Cdg?

HellsGranny

My son has just started CDG at Basingstoke. He hasn't done the two week, but has been put straight onto the 13 week course.

Whilst I can appreciate the staff there are bound to be stressed, they are using tactics which seen to equate to bullying and harrassment, rather than the help one should expect from a charity devoted to helping people back to work. My son has dyslexia, which is causing him particular stress as he needs extra help to work on his CV, etc. This is not forthcoming in any way, and my son is becoming frustrated and angry. At school he had anger issues, and the situation is beginning to bring these old issues back to the surface. My son says that the majority of the staff are very unhelpful (that's not what he really said, but it's the general idea!)

I have looked at the CDG website, which seems to promise far more than they deliver in practice. I have also downloaded the Ofsted report for the Basingstoke section, which shows its overall rating as Satisfactory. There are four Grades, Excellent, Good, Satisfactory and Poor. Satisfactory means it is scraping by, but improvements need to happen.

My question, (finally) is this- Is there any way to help my son to cope with this situation without exploding, decking somebody and being chucked off the course? I'm a pensioner, and if he gets chucked off, we are up the creek without a paddle, financial wise.

wontfallforit

HellsGranny wrote: »

My son has just started CDG at Basingstoke. He hasn't done the two week, but has been put straight onto the 13 week course.

Whilst I can appreciate the staff there are bound to be stressed, they are using tactics which seen to equate to bullying and harrassment, rather than the help one should expect from a charity devoted to helping people back to work. My son has dyslexia, which is causing him particular stress as he needs extra help to work on his CV, etc. This is not forthcoming in any way, and my son is becoming frustrated and angry. At school he had anger issues, and the situation is beginning to bring these old issues back to the surface. My son says that the majority of the staff are very unhelpful (that's not what he really said, but it's the general idea!)

I have looked at the CDG website, which seems to promise far more than they deliver in practice. I have also downloaded the Ofsted report for the Basingstoke section, which shows its overall rating as Satisfactory. There are four Grades, Excellent, Good, Satisfactory and Poor. Satisfactory means it is scraping by, but improvements need to happen.

My question, (finally) is this- Is there any way to help my son to cope with this situation without exploding, decking somebody and being chucked off the course? I'm a pensioner, and if he gets chucked off, we are up the creek without a paddle, financial wise.

Hi there,

This might sound like a pretty obvious question, but are the staff there aware of your son's problems? If they're not aware, it's probably best to raise the issues as soon as you can. If they're unaware, he may simply come across as an angry/frustrated man who will not be a priority for any help they may be able to give him.

If they don't know that he has underlying behavioural/educational/emotional issues, they might simply assume that he is as prepared as a "normal person" (excuse that term!) to undergo the stresses and strains that unemployment and its various course placements bring.

Your son is a grown man, so it'll be his responsibility to address this in the first place...perhaps he should have a quiet word with one of the staff regarding what he's struggling with, and ask that staff member to relay the message to the rest of the team? Failing that, put it in writing to the manager, but at least have your son try the option of an informal chat first.

If the staff are indeed already aware of your son's issues, then I'm not too sure what the best course of action would be, so I'll leave it to someone else who might know a bit more to point you in the right direction...

Best of luck x

Oldernotwiser

Don't forget that you are only hearing one side of the story from your son and, with his previous background, he may not be seeing things too clearly.

I totally agree with the post above but also think that as his parent you could help him with some of his issues. If, for example, he were to bring the CV home with him, you could help him with this and the trainers would be pleased to see that he's putting in the extra effort.

You do not mention how old your son is but if you explain the importance of his continuing on this course to the family finances, he'll hopefully be able to keep himself in check.

BexInLondon

We run similar programmes, and on numerous occasions have had parents come in to let us know of their children's particular issues. While officially this counts for nothing, the reality is that it makes us much more able to help individuals.

HellsGranny

Thank you all so far for your advice.

He has told the staff that he has dyslexia, but the tutor at the time was unresponsive and bullying, implying that anybody who has been unemployed for six months (and therefore on the course) is a malingerer. With at least ten people chasing every vacancy around here, I feel that was at best ill-informed, at worst a confidence drainer or a deliberate attempt to get a 'rise'. My son is 20, with little self-confidence, but I have told him already I can't fight his battles, only gain information which he can use when dealing with them.

Re the CV thing, I have never had to provide a CV in my life, as I was always either headhunted or in the right place at the right time to be offered work. I am retired now, so the mysteries of the modern workplace are beyond me (thankfully). I do help as best I can, with hints on interview technoques, dressing for interviews and things Not to admit to!:rotfl:

I am also concerned for the staff there, they would appear to be too busy and stressed themselves to be able to help the clients adequately, and if such is the case, what is the point of the course?

Cheers, HG

wontfallforit

HellsGranny wrote: »

Re the CV thing, I have never had to provide a CV in my life, as I was always either headhunted or in the right place at the right time to be offered work. I am retired now, so the mysteries of the modern workplace are beyond me (thankfully).

Given the challenges that your son faces, it's best to keep his CV as simple, clear and straightforward as possible (which is always the best option, but some people get carried away with fancy extras!).

A typical format is like this:

MR JOHN SMITH
123 ANY STREET
LONDON
SW11 1AB
(020) 123 4567
EMAIL @ PROVIDER.COM

(some people would put a short paragraph about themselves here, that just sums up their main strengths, and summarises their CV. I don't usually bother, but it's entirely down to your son's style)

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Job A - 01/01/2009 - 01/09/2009
In this job, I did this, that and the other...(short paragraph about skills learnt, responsibilities undertaken, etc.)

Job B - 01/01/2008 - 31/12/2008
In this job, I did this, that and the other...(short paragraph about skills learnt, responsibilities undertaken, etc.)

EDUCATION/TRAINING:

College/Training Provider A - 01/09/2005 - 01/07/2007
(list any qualifications/training/skills acquired here, as well as any extra-curricular activities)

School A - 01/09/1998 - 01/07/2005
(list specific qualifications, if any, as well as any activities undertaken, such as sports teams. At 20, your son is still young enough for his school days to be relevant)

SKILLS / ATTRIBUTES:

E.G....

- Strong ICT skills (MS Word, Excel, etc.)
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Knowledge of... (i.e. specific aspect of the job applying for)
- Good timekeeping skills

(the above will need to be carefully tailored to your son's skills/experiences)

---

Keep it short (2 pages of A4, max.), but make sure all the relevant bits and pieces are in there, utilising anything you think could 'sell' your son to the job market.

If there's any room left, you might want to put in some hobbies and interests, but try not to go overboard. It's most useful when a CV is a bit sparse.

You might want to draft out a few rough CVs with your son, and type up the final draft nice and neatly. The format isn't that strict, you can play around with it to suit his needs, as long as it's clear, conscise, and complete.

Explain any gaps in his job history (such as his current unemployment), and outline what he has been doing whilst unemployed (i.e. this job course he's on now).

Anihilator

HellsGranny wrote: »

Thank you all so far for your advice.

He has told the staff that he has dyslexia, but the tutor at the time was unresponsive and bullying, implying that anybody who has been unemployed for six months (and therefore on the course) is a malingerer. With at least ten people chasing every vacancy around here, I feel that was at best ill-informed, at worst a confidence drainer or a deliberate attempt to get a 'rise'. My son is 20, with little self-confidence, but I have told him already I can't fight his battles, only gain information which he can use when dealing with them.

Re the CV thing, I have never had to provide a CV in my life, as I was always either headhunted or in the right place at the right time to be offered work. I am retired now, so the mysteries of the modern workplace are beyond me (thankfully). I do help as best I can, with hints on interview technoques, dressing for interviews and things Not to admit to!:rotfl:

I am also concerned for the staff there, they would appear to be too busy and stressed themselves to be able to help the clients adequately, and if such is the case, what is the point of the course?

Cheers, HG

Have you ever thought maybe the professionals are the right ones and not yourself?

Maybe your son just doesnt like the truth and is being aggressive and violent due to it.

RobertoMoir

Anihilator wrote: »

Have you ever thought maybe the professionals are the right ones and not yourself?

Maybe your son just doesnt like the truth and is being aggressive and violent due to it.

While it would be interesting to hear the other side of the story, there's no need to be quite so blunt either. Which is not something I say very often.

Tippytoes

I know someone who was referred to CDG by the Jobcentre. An educated man who, through no fault of his own, found himself out of work and on the scrapheap at 50.

His opinion of CDG staff is that most are wet-behind-the-ears uni-educated motormouths. They wrote his CV for him.....he then corrected the spelling. They showed him how to write letters....he corrected the grammar AND the spelling.

One member of staff is a former used car salesman. They seemed not to have a brain cell between them. They are very good at putting gold stars on the board when they "help" you into a job paying national minimum wage, though.

mikey72

HellsGranny wrote: »

Thank you all so far for your advice.

He has told the staff that he has dyslexia, but the tutor at the time was unresponsive and bullying, implying that anybody who has been unemployed for six months (and therefore on the course) is a malingerer. With at least ten people chasing every vacancy around here, I feel that was at best ill-informed, at worst a confidence drainer or a deliberate attempt to get a 'rise'. My son is 20, with little self-confidence, but I have told him already I can't fight his battles, only gain information which he can use when dealing with them.

Re the CV thing, I have never had to provide a CV in my life, as I was always either headhunted or in the right place at the right time to be offered work. I am retired now, so the mysteries of the modern workplace are beyond me (thankfully). I do help as best I can, with hints on interview technoques, dressing for interviews and things Not to admit to!:rotfl:

I am also concerned for the staff there, they would appear to be too busy and stressed themselves to be able to help the clients adequately, and if such is the case, what is the point of the course?

Cheers, HG

They're well paid by JCP to do it, and it moves jobseekers into "training" as well as jobs, and off the umemployed figures.

RobertoMoir

Tippytoes wrote: »

I know someone who was referred to CDG by the Jobcentre. An educated man who, through no fault of his own, found himself out of work and on the scrapheap at 50.

His opinion of CDG staff is that most are wet-behind-the-ears uni-educated motormouths. They wrote his CV for him.....he then corrected the spelling. They showed him how to write letters....he corrected the grammar AND the spelling.

One member of staff is a former used car salesman. They seemed not to have a brain cell between them. They are very good at putting gold stars on the board when they "help" you into a job paying national minimum wage, though.

They get to put gold stars on a board?

Really?

Gold stars?

Board?

You serious? I think the important question is why is a govt scheme employing 9 year olds, if that makes them happy.