Help to Work Programme comes in today

topaztiger1983

Surely the JCP should help if you cannot afford to get your ID, they are supposed to help you back to work are they not

tomtontom

topaztiger1983 wrote: »

Surely the JCP should help if you cannot afford to get your ID, they are supposed to help you back to work are they not

If you can afford to have a phone/ computer/ tv etc you can afford to pay for it yourself.

topaztiger1983

you really are ignorant you need a computer & internet to do daily Jobsearch do you not, I guess from your attitude that you have a job so you look down you nose at anyone who does not have a job

topaztiger1983

Also I am not a lazy person, I have got myself onto a college course which starts in September, I will be doing a BTEC Level 2 in Animal Care & hopefully progressing on to Level 3 in Animal Management next year

tomtontom

topaztiger1983 wrote: »

you really are ignorant you need a computer & internet to do daily Jobsearch do you not, I guess from your attitude that you have a job so you look down you nose at anyone who does not have a job

You can get free internet access at the library, plus of course once you have a job you can buy all the non essentials you want - with your own money.

topaztiger1983 wrote: »

Also I am not a lazy person, I have got myself onto a college course which starts in September, I will be doing a BTEC Level 2 in Animal Care & hopefully progressing on to Level 3 in Animal Management next year

Why are you taking courses that are not going to lead to a job? There is already a massive oversupply of candidates with these qualifications. If you are going to undertake further training you need to tailor it to work that is available in your area.

It is clear that you need a great deal more guidance in your job seeking efforts. Hopefully the new JCP initiative will give you this. Good luck in your job search!

SailorSam

tomtontom wrote: »

If you can afford to have a phone/ computer/ tv etc you can afford to pay for it yourself.

In todays world a phone & computer is almost a neccessity, especially if you're looking for work. Ok you could say that none of us need Tv, but i think ID if they're asking for a passport is a definite luxury.
Many people and not just those on benefits can't afford holidays or if they can only go camping or caravaning in the Uk.

Who?_me?

They should accept a full birth certificate (with both parents on I think) and then some photo id and proof of your national insurance number. I have been able to get DBS / CRB checks with out a passport. I am not saying this to critisise, but to say that the company is using as a poor excuse not to employ you.

Re using libraries- my county only let you book a pc for an hour which isn't long enough to do a full applicaiton form and you need to remember to save it every few mins as the systems regularly clear themselves and don't save anything.

topaztiger1983

I live near the countryside so the are jobs on Farms and things there are also a few Animal Parks, Zoos & Animal Collections within 90 mins travel time so there is a good possibility I will get a job from my course,

I have contacted some of the companies about jobs in the future and they have said that they will keep my CV on file and I should contact them when I have my qualification, so hopefully a good outcome there, So as you can see I have done my research, I did not just choose a course because I like the sound of it, Research is always key to all my decisions in life

bluenoseam

I'm all for people being given roads into things like training, but as has been pointed out, I'd sooner see people walk away with a PROPER qualification, not some certificate knocked up in Word with no real clout behind it. Someone hit the nail on the head with regards to poor literacy skills as well, we fail far too many children in this country by allowing them to go through their school careers and still be unable to read or write! That's failure on a spectacular scale, I get that some people don't want any part of the school experience, but ultimately we need to change attitudes - having 15/16 year olds who can barely read their own name is arguably the most shameful thing about this country!

I believe, and this is purely something the odious Esther McVey spouted on TV this morning that those required to make daily appearances before the firing squad - sorry Job Centre - will be given free public transport. Though one surely must ask, what about those who in order to get to a job centre face a 30+ minute bus journey, does that count toward their "time"?

This country has also got a major problem with regards to the hoops one must jump through in order to prove our right to work here. Every position I've held in the last 4 years has required me to bring my passport (which fortunately I have) along with photocopies thereof, proving my right to work here. Not being funny, but I didn't hold a passport until I was 24 & only held a provisional because it was a 17th birthday present - not everyone has either of those.

I did point out earlier, I'm not against punishing those who genuinely don't want to work, what I am 100% against is the notion that everyone on JSA is a scrounger. I last signed on in 2012 and honestly was treated like I was a burden on society by the fools in the Job Centre. Despite knowing some issues I have they insisted on trying to get me to apply for call centre work every time I saw a "new" person during signing on, leading to an explaination as to why that was both impractical & unsuitable for me. Meanwhile Mr. I. R. Junkie was seen, barely communicated with & sent on his way no questions asked. So much so it's actually put me off for life going anywhere near them given the level of incompetence they showed during those 4 months.

The problem I have is when language is carefully used to give the sense that it's not about punishment, but the tone says pretty much the fact that it's designed to stiff people. There's no question this is 100% aimed at kicking the long term genuine unemployed while they're down. If it's charity work then fine, one can understand, but commercial companies using these "volunteers" or "work experience" clients - that's a different story. If there's enough work that you can take a volunteer on for 30+ hours a week, then there is enough work for you to pay that person for the work done. I'm not saying there's a 30hr contract in it, but surely it proves beyond reasonable doubt that there's work there needing done - which I think anyone will agree should be compensated for accordingly.

I'm no socialist by any stretch, but the notion that anyone MUST do voluntary work is bordering on cruel, heartless & ultimately a step away from slavery. I'm not using that word lightly, I know the severity of it, but well, frankly it's better than what some would see, a return to the workhouse culture of Victorian times or worse from the last century!

(incidentally, I don't particularly care if anyone points out the hypocracy in me ranting on literacy skills yet having the spelling & grammar of a 7 year old - last I checked I was not sitting an English exam. I last sat one of those some 13 years ago & by some miracle managed to pass it, thus never needed worry about it again.)

JeLaw

SailorSam wrote: »

Just listening to Esther McVey on the radio and she says it not about punishing claimants or about saving money, it's all about helping people back into work.
I think she's pinched that line off IDS.

Shall we take the government at their word....? If so, they are now genuinely keen to "help people back to work". We shall then see in the next couple of days the government following on from this announcement with an additional announcement that they are going to lead by example...vacant positions with government ministers, in local government, and the civil service will be offered first to long-term unemployed people. Obviously someone will not be taken on if they don't meet the job requirements regarding qualifications and/or experience. But if they do, they will be the first choice candidate.

How disheartening it would be to discover that, actually no, there doesn't exist a genuine desire to help people back to work - and in actual fact this is simply a move to push more people to suicide and/or crime.

It appears that few in government are aware (or refuse to acknowledge) that the unemployed are not one homogenous group. There appears to be a persistent misapprehension that all unemployed people lack education, soft skills, and work experience. On the contrary, many are highly educated and very experienced in the work: Turned away from minimum wage jobs for being "over-qualified" or "too experienced", and turned down for more senior roles because of the gaps in their CVs - a consequence of a period of illness or redundancy.

It also doesn't help when people like this manage to obtain junior roles. They're still turned away for being "over-qualified" in most cases but are now turned down by more senior roles because they're perceived to be failures (for taking minimum wage roles and lacking recent experience in senior roles).

Many people in this position would indeed benefit from training. But not the sort of training on offer by the jobcentre. They don't need literacy or numeracy courses. Nor do they require help with their CVs - unless it is how to successfully dumb it down (removing qualifications and study from a CV and/or roles more senior than minimum wage positions leaves the candidate with an even larger gap on their CV).

Are the government going to include degree or postgraduate level courses in their "training" for people who would benefit from re-training and pursuing a career change?

Will they allow people to arrange their own voluntary work? That might be beneficial. Someone might wish to make a career change (especially if their previous area of expertise and experience is in a declining industry), and gaining (unpaid if need be) work experience in that role or industry could prove useful.