Helping Graduates Together

Yesterday marked the closure of Conservative Future’s first ever dedicated careers week, containing a series of new events and seminars to help drive membership numbers and generate fresh interest in our movement. The week’s achievements were only made possible by the tremendous hard work, preparation and organisation from the national executive, plus an army of other volunteers who helped deliver a spectacular week of exciting events.

The first event was a panel discussion on Graduate Recruitment in conjunction with the Conservative Women’s Organisation. Over fifty members attended to hear unemployed graduates explain their difficulties of getting onto graduate schemes. Amongst the panel members Andy Stephenson MP, Managing Directors of top recruitment firms and top employers voiced their concerns over the unemployed graduates experiences and hoped that the Coalition Government’s current proposals mark the beginning of the end to these problems.

On Wednesday it was our second evening in Parliament where Tory Reform Group members advised students and graduates of parliamentary job opportunities and how to access them.

Our week culminated on Thursday at the Daily Telegraph where we launched the Young Professionals network for Conservative Future activists. Various MPs attended and we were lucky to be addressed by the Minister for Children, Tim Loughton MP, Senior Government Whip Brooks Newmark MP and ex-Conservative Future member Chris Kelly MP. All of them provided interesting, differing accounts of how they managed to climb up the career ladder- before and after parliament. The event included networking drinks sessions, providing an opportunity for attendees to mix and mingle over a glass of wine. I was impressed not only by the numbers that turned up for the event, but also the broad range of attendees from across the UK and would like to thank members who travelled from as far afield as event Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.

These events were organised to drive membership and show existing members that Conservative Future is still a great organisation to be involved with. By working together to deliver these kinds of events, we can show the party and the country that our organisation is a truly passionate and impressive political movement. This is just the beginning.

Conservative Future Young Professionals Launch Drinks Reception

This Thursday we are proud to launch, ‘Conservative Future Young Professionals’. This event is targeted at Young Professional members of Conservative Future, in or out of work, providing insight and advice on getting into the Career world. 

There will be a Q&A with Minister for Education Tim Loughton MP on how to get more young people and graduates into work. (Guests include Chris Kelly MP, Brooks Newmark MP, Sajid Jarvie MP, Telegraph Media Group Directors and others to be announced). 

Time: 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Location: Telegraph Media Group, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London

TICKETS: £5 - click here



NB: YOU MUST BUY ONLINE BEFORE ATTENDING FOR SECURITY REASONS.

LondonSpin's viewpoint on marriage

Today LondonSpin gave their opinion of Iain Duncan Smith's speech yesterday when he launched Marriage Week in the Commons, who stated, "family breakdown is not only damaging for individuals, it also imposes "incredibly high" financial and social costs on society as a whole." 


I support marriage and believe that couples who choose to marry should not be penalised.


LondonSpin's opinion:


"You have to wonder what kind of society we live in when people actually attack a policy that aims to help people stay together. Those on the Looney Left cry out about single mothers, decent parents that split for the right reasons and the ‘stigmatisation’ of single parents. But since was being together such a bad, evil thing?

Let’s look first at the statistics – the cold hard facts. Young people struggle to marry due to the costs, they are actually financially worse off when they are together. A child from a broken home is far more likely to fail in school and fall into crime than a child from a stable family.

It has to be said that under Labour married couples have become stigmatised themselves. Indeed, being divorced five times seems to be actively encouraged in the modern media. In a short space of time, Labour managed to create a society, which told people to do what they want, when they want it, whatever the consequences for those around them. This inherent selfishness and lack of tolerance has undoubtedly assisted the huge rise in divorces over the last few years.

Nobody knows what the future holds, but as a society, we should recognise those who choose to be together in Civil Partnerships or Marriage. Undoubtedly, the vast majority of single parents do a damn good job raising their kids. Nobody is saying otherwise, but we know that kids tend to do better when they have a stable family background.

Only minutes after the news broke a barrage of bile has been flung at Mr Duncan-Smith. “He’s stigmatising single mothers and fathers”– they say.

This reaction itself demonstrates a fundamental selfishness so rife in Britain today many people cannot even see it. This policy isn’t about the parents – it’s about the child."

Come to our Career's Week

When I graduated in 2005 I now realise how lucky I was to get accepted onto a graduate scheme. I applied throughout my last year at Lancaster to companies across the UK and was accepted onto a management graduate scheme at. Now five years later graduates are not so lucky as companies have either scrapped or cut the number of places available on their graduate schemes. 

Most students who have just graduated (like my brother) are going straight back to uni to do postgraduate courses in the vain hope of boosting up their CV so that they can earn one of the highly prized places on one of these ever increasing elusive graduate schemes. 

With my Conservative Future hat on I have organised a Career's Week with excellent speakers and companies for students currently at uni, recent graduates and postgraduates who find themselves back at uni studying again.

If you are struggling to get a job at the moment or would just like to talk to someone about your employment opportunities then please come along!

To read more click here

Programme

Tuesday 15th February:

Conservative Women’s Organisation and Conservative Future hostCWO Forum- Panel Discussion on ‘Graduate Recruitment’

Come and meet top employers to find out what they’re looking for when recruiting graduates.

Location – House of Commons, 6-8pm
RSVP – clare.hilley@conservativefuture.com

Wednesday 16th February:

Tory Reform Group Student Spring Reception
Hosted by Richard Fuller MP

This reception will be attended by MPs, Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and staff from the Parliamentary Resources Unit who will be able to advise Conservative Future students and graduates of the Parliamentary job opportunities.

Location – Jubilee Room, House of Commons, 7-9pm
RSVP – via facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186336444718065

Thursday 17th February:

Conservative Future Young Professionals Launch

Conservative Future are proud to launch, ‘Conservative Future Young Professionals’. This event is targeted at Young Professional members of Conservative Future, in or out of work, providing insight and advice on getting into the Career world.

There will also be a Q&A with Education Minister Tim Loughton MP on how to get more young people and graduates into work. (Note: Guest list inc. Ministers, MP’s, HR Specialists)

Time – 18:30 – 21:00
Location – Telegraph Media Group, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT
RSVP – louise.powell@conservativefuture.com
Ticket – £5

Booking Deadline – February 14th (subject to availability)

Buy HERE

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AV makes elections unfair

AV breaks the principle of one person one vote, because supporters of fringe parties end up having their vote counted several times while supporters of mainstream parties only have their vote counted once. Under AV the candidate that comes in third place can end up winning. People have a right to know where their vote goes. Voters themselves should decide who the best candidate is, not the voting system.

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Only three countries use the complicated system - Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea - and Australia has compulsory voting to make sure people turn up. AV would also be expensive, requiring councils to spend more time and money on vote counting, which would increase your council tax. AV is a big change, so you need to make sure that you have read the small print before voting on 5 May.

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