Hat-tip to a Twitter feed entitled @nonjob1. That might give you some idea of their view of an ad placed, expensively, in The Grauniad’s local government jobs section, seeking something called a “Knowledge Manager”.

What follows in the advertisement is surely an object lesson in councilspeak, a random collection of gobbledegook, including whole paragraphs of empty phrases and generally meaningless – to the real world – bollocks.

For instance: “The Council’s Public Health Team is seeking a skilled Knowledge Manager to join a large, multi-disciplinary team which works with a broad range of partners to achieve these goals”, where the goals are the undoubtedly laudable, in improving health and reducing health inequality in the borough. It’s just that the ad has very little to say on this substantive matter.

The Plain English Campaign could doubtless find one of its Golden Bull awards for each paragraph of Croydon Council‘s ad, which could also prompt several arrests by the grammar police: “The post holder [sic]… will produce or oversee the production of literature searches, evidence reviews and evaluations, as required, whilst working to up skill [sic] and support others within the department to develop these skills.” “Up skill”? Puleez.

Somewhere in there is possibly a really worthwhile job for someone to do. But maybe the turgid councilspeak is there to disguise just how much – or how little – the job actually involves.

And at a time of cut-backs in other council services, what salary is on offer for such a “Knowledge Manager”? More than £42,000 per year.

Coming to Croydon

• Tea at Five at the Spread Eagle: Oct 2-4
• Minster’s musical celebration for Silver Sunday: Oct 6
• Rent at the Secombe Theatre: Oct 9-12
• Debate the future of arts in Croydon: Oct 10
• Stanley Lives – open day in South Norwood: Oct 12
• PJ’s enterprising look at Black History Month: Oct 29

• Inside Croydon: Croydon’s only independent news source, based in the heart of the borough – 262,183 page views (Jan-Jun 2013)
  
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