Change in Future Jobs Fund

fayeo

Hi, I am 23 years old and I live in Whitley Bay, Newcastle. I studied for 3 years at Uni completing my degree in Fine Art. After finishing uni I went on JSA as I found it hard to find work in the North East. I never thought it would be that hard to find work, how naive. I am still unemployed and have been unemployed for over 12 months.

In this 12 months I have searched for jobs, contacted employers, filled in soooo many application forms and sent out so many C.V's and cover letters. I have filled my time up with extra training, volunteering at various places that would give me more chance of getting a job if one came up to apply for. So you can see that I am really really trying to get a job.

Last week I was given a job to apply from the Job Centre through the Future Jobs Fund at the YMCA as Children and Young Person Worker. I immediately filled in the application form and wrote out a very good cover letter and I got an interview straight away.
The interview was great; I made such a good impression that I got the job. I was so happy it was an amazing feeling. I felt like at last I was getting somewhere.

THEN, to my absolute disappointment, when the job centre was contacted to see if I was still eligible for the job, I was told that the rules had changed a few days ago for the Future Jobs Fund.
Instead of the Future Jobs Fund being available to people who have been unemployed for over 6 months, it now is only available to people who have been unemployed for between 6-12months and I now do not fall in that category since I have been unemployed for just over 12 months. So basically I got a job and then was told I wasn’t allowed to take it.

Another thing that really annoys me about the Future Jobs Fund is that a few jobs that I could also have applied for that would have been perfect for me I was told that I was not allowed to apply for because of my postcode area and that they are only available to people who live in deprived areas. I live on my own in Whitley Bay, it’s not classed as deprived but it’s not like I have much.

It's just so frustrating, after 3 years of hard work at uni and volunteering every week I’m getting told I can’t apply for the jobs that I want that are available. The jobs that I am trained for and want are usually to do with the arts or the community, and most of these jobs need the funding to employ people.

I was and still am very annoyed at this change. I think it is so wrong and unfair. They are trying to cut unemployment down, and here’s me being told I can't have certain jobs because I have been unemployed for too long or live in the wrong place.

Now the job centre are telling me I have to search for jobs in other categories like 'retail' because there is not any jobs available to me in the categories that I have been searching in. But I don’t want to waste my 3 years of studying my degree and other training and my university debt of £15,000 to be told I have to work in retail. I could have done that when I finished high school.

I just do not understand why they have made these ridiculous rules where there are jobs that 'I’m not allowed to apply for'.

PARIS_5000

fayeo wrote: »

Hi, I am 23 years old and I live in Whitley Bay, Newcastle. I studied for 3 years at Uni completing my degree in Fine Art. After finishing uni I went on JSA as I found it hard to find work in the North East. I never thought it would be that hard to find work, how naive. I am still unemployed and have been unemployed for over 12 months.

In this 12 months I have searched for jobs, contacted employers, filled in soooo many application forms and sent out so many C.V's and cover letters. I have filled my time up with extra training, volunteering at various places that would give me more chance of getting a job if one came up to apply for. So you can see that I am really really trying to get a job.

Last week I was given a job to apply from the Job Centre through the Future Jobs Fund at the YMCA as Children and Young Person Worker. I immediately filled in the application form and wrote out a very good cover letter and I got an interview straight away.
The interview was great; I made such a good impression that I got the job. I was so happy it was an amazing feeling. I felt like at last I was getting somewhere.

THEN, to my absolute disappointment, when the job centre was contacted to see if I was still eligible for the job, I was told that the rules had changed a few days ago for the Future Jobs Fund.
Instead of the Future Jobs Fund being available to people who have been unemployed for over 6 months, it now is only available to people who have been unemployed for between 6-12months and I now do not fall in that category since I have been unemployed for just over 12 months. So basically I got a job and then was told I wasn’t allowed to take it.

Another thing that really annoys me about the Future Jobs Fund is that a few jobs that I could also have applied for that would have been perfect for me I was told that I was not allowed to apply for because of my postcode area and that they are only available to people who live in deprived areas. I live on my own in Whitley Bay, it’s not classed as deprived but it’s not like I have much.

It's just so frustrating, after 3 years of hard work at uni and volunteering every week I’m getting told I can’t apply for the jobs that I want that are available. The jobs that I am trained for and want are usually to do with the arts or the community, and most of these jobs need the funding to employ people.

I was and still am very annoyed at this change. I think it is so wrong and unfair. They are trying to cut unemployment down, and here’s me being told I can't have certain jobs because I have been unemployed for too long or live in the wrong place.

Now the job centre are telling me I have to search for jobs in other categories like 'retail' because there is not any jobs available to me in the categories that I have been searching in. But I don’t want to waste my 3 years of studying my degree and other training and my university debt of £15,000 to be told I have to work in retail. I could have done that when I finished high school.

I just do not understand why they have made these ridiculous rules where there are jobs that 'I’m not allowed to apply for'.

I graduated in mid September and because of the recession I made up my mind that I was going to be applying for jobs that were not related to my degree so that I could be working and not signing on.

I have turned down two jobs that were not suitable and found a job althrough it is not related to my degree but is a area that I have experience in. The job is paying more than a average graduate salary. I am on a fixed term contract so I will still apply for other jobs in my degree field or do my masters when the contract ends.

A temp job in retail pays more than jobseekers and at least you will be earning money while you are looking for a job that is related to your degree. With all due respect as you have been unemployed for a year you cannot afford to be turning down retail jobs or any other jobs.

fayeo

Yea, I know, I wont turn them down, I will have to apply for them.
I just think its really frustrating and unfair that there are jobs that are in my field and that I am trained for that i am not allowed to apply for.

Thanks for the reply.
x

PARIS_5000

fayeo wrote: »

Yea, I know, I wont turn them down, I will have to apply for them.
I just think its really frustrating and unfair that there are jobs that are in my field and that I am trained for that i am not allowed to apply for.

Thanks for the reply.
x

I feel the same way but I need money now and while I am in my current job I will still apply for jobs in my degree field. The job centre cannot tell you to stop applying for jobs in your field if you are applying for other jobs as well.

fayeo

I wrote to The Chronicle Newspaper, and they investigated it and it turned out the job centre were wrong. and there was a full page with photos of my story, haha and I got the job YAAAAAAAAAYYY! I would link it to this thread but it wont let me. xxxx