DWP AO Training.

venus_in_furs

Hey, sorry if you're all sick of DWP threads! I'm currently waiting for my crb checks to be done on a AO job and am curious to the training programme. If anyone has been through it, could you possibly tell me your experiences please? Is it all at the Job centre you are assigned to or are you trained elsewhere? Just want to be prepared and know what i'm getting myself into!! Thank you

ALIBOBSY

What Job is it exactly? I did the training for an AO proceesing JSA (in 2006 so shouldn't have changed much), but this is a job at a BDO not actually in the Job centre itself.

We trained in the BDO and as far as I remember the JC staff trained in the JC they were at in our area.
To do full benefit training it was around 13 wks, but you could just do the new claims processing which was 6-7 wks and just covered the initial processing of a claim, not the "maintenance" of the claim.

I would imagine the front line staff training would be simular. We were given lots of support after training and had to pass an accuracy test before being allowed to work independantly.

Not at the DWP now but worked there for 18 years ish on and off in may roles. You are not considered to be a full staff member or "benefit expert"until you have done a job for at least 12 months and you were always learning.

I suppose that is why I enjoyed the work, it was challenging and busy, with new stuff to learn all the time. Hope you enjoy your new job.

ali x

venus_in_furs

Glad you enjoyed the job! The job is going to be based in the actual Jobcentre. Just nervous about being any good!! I didn't know if it would be a mixture of outside classes and in the JC too.

What was the accuracy test all about? Oh god, not more tests!?!! Haha.