work programme - a couple questions

mjc1976

and a rant too i guess

i've been on the WP since August 2011. since then, I have been through 5 advisors - just been assigned my 6th. Have always been told, by them, that my CV is fine, mine cover letter is fine, and they accept, as a former employer myself, that I have no problem with interview techniques. My PC skills are more than adequate. I am currently sourcing training and courses off my own back.

So, my first question is, aside from helping with these things, what exactly should I be expecting them to do for me? I am rarely asked to provide proof of job searches. I am rarely asked to attend, often 3 months can go between appointments. To be honest, I don't think I need their help as I'm perfectly competent enough to search for jobs on my own. BUT, if they are supposed to do something, I am unaware what it actually is. Maybe someone here can fill me in.

As I'm close to the two years, does anyone know what happens at the end of this period?

And finally, the data protection withdrawal that I have seen mentioned on here. Aside from the obvious 'stopping them benefiting from me finding a job on my own, is there any other benefit to doing this?

Thanks in advance.

imatt

BUT, if they are supposed to do something, I am unaware what it actually is.

You are not alone in asking this! For example many clients have been told they need to apply to vacancies outside the scope of their former positions / experience / qualifications. Fair enough. However, when asking for training in order achieve this, they are told flatly than no money is available for training courses!

The WP has been a monumental failure which has Iain D. Smiths name written all over it. A program costing up to £5bn achieving a paltry 3.5% success rate for getting people into work for 6 months or more. Which according to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee is worse than had it not existed at all!

I am rarely asked to attend, often 3 months can go between appointments.

Funny you say this. The former employment minister Chris Grayling, another apologist for the Work program was on a BBC R5L phone in last year. When told that WP clients had like yourself not been seen for up to three months at a time, he simply refused to believe it!

The real reason you and many others have not been seen for weeks or even months at a time is due to the fact that most providers don't know what to do with many clients, especially those who're more educated and / or experienced. Such people end up being 'parked' for months at a time.

Add to this an increase in their caseload, in the middle of a recession on a payment by result structure, you have a recipe for disaster. Little wonder the WP providers are holding out the begging bowl asking for more taxpayers cash!

What we're seeing with the WP is ministers refusing to take responsibility for introducing a scheme that was doomed to failure from the off! Little wonder the original performance figures were delayed last year and are being pushed back yet again.

mjc1976

although you haven't answered anything.....good post interesting reading.

I do seem to fall into the "educated / experienced" bracket you mention. thing is, i cannot comment on the company as a whole (ingeus in this instance). they do offer a lot of support for those that don't have the ability or knowledge to do cv's, cover letters and so on. their experiences may be very very different to mine.

imatt

Well, it's hard to answer anything too specific about the WP. For example some clients may have to go in monthly, some fortnightly and some weekly. I have even heard daily, although not sure how common THAT is. in your case it happens to be every 3 months! It is often at the discretion of the advisor and his / her workload.

You ask what you should be asking them to do for you? Well, what do you need? You are clearly smart and switched on enough perhaps NOT to need anything the WP provider Ingeus can reasonably offer. However, it may be useful to be a little curious and ask for something and see if they can provide it. Or at least point you in the right direction.

Sorry I cannot be totally specific as the WP deals with clients individually, albeit on a lowest common denominator basis. What one client is told can differ somewhat from another client. This is made worse by having multiple advisors over a short period. So what one advisor tells you could contradict what the previous ones said.

In short it's YOYO (You're on your own). The WP can do very little if anything for a person in your position. Good luck and all that!

AP007

OP you sound exactly like me. You aren't me are you? LOL

Been on it too from Aug 2011 and only ever went in once a month for a review and 'homework' was set. Was told they will not be able to help me.

Am on my TENTH adviser now and still not really seen him as I was meant to back in November when my last one left but keep seeing new people.

Since November they have booked me in for job search sessions that last 1 hour and its just me on the PC applying for jobs like I do here at home every day, No point to this at all.

I have done 1 hour of understanding the job market where they told us all that ALL JOBS are advertised on LinkedIn and made people set up profiles but I have had mine for 2 years so I sat there and did nothing,

Last week I attended a 1 hour Interview Technique session where we were asked questions and I was told I could not answer anymore as I was and I quote 'far too good and know all the answers'

Two people in the session never even said a word!

Totally pointless for me and for you it seems.

The WP have no influence and contacts for professional jobs so can not get anyone like me a job and have never put me forward for any job at all.

SaveMeDo

My new adviser has also left, I only saw him once. I have about 6 weeks left on the program and the atmosphere in place is awful now, for the first 15 months it was sweet, my adviser was great, never hassled me and tried to help.

They got a new manager, who thought she was Margaret Thatcher 2, a real ball breaker, soon every one jacked their jobs in and the new people have been chewed through very rapidly indeed, because they haven't got a clue how to work the computer system.

AP007

SaveMeDo wrote: »

My new adviser has also left, I only saw him once. I have about 6 weeks left on the program and the atmosphere in place is awful now, for the first 15 months it was sweet, my adviser was great, never hassled me and tried to help.

They got a new manager, who thought she was Margaret Thatcher 2, a real ball breaker, soon every one jacked their jobs in and the new people have been chewed through very rapidly indeed, because they haven't got a clue how to work the computer system.

Is it Seetec? LOL

SaveMeDo

Is it Seetec? LOL

No

It's Avanta