Yes I completely agree - what I've found very scary is that the next level of management - PDMs (also up for redundancy) still don't see the issue and are adamant that targets are there to be hit. There's no support at the moment and even at this stage, people are being set up for disciplinary action should those targets not be met. Last week a company director visited from London - and it was very clear to see why he company is failing so badly, he had no concept of the challenges of finding any form of work in this area, let alone 7 people into work per month.

Hi all, really quick update as sadly there's not too much to update on. So as mentioned my area is cutting staff by 50%, that's across the board as in advisors, admin, EPCs, MWA advisors and facilitators. 4 offices are being closed in the area as well. The consultation period started today - with everyone having this week to take voluntary redundancy. Consultation should last until Easter, as I know reps are going round the offices speaking to everyone concerned. The main reason is that the business model is no longer viable - funny they say that now and yet the target of 21 clients in work each quarter hasn't changed! Final decisions should be first week in April.

Hi there, a candidate pool is an early assessment stage which advisors are forced to book a set amount of clients on. Each candidate pool is split by industry and you will be checked that you have the basics i.e. updated CV, good interview skills, interview clothes etc. This is so when their recruitment team find a job, they can refer straight to the candidate pool for suitable people. In my experience, it doesn't work. It's a bit of a pain to do and the criteria is rarely met - it's just yet another workshop that has to be ticked off. All the EPCs are under threat of redundancy though, so I don't imagine you'll get too much from them if you are entered into the candidate pool.

There's been some big changes since I was last on here so i'd just thought I'd give you a quick update. Next time you're at Ingeus ask them how the latest round of redundancies are going. Last week all office closed and all staff had to go for a meeting explaining they were under the threat of redundancy. Due to a low (unplanned) number of referrals from JCP and the huge overheads Ingeus are now running, a fifth of the workforce are to be made redundant. Consultation begins at the end of the month, so don't be surprised if your appointments / letters fall from that point. In the North West, about half of the team are going to be gone by the end of April. So big changes, less staff (admin, workshop tutors and 'advisors', office closures BUT only if DWP allow Ingeus to break their contract. Targets remain as high as ever though, great work management! Feel free to offer 'CV tailoring' to your advisor next time you're in!

Yes that's true, the Work Programme did get a 1 year extension and is due to currently end in early 2017, though there have been rumours from management that very soon it could be extended further. But the facts can't be ignored. Last year in England referrals to Ingeus averaged at approx 10000 per month. So far this year it's around 3000. Advisors are experiencing falling caseloads from around 100-150 to numbers more like 40-50. There are extreme costcutting measures being installed and my concern is the poor service some of you are already receiving will get worse. Clients are being assessed in payment groups on a more regular basis, as opposed to identifying true and accurate support. Management feel Ingeus will have to shift focus away from JSA claimants as there are not enough of them currently. There has been a significant increase in ESA claimants but the numbers JCP are talking about have yet to be referred to WP. The next few months will be very interesting as this is round 1 of redundancies and we can expect more.

Hi lemonnews, Feel free to put in a complaint, by rights there is rigorous complaints process but it is rarely followed. What should happen is that your complaint should be followed up by a Lead Advisor or PDM. Though it should not be overlooked - Ingeus are going through difficult times at the moment. Only 2 weeks ago a huge restructure had been announced - with many redundancies highlighted. Though it concerns non-essential staff (mainly Admin, GFs and PDMs) staff are running round like headless chickens at the moment. Good luck though! Poor service should never be ignored.