MSE News: Government launches back to work programme

dickydonkin

EleanorRig wrote: »

Firstly, I'd like to be able to pose a question without receiving the usual barrage of assault for daring to be one of those pesky unemployed. A highly unlikely possibility but for those of you that will be attacking me with your Daily Mails rolled up, you really are wasting your time.

Ok, I am currently on JSA, I am a lone parent with two children and I am trying to get work as a teaching assistant. I have passed two courses with the Open University and am currently studying a third to put towards a degree in Childhood Studies. I have gained 15 months experience in a school, I am currently training to be a Home Start volunteer (to add to my experience for my cv)
I apply for, on average, 3 jobs per week. All of which I find myself online, some in local papers. I have never been referred by the Job Centre, schools simply don't advertise there. In the past 6 months I have attended 5 interviews. Unfortunately (obviously) I haven't been offered the position and the reasons are always the same, someone else pipped me to the post by having more experience (hence my working with Home Start to increase that particular skill I am lacking in, according to employers)

As I am not clear as to what the new Work Programme will entail (there appears to be no clear guidelines anywhere online) am I to assume that I will undergo a programme where I will be given training on how to search online for jobs (teaching me to suck eggs there) If so I feel that their resources will be wasted as I am more than capable of finding jobs, even securing interviews, and I feel confident that, given all that I am doing to enhance the probability of procuring a job, I will get employment soon.

My question (to those who are prepared to answer it in a calm and informative fashion) is, what benefit would I gain from the Work Programme?

Sadly - I suspect you already know the answer to your own question.

Such schemes have come and gone over the years and very few seem to stay the course and many may suggest that this is just another crackpot scheme to appease the very people you refer to earlier in your post.

Good luck with your job searching .

Richardsct

I'm also looking for work as EleanorRig is, applying for anything up to twenty a week, I'm over 50, have been a carer for the past 10 years, rarely even get replies, not choosy in the work I'm looking for, will accept p/time, temporary etc or area. Have spent countless hours re-writing CV over and over again. Nearly every job I apply for there are 70-80 other applicants

A previous poster advised making all unemployed people do 4 hours a day supervised job seeking - well it takes me less than 15mins each day to apply for the 2-3 fresh jobs there are so what does he suggest I do with the other 3hrs 45?

No doubt those like me and others that are capable of stringing more than two words together in a letter, can use the web, have decent CV will be subjected to days of a compulsory attendance in some depressing surroundings while those that cant really be bothered are brought up to speed (some hope from what I see in the jobcentre every week)

I think the 'providers' will cherry pick the areas with the greatest return potential and those areas in greatest need will end up no different than they are now

cit_k

EleanorRig wrote: »

Firstly, I'd like to be able to pose a question without receiving the usual barrage of assault for daring to be one of those pesky unemployed. A highly unlikely possibility but for those of you that will be attacking me with your Daily Mails rolled up, you really are wasting your time.

Ok, I am currently on JSA, I am a lone parent with two children and I am trying to get work as a teaching assistant. I have passed two courses with the Open University and am currently studying a third to put towards a degree in Childhood Studies. I have gained 15 months experience in a school, I am currently training to be a Home Start volunteer (to add to my experience for my cv)
I apply for, on average, 3 jobs per week. All of which I find myself online, some in local papers. I have never been referred by the Job Centre, schools simply don't advertise there. In the past 6 months I have attended 5 interviews. Unfortunately (obviously) I haven't been offered the position and the reasons are always the same, someone else pipped me to the post by having more experience (hence my working with Home Start to increase that particular skill I am lacking in, according to employers)

As I am not clear as to what the new Work Programme will entail (there appears to be no clear guidelines anywhere online) am I to assume that I will undergo a programme where I will be given training on how to search online for jobs (teaching me to suck eggs there) If so I feel that their resources will be wasted as I am more than capable of finding jobs, even securing interviews, and I feel confident that, given all that I am doing to enhance the probability of procuring a job, I will get employment soon.

My question (to those who are prepared to answer it in a calm and informative fashion) is, what benefit would I gain from the Work Programme?

Probably none.

cit_k

There was a thread in DT about this work programme, its deleted now for some reason, but just before it was killed off, there was talk about g4s being one of the providers. Anyone know if thats true?

cit_k

dseventy wrote: »

Just make all unemployed people do 4 hours a day supervised job seeking.

Every day (except weekends), they have to turn up, on time, job search (with resources like PCs and helpers), apply for jobs, 4 hours minumum.

D70

Turn up where? Are they going to requisition hundreds of buildings to cope with all these people?

Be supervised by who? Where is the money going to come from for the thousands of supervisors.

There are millions unemployed, thats a lot of supervisors that will be needed.

Where is the money for all those PC's and infrastructure costs going to come from? The broadband bill alone for millions of people online every day would be quite large.

LittleVoice

cit_k wrote: »

There are millions unemployed, thats a lot of supervisors that will be needed.

. . . and so the supervisors can be removed from the unemployment register themselves - demonstrating that they know how to obtain a job!

Fleago

Richardsct wrote: »

I still think the target is to get those on ESA, DLA, Incapacity benefits etc off these benefits and into work -that is where real savings in the welfare bill will be made in the long run

Absolutely, and that's reflected in the Providers' payment structures, ie, they get more money if they get people in the above category into sustained employment.

cit_k

LittleVoice wrote: »

. . . and so the supervisors can be removed from the unemployment register themselves - demonstrating that they know how to obtain a job!

So you want the unemployed to supervise the unemployed. Because the unemployed required supervision? So who will supervise the unemployed who are supervising the unemployed?

cit_k

Fleago wrote: »

Absolutely, and that's reflected in the Providers' payment structures, ie, they get more money if they get people in the above category into sustained employment.

Realistically, what provider is going to spend the extra time and considerable effort to try and place the basically unemployable (long term sick, who still have considerable health problems) into work, for just a little extra, when they can get people without health problems who are easier to place?

Richardsct

These groups you mention - ex long term sick for example would result in the highest return for providers

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8423775/Half-a-million-sick-are-fit-to-work.html