobs then people to fill them. * It would be useful to know: 1. Have Technet subscribers have taken any of the posted jobs? 2. Or are we all working? 3. How has recruitment process has worked employing organizations and potential recruits? * What do we need to know? * Do we have appropriate mechanisms the development and training of immunization and health logisticians? ** What should we do? Feedback, comments and additions please: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] or use your reply button ___________________________________________________________________________ From: Terry Hart To: Technet Moderator Subject: RE: Post00298 EMPLOYMENT FEEDBACK Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 HI Allan, We at IT Power India have a somewhat different view on this. Firstly we also sense that demand outstrips supply, hence were interested in building capacity within IT Power India to respond to this need. Over the last 2 years or more we have been seeking opportunities to send our less experienced staff (who already have some field experience in this sector) to be trainees or observers during Cold Chain evaluations or related assignments. We solicit little or no remuneration. To date we have had zero success except within the framework of contracts services which we directly manage. Whilst it is true that we are all working, we would benefit substantially through a broader based exposure to EPI logistics etc and this would likewise contribute incrementally to increasing the human resource base. Best regards Terry ____________________________________*______________________________________ 2. MORE FEEDBACK ON JOB OFFERINGS Kandi Shejavali, Luciana Maria Gomes Brondi, Adrian Stoica, and Philippe Jaillard, provide feedback on jobs and the job market. * Serious issues are raised in these new contributions. * We need some serious answers! Feedback, comments and additions please: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] or use your reply button ___________________________________________________________________________ From: "K. Shejavali" To: "Technet Moderator" Subject: Re: Post00298 EMPLOYMENT FEEDBACK Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 I have to agree with Sarah Dugdale's perspective. Being small fry myself -- enthusiastic, intelligent, and motivated notwithstanding -- I find it frustrating that, though I may not have the experience called in employment postings, I am oh-so-eager to learn and oh-so-convinced that I could do the job and do it well. Is no one willing to give us a break? And are entry-level jobs never open? (They're certainly never posted.) As Claire noted: how does a person gain the necessary experience? What is 'it' that we need to know and where does one get that information? Could the more experienced out there provide some guidance? Kandi --- From: Luciana Maria Gomes Brondi To: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] Subject: jobs Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 Feedback on jobs offerings I looked all the announcements last year and I think that should be done again this year. I have a job so I did not take any chance. Thanks Luciana Brondi Coordena磯 de Vigil⮣ia das Doen硳 de Transmiss㯠Respirat󲩡 Coordena磯 Geral de Vigil⮣ia Epidemiol󧩣a Centro Nacional de Epidemiologia. Minist鲩o da Sa?--- Date: Tue, 14 Nov From: Adrian Stoica Subject: Employment opportunities To: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] Allan, My name is Adrian Stoica, I am a medical epidemiologist and a member of SIGN. I am currently working with CDC, Atlanta as a Field EIS Officer (I have a State Department of Health assignment in South Carolina, USA). I shall work here until July, 2002 when my training program ends. The actual situation in the international public health domain looks attractive to me and I hope epidemiologists will still be needed over two years. And, by the way, I think that Technet and SIGN do a great job. Regards, Adrian Stoica --- From: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 Subject: Re: Post00298 EMPLOYMENT FEEDBACK To: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] Dear Technet, If there are more health logistics and immunization jobs then people to fill them, by reading Post 298 it seems that there are also more people ready to offer their enthusiasm than positions open to them. I would like to expose my situation which can illustrate my opinion. I have been working 5 years in developing countries in primary health care project with a large part given to immunization and massive campaign. Since 2 years, I work as independent consultant in program management and logistics with 5 missions with WHO Polio Eradication and NIDs in West Africa and one mission MSH, polio eradication again. I try to be in contact with organizations working in public health and immunization, I answer to job announcements sent through technet but I can say that I have received very few propositions and to answer your question, I haven't taken any of the posted jobs and I spend more time contacting potential employers and waiting answer than practising my job. I can see that not only unexperienced people have difficulties to find a job. My feeling is that there are no real and big needs in experienced or just enthusiastic people short term or long term contract. It will be interesting to know what kind of post stay vacant, what are the difficulties the employers are fixing in filling the post, what is the profile of their ideal recruits. It will give some direction to the potential candidates on what kind of training to get or what arrangement to offer. Best regards, Philippe Jaillard ____________________________________*______________________________________ 3. GREYING TECHNET: INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE? Anthony Battersby, FBA Analysts, makes the point that: * "There needs to be a substantial investment if there are to be good experienced people available." "To have a cadre of people who can be called upon requires: 1. Available trained and skilled people 2. Mechanisms to give those people field experience 3. A commitment to ensure continued availability of work so that the people will continue to be available" Feedback, comments and additions please: [[email protected]][email protected][/email] or use your reply button ___________________________________________________________________________ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 From: Anthony Battersby Subject: Post00298 EMPLOYMENT FEEDBACK To: Technet Moderator Dear Allan, Reading Technet Post 298, makes my heart bleed. Those of us who are fully occupied with EPI have been saying years that we need more people and we need continuity. FBA has offered informally to help give new people field experience by taking them with us during our field work, we are also happy to have such people work with us but this costs money and has to be funded. Consultants cannot cover such costs and the donors appear to show no real interest in building up a cadre of skilled professionals. To have a cadre of people who can be called upon requires: 1. Available trained and skilled people 2. Mechanisms to give those people field experience 3. A commitment to ensure continued availability of work so that the people will continue to be available Traditionally Agencies have relied on being able to call on people who are employed elsewhere and so have not invested in 2 and 3 above. We have joked years about members of TECHNET getting older. This is no longer a joke (it never was). When those of us who have been in TECHNET from its inception finally retire all our skills and experience will go with us. There needs to be a substantial investment if there are to be good experienced people available. The people are out there but it needs the agencies to commit themselves to create the environment where such people can thrive. Robert's comment that investment bankers are "a dime a dozen" is prescient. The world invests in investment bankers, they are willing to pay a lot of money to have them available. If you don't invest you don't get. Regards Anthony