Tuesday, 11 December 2007

A full HIC meeting but with a strangely low attendance - perhaps everyone was Christmas shopping? Or more likely busy with their day jobs. I confess my own mind wandered once or twice making my job as chair rather difficult. But things are still very good natured and we got through the agenda.

After, I stayed on for some new equalities training on FRED: Fairness, Respect, Equality and Diversity. I think I have previously noted that throughout the EU it is now illegal to develop or propogate any management or training system without incorporating a contrived acronym (the more letters the better). I suppose "Fred" is at least subverting the format a little.

The session was led by Marcella Wright (of the University of Hertfordshire) and it was really jolly good. Despite the CANAPE (Contrived Acronym Not Actually Producing …. Bugger, this is harder than it looks).

Back home, I had some telephone calls to make to understand what is happening with Hertfordshire’s application to V, the youth volunteering initiative. The simple facts are that the Hertfordshire consortium’s bid was rejected and new bids have been invited. National organisations from outside the County are rumoured to be preparing bids. Within the County, the different vested interests need to establish a full working partnership that will press all the necessary buttons and so win the contract. More discussions are scheduled for tomorrow. We'll see.

Ah ha: CANADA - Contrived Acronym Not Actually Denoting Anything. Surely sufficient to win me an MBA from any reputable Business School.