Advice RE JSA mandatory course

powned

Hi forum,

My girlfriend is 22 and has been unemployed since she left university despite applying for hundreds of jobs and travelling up to 200 miles for some interviews (there is very little work where we live). She has been on JSA for 6 months and so has to attend a mandatory course provided by an external company.

The course is very basic, she has spent 2 days learning how leave the building in the event of a fire. She has had to sit some very low level level maths and English tests etc. This is set to continue for 30 hours per week for 3 months. Both the syllabus and some of the staff are very patronising but this is bearable.

The only problem she has going through the motions with this course is that has reduced her ability to travel for interviews and greatly limited the time she can spend applying for positions, whilst this is inconvenient she acknowledges that it has to be done.

However there are several things that are completely unacceptable:

• The building is dilapidated, handles are falling off doors, tables are damaged, there is mould growing on the windows.... etc.

• There is a young man who has just got out of jail (no problem with that) on the course and he is intimidating other people, using vile racial abuse and generally being very offensive. She finds the racial abuse intolerable.
• There are a lot of trouble makers on the course who are disruptive, using foul language and being abusive to staff.
• The staff turn up late, 40 minutes, an hour sometimes, the also have an unusual amount of 'dental appointments'.
• The trouble makers are using drugs at the front of the building.
• There are periods of time where the class is abandoned by the teachers and attendees are left alone to literally stare at the walls. During this time the thugs are playing music and intimidating other attendees.
• Edit: Attendee physicality attacked a member of staff this morning - further safety concerns.

I would be grateful of anyone could give us some advice on what we can do about this situation, how do we complain properly, who to etc. We cannot afford to lose the JSA. Again, my gf is perfectly willing to do the course but not in that environment. She did her degree in a very competitive environment so she is strong but this is reducing her to tears on some nights.

I would be very grateful for any advice...

Please help!

Please note, i will not respond to the small minority of trolls that seem spoil some peoples posts here and advise all genuine posters to do the same, cheers.

dmg24

If she wants to make a complaint then she should do so, but she should also be aware of the potential repercussions of doing so. It will not make her popular, and she will still have to complete the course.

With regard to when they are left to do nothing, is there a reason why she cannot get on with job applications at this time?

If it was me I would just keep my head down and get on with it. Think of the course as a motivator to take any work available!

DX2

powned wrote: »

• The building is dilapidated, handles are falling off doors, tables are damaged, there is mould growing on the windows.... etc.

• There is a young man who has just got out of jail (no problem with that) on the course and he is intimidating other people, using vile racial abuse and generally being very offensive. She finds the racial abuse intolerable.
• There are a lot of trouble makers on the course who are disruptive, using foul language and being abusive to staff.
• The staff turn up late, 40 minutes, an hour sometimes, the also have an unusual amount of 'dental appointments'.
• The trouble makers are using drugs at the front of the building.
• There are periods of time where the class is abandoned by the teachers and attendees are left alone to literally stare at the walls. During this time the thugs are playing music and intimidating other attendees.

How awful! I would certainly be complaining about the above nobody should feel intimidated, although I'm not rightfully sure who she would be able to complain to. I think if it was me, I would draft up a letter and send it to the duty manager of the JCP that she has to attend.

powned

dmg24 wrote: »

With regard to when they are left to do nothing, is there a reason why she cannot get on with job applications at this time?

The environment is not conductive for such things due to the high level of disruption me thinks, most applications are online anyway and there are no computers. The course is defiantly designed to encourage lazy people not to stay on benefits but i think travelling 200 miles for interviews is about as motivated as it can you can get? shes even applying for jobs overseas. Sad that they have to tar genuine people with the same brush as the spongers.

She has just called me this morning, very shaken and upset as the class has been dismissed to an unscheduled break due to one of the attendees physically attacking a member of staff, and threw a chair. You would expect this in a prison but i cannot reason that this can be seen as acceptable in anyones eyes.

If you can keep your head down whilst thats going on you are a better person than I! Just putting up with it is the easy way out i guess but she is determined to do something about it. i fully agree with her, i would not tolerate those conditions neither should any sane moderately well balanced person.

I am now worried for her safety, you think the company would dismiss these thugs but there is a financial motivator to keep them there.

We will be writing to the JSA, the company running the course and our MP but i suspect they will pull her JSA immediately without listening to reason, such is the brainless bureaucracy of the state.

snugglepet20

I would take in a hidden camera and get some evidence, then walk out and start complaining to anyone and everyone. Your girlfriend should not have to witness criminal behaviour. Also why are the government wasting money sending a university graduate on a basic English and Maths course?

dmg24

Surely she should call the police if she has witnessed someone being attacked?

milfield

Hi powned

Community Task Force is the course your girlfriend is on. It is mandatory for 13 weeks, and I'm afraid there is always a mix of customers on these courses and those you describe are typical. Always has been since the days of old New Deal, and probably always will be.

They should have you girlfriend on a work placement very quickly where she will be 4 days per week and only 1 day at the training centre. If she can talk to a few local employers and see if they are interested in giving her a placement that may speed things up for her.

As for the training providers - they vary in quality. You can't do anything about the customer group I'm afraid, but any form of abuse, bullying, etc. is totally unacceptable and the Provider must be made aware of it and deal with it accordingly. Anybody carrying out this sort of behaviour can be dismissed for Misconduct and benefits may be sanctioned.

If she does not feel comfortable with discussing this matter with the Training Provider then I would suggest she speaks to her Personal Adviser at the Job Centre and they can raise the issues with either the Training company directly or with their Contract Programmes Team.

As for the quality of the Training Provider I would raise this with her Adviser at the Job Centre. I would suggest she speaks to the Provider first though to find out what they are doing about finding her a work placement as this will give her Adviser a better idea of the situation.

Regarding travel to interviews, she will be allowed any time off to attend interviews provided proof of interview is given. Don't forget there is also Travel to Interview Scheme - the Job Centre may help with travel costs. She should also have a New Deal Travel card to give reduced rail fares.

If she is feeling as bad as you say, it is sometimes the case that people can't face going in and stop attending. This may affect affects by sanctions totalling 19 weeks (2 week sanction followed by a 4 week sanction and finally a 13 week sanction). I would not let this pass - she must speak to her PA at the Job Centre. Where people have issues with courses I deal with them immediately using the appropriate channels. Particularly if the Training Provider is not helping.

It can be hard attending things like this sometimes because quite often people mix with groups of people they would not normally associate with and it can be quite a culture shock!

powned

snugglepet20 wrote: »

I would take in a hidden camera and get some evidence, then walk out and start complaining to anyone and everyone. Your girlfriend should not have to witness criminal behaviour. Also why are the government wasting money sending a university graduate on a basic English and Maths course?

i like your thinking, and yes it is an obscene waste of tax payer money. i am researching this company at the moment and i can only speculate on what they are charging the gov but im guessing its a lot. you would think there would be different help for graduates.

milfield

powned, just to advise that her JSA will not be pulled for raising any issues. Making a complaint is not a problem with the Job Centre. We would more likely question why she did NOT raise the issues really. I would strongly suggest she speaks to her PA, and not just walk out, ... well, when it gets restarted that is!

powned

milfield, thank you so much for the replies! Very helpful. I will get her to read it when she comes home, its put my mind at rest a little and hopefully it will hers.

milfield

Oh yes, and as for the hidden camera - not a very good idea. What do you think would happen to your girlfriend if one the extremely disruptive elements on the course found out and took offence? They have no respect for the Training Provider if they assaullted them, so would have even less for your girlfriend.

Raise it through the proper channels, and if necessary you can write to your MP as you have mentioned.