The Progress Educational Trust (PET) is delighted to announce a new service from BioNews: a 'jobs' section. Today's issue of BioNews contains PET's first job advertisement, placed and paid for by the Human Genetics Commission.
Why has PET decided to do this?
Like many small charities, PET struggles to find funding and a lot of staff, trustees' and volunteers' time is taken filling in grant application forms, seeking sponsorship, and trying to devise new ways and means of generating revenue to cover our costs, especially in relation to BioNews, which we would like to retain as a free service to subscribers. PET believes that the display of job advertisements is a legitimate source of revenue to support the publication of BioNews. Responses to the recent BioNews survey confirm that the vast majority of our subscribers agree. PET hopes to generate a steady stream of income by including the new jobs section before the 'recommends' section in BioNews and its staff and trustees have decided to trial this scheme as a step towards making BioNews more self-sustaining.
If this pilot is successful, then when PET develops the new format BioNews email and website in coming months, there will be a dedicated 'Jobs' section integrated into the redesign.
How will this affect BioNews?
PET and BioNews set high ethical standards in all their activities and above all defend the right to editorial independence. Advertisers and other sponsors are not permitted to exert any influence over the content of BioNews, so, in that sense, BioNews will be unaffected.
However, this initiative will bring benefits to PET and BioNews, our readers and the organisations they work for. Our readers will have the benefit of seeing what opportunities are available and the organisations they work for will benefit by being able to use BioNews to recruit new staff members. By suggesting that their employers use BioNews as a recruitment vehicle, readers are supporting the newsletter and helping it to continue to flourish. PET and BioNews will benefit from the revenue received through this enterprise, as the less time staff are forced to spend seeking money the more time they can devote to maintaining and improving the quality of BioNews.
Why use BioNews to recruit new members of staff?
(1) BioNews has around 10,000 readers each week, all with an interest somewhere in assisted reproduction, human genetics and stem cells. They are an eclectic mix of scientists, clinicians, counsellors, ethicists, policymakers, academics, students, policymakers, teachers, journalists and others - and as such offer a wide range of skills and experience.
(2) Competitively priced rates - we have an introductory offer whilst we trial the scheme of £75 per advertisement placed. You can reduce your expenditure on recruitment and help charity at the same time.
(3) PET can personally vouch for the efficacy of the service, as it has itself successfully engaged members of staff in this way.
If you, or your organisation, would like further information about advertising a job opportunity in Bionews, please contact me on 020 7278 7870 or at snorcross@progress.org.uk
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