wally jumblat

The shetland.org website has a 'Live, Work and Study' section with information that might be relevant: https://www.shetland.org/life
Promote Shetland also runs a Facebook group called 'Living and Working in Shetland' where people thinking about making a move to the islands can ask for advice. https://www.facebook.com/groups/livingworkingshetland/

I don't think that question is entirely relevant.
 
As stated on their web page, "COPE Ltd is a charity and social enterprise which provides employment and employment skill development for adults with disabilities".
 
The "people/participants" you refer to are the whole point of COPE's existence. 
 
I would not be surprised in the slightest if COPE's businesses cost more to run - and make less profit - than similar ventures run on purely commercial terms. The reason? It's because they are NOT operating on purely commercial terms. Their remit is greater than that. That's why they are a charity. That's why they operate as a social enterprise. That's why they need public funding to make it all work.
 
You can't just subtract items from their existing costs to produce figures showing what things would be like without the participants. If the participants were not involved, everything would be different, and all costs would change. But the bigger point is that, without the participants, the businesses would almost certainly not exist at all. 
 In the grand scheme of things, COPE doesn't get very much public funding at all. And, from what I can see, they make excellent use of what they do get.
 
Might there be room for further improvement? Of course. But there is room for improvement in every single organisation, everywhere. The key is to continually strive for better. It looks to me like COPE is making excellent progress on various fronts, and good on them.

I don't think that question is entirely relevant.
 
As stated on their web page, "COPE Ltd is a charity and social enterprise which provides employment and employment skill development for adults with disabilities".
 
The "people/participants" you refer to are the whole point of COPE's existence. 
 
I would not be surprised in the slightest if COPE's businesses cost more to run - and make less profit - than similar ventures run on purely commercial terms. The reason? It's because they are NOT operating on purely commercial terms. Their remit is greater than that. That's why they are a charity. That's why they operate as a social enterprise. That's why they need public funding to make it all work.
 
You can't just subtract items from their existing costs to produce figures showing what things would be like without the participants. If the participants were not involved, everything would be different, and all costs would change. But the bigger point is that, without the participants, the businesses would almost certainly not exist at all. 
 In the grand scheme of things, COPE doesn't get very much public funding at all. And, from what I can see, they make excellent use of what they do get.
 
Might there be room for further improvement? Of course. But there is room for improvement in every single organisation, everywhere. The key is to continually strive for better. It looks to me like COPE is making excellent progress on various fronts, and good on them.

I have had a brief skim through these comments and am totally amazed by the level of ill informed, opinionated and down right personal comments made! (And just for the record this is shona manson on Paul's account)
What mostly annoys me on this alleged forum is that you all make your comment under a pseudonym? What's that about?
And ur point ghost rider is?

That's just it! You have no wisdom. Your just empty headed bigots. If you had wisdom you would recognise the good that COPE does, and the help it gives to adults with learning difficulties. There is nothing else out there, those people who have money. and influence are not interested in helping, they just live in their ivory towers.
The people who work at COPE are hardworking people, who earn just above the minimum wage and do it for the love of the job and the clients.
What I suggest, instead of trying to undermine the good that's being done, is spend a day there volunteering, and then see if you come away with the same point of view, I guarantee you wont. I know because I was that man!!

Yes, you are entirely right Windwalker. Not everyone on Shetlink is negative, and my previous post was certainly too sweeping in that respect. 
 
In my defence though, Shetlink definitely has a hard-core of very critical contributors who pick fault with just about everything that is going on in the islands, usually with little regard to the facts. These people seem to be so dominant here that infrequent users, such as myself, can't help forming the impression that the default tone of the place is one of negativity and criticism. There is clearly a time and place for constructive criticism, but it would be great if some of the most negative contributors could be convinced to take positive action of some sort, rather than being content to snipe from the sidelines.

In my experience, COPE is a very well run and hugely inspiring organisation which does a great amount of valuable work.
 
I don't begrudge anyone the right to have their own opinion, on any topic. However, on the rare occasions I dip into the parallel universe of Shetlink these days, I invariable leave almost immediately, shaking my head in despair at the uninformed, negative and bitter witterings of the small handful of 'commentators' who are still active here.
 
I don't suppose any of you will pay the slightest attention to the following quote, but if you did the world might be a slightly better place.
 
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

In my experience, COPE is a very well run and hugely inspiring organisation which does a great amount of valuable work.
 
I don't begrudge anyone the right to have their own opinion, on any topic. However, on the rare occasions I dip into the parallel universe of Shetlink these days, I invariable leave almost immediately, shaking my head in despair at the uninformed, negative and bitter witterings of the small handful of 'commentators' who are still active here.
 
I don't suppose any of you will pay the slightest attention to the following quote, but if you did the world might be a slightly better place.
 
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States