[plug] IT Job Seekers / Business start-up peer support group

[Chris Caston]

Greetings, Plug Members

Many of you will have noticed the Calendar entry for Thursday the 24th
of October regarding the first meeting of the IT Job Seekers / Business
start-up peer support group.

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you more about the group
and what its purpose it going to be. 

In the current economic climate we are finding that IT workers are being
purged in the hundreds and often thousands as big companies such as
Telstra, EDS, Sun Microsystems and HP-Compaq downsize their human
resources. Yet this is only the tip of the ice-berg and as thousands of
highly skilled and technically minded people fight to be recognised and
recruited everyday.

These people are often fighting a battle on their own and competing with
those in their position instead of working with them. An alliance of
people with interests and developing talents would allow the formation
of life-time friendship and strategic alliances for career development
that would last long after the "job" has been and gone.

At the same time many people are caught in a mental rut where they are
bitter and confused about not being able to find an employer that has
the work set out for them. 

One of the major objectives of the association is to realise the true
potential of each member to actually start their own companies and build
the business model from scratch or using freely available and
open-source components.

The association will also encourage people to take-on some form of
self-employment while looking for work. This would allow members to find
work in the form of smaller (and paying) jobs and meet new people and
expand their experience even though they have not yet found employment.

Employers will be invited to come along to meetings and or to give talks
about what they are looking for in employees. If all goes well they will
even notice some bright sparks while there. 

The more job-seeker minded members could also find themselves working
for the start-up companies that are formed through contacts in the
association.

The agenda for the first meeting is currently on the website as well as
full scope document. Please read this document for further information
about association. All works are released under the Design Science
License and you can freely replicate and modify them according to the
restrictions of that license.

You are whole heartedly invited to assist in the development of the
assocation and its related documentations and publications (such as the
website) in any way you see fit.

The address of the website is: http://members.iinet.net.au/~caston

Please RSVP if you can make it to the meeting. If you cannot please send
feedback anyway as this will help us to arrange future meetings.

We are currently looking for a convenor (spokesperson) for the first
meeting. If you are interested in this position please contact me ASAP
and we will discuss what is involved. This person will also take a
temporary position of chair person.



warmest regards,

Chris Caston
Secretary
IT Job seekrs / business start-up peer support group

ph: 9382-1197
mobile: 0422 978315