How bad is "The Work Programme" and does it ever help?

[Chester6]

I believe that they get paid by the amount of victims who attend the job search so every person equals x in pounds plus the reason for abandonment is its a cheap profit maker as they can do other parts of their job and help if required

 

1 hour is lucky as I had to do 2

[Fragil1ty]

I believe that they get paid by the amount of victims who attend the job search so every person equals x in pounds plus the reason for abandonment is its a cheap profit maker as they can do other parts of their job and help if required

 

1 hour is lucky as I had to do 2

 

Did you have to do 2 straight away or were you on 1 hour and then over time it got boosted up to 2 hours?

[Chester6]

Did you have to do 2 straight away or were you on 1 hour and then over time it got boosted up to 2 hours?

 

2 since the beginning and I doubt an hour is a boost lol

You have already seen how pointless it is for yourself

[think about it]

I believe that they get paid by the amount of victims who attend the job search so every person equals x in pounds plus the reason for abandonment is its a cheap profit maker as they can do other parts of their job and help if required

 

1 hour is lucky as I had to do 2

 

Chester, not true I'm afraid...

 

The mandatory job search is nothing more than 'enforced' job seeking activity on the DWP lead assumption that people don't do enough for themselves. The intention behind it is that an advisor is on-hand to help if needed but yes, we'd also fill our diary with other tasks. The advisor's diaries are monitored just as your job seekers diaries are - the 'target' was at least 12 x 30 min appointments attended every day. As such, you'd book more than 12 as most of the time someone, mandated or not, wouldn't come in. Having 4 or 5 people come in for an hour or so was a good way to fill that time effectively. Of course, I was under no illusion that if someone had decided they wanted unskilled construction work (which was the bulk of my caseload at the time following the financial crisis and the wholesale collapse of the construction industry as we knew it before) then there were perhaps only one or two labouring vacancies advertised each week. We knew what they were, and had already told people about them so the 'job search' was more like: 'sit on MonsterJobs and keep clicking next for an hour'. But, that was what the JCP / DWP expected...

 

But, no, no extra money or easy profit here.

[Mr.P]

no extra money or easy profit here.

 

That pretty much confirms what I had thought. A low cost exercise to show that they are doing something, even if it is of little real value. From what I have seen of the set-up at one provider, investment in equipment, consumables, and staff was minimal and internet access was restricted.

[Chester6]

That pretty much confirms what I had thought. A low cost exercise to show that they are doing something, even if it is of little real value. From what I have seen of the set-up at one provider, investment in equipment, consumables, and staff was minimal and internet access was restricted.

1 -could have sworn I read it was paid based on the amount attending

2 - you describe it perfectly

[Piano Cube]

I've just been referred to the work programme after a forty minute conversation with a dwp manager about what I have to sign and so on, I didn't sign anything. I'll be recording everything else too if it can be of any use to people?

[Mr.P]

I'll be recording everything else too if it can be of any use to people

 

By all means publish your comments and views less any identifying personal details. But what ever you do, don't post covert recordings unless you have the written consent of all parties involved.

 

P.S. You have our commiserations and hope you get an early release.

[Piano Cube]

I'm mindful of personal details, that would be unfair to those involved. What about a transcription?

[Chester6]

I'm mindful of personal details, that would be unfair to those involved. What about a transcription?

 

Transciption is fine I think

Good luck

I hope you know your rights

[SabreSheep]

Under the Data Protection Act, you can record for your OWN PERSONAL USE and not use the recordings with any third party. (Exemptions may apply for criminal investigations)

 

SO using the recording to create a 100% accurate transcript would be legit.

[tfp]

I haven't done the work programme, lucky I was just under the time on the dole to be referred. It sounds terrible! Isn't it a real incentive to actually get a job though if it's that bad? I mean, spending 30+ fighting the system and complaining with legislative examples to frustrate their every move - that sounds like a full-time job in itself!

 

I'm confused about how if you are smart enough to play the system and know your rights in law so well, why you don't just get a min wage job like me, despite having about 10 letters after my name through study, and at least spend 30+ hours a week getting paid?

 

£72 JSA doesn't go that far, and at least you get the real satisfaction of being in work. What am I missing here?

 

I've met people who are so unemployable they can't even shake your hand. Some of you with your writing skills seem to be "professionally unemployed"! In the same way a lot of people on the internet these days seem to be "professionally offended" etc.

 

What's the deal?

 

Here's the problem. When on the WP, you are often encouraged to lie or at the very lead mislead. For example, omitting qualifications such as a degree just to apply for min wage / entry level roles. When attending the WP at Ingeus, one adviser even criticised me for looking at more than a couple of different employment categories as she said I was spreading myself too thin!!! As such adviser could easily discourage anyone applying for a min wage / entry level position through her own actions. Whilst another would do the opposite. Just a tiny example of how the WP is a shambles from top to bottom, inside and out.

 

Your post smacks of 'don't complain and be grateful' regardless of treatment. I doubt anyone hear is spending 30+ a week 'fighting the system' as you put it. What they are doing is highlighting just how bad and corrupt the system is. Should we keep our mouths shut to satisfy you, the DWP, Iain Duncan Smith and the government?

 

Perhaps you need to go away and research on just how poorly the WP performs, what the House of Commons own Public Accounts Committee had to say on it's performance and the performance of various WP providers delivering the WP and previous back to work scheme failures such as New / Flex New Deal.

[Mr.P]

Perhaps you [deepforest] need to go away and research on just how poorly the WP performs

 

Our 'friend' last made an appearance on 25th July at 21:54, so I suspect he/she probably has gone away. So hopefully, we can get back to advising Fragil1ty on coping with the Work Programme.

[sillygirl1]

I noticed deepforests comment about people being so unemployable they can't even shake your hand - well on a bad day I can't shake somebody's hand and have a naturally poor handshake due to arthritis....that doesn't make me unemployable!

 

The work programme (when I took part in it) was not really designed for people who could 'do it themselves' and I used them to my advantage, including getting money from them (60 quid towards renewing my passport - the only 'official' ID I have as I don't drive) and doing a few dummy interviews using REAL job descriptions from vacancies I had applied for.

 

The centre was a short walk from my home but that didn't give them carte blanche to contact me at short notice to come in and make their numbers up on pointless courses. Luckily I knew two of their course instructors who told them I was 'unsuitable due to being properly skilled' for some of the more mundane courses.

[srpsrp]

I've not read the whole thread yet, however I too have some Web development experience and have worked in IT all my career. I'm now into my 2nd year on the 'TWP' . It's not been all bad, they make sure that you get the basics done which is the best thing. I think you do need someone to be accountable to and a bit of coaching . When I was made redundant I was given an expensive out placement programme that TBH was not a lot better than the sort of thing you get for free at TWP .

 

The main trouble I've found is that Maximus in Southampton now seem to have thrown their hands in the air and given up with me, since I've gotten a few months experience doing PHP development , this is just so far off their radar. They are more used to dealing with kids out of school who've never worked or people who've been on benefits for ever and have no intention of working or those who would be happy with a cleaning job in Tesco . ( not that I haven't applied for my fair share of menial jobs )

 

The staff are fairly stretched and try their best, but the most helpful people seem to move on pretty quickly in my experience and the people left behind are the zombie form fillers. I've been put on various generally dissapointing mandatory sessions , some of which you could do any way since they are freely available from charities etc.

 

I agree that it's a bit of a waste of time, It takes me an hour to drive into Southampton and I think twice I've turned up there to find the person I was meant to be meeting had not even bothered to turn up ! I also find the Mandatory job searching really annoying. I have fibre internet and thousands of pounds worth of IT gear sat at home, and I'm sat there using defunct Windows thin clients that randomly share your session with other people!

 

I think if it were a bit nearer and didn't involve going into Southampton 3 times a week it would be a lot better !

Edited August 26, 2015 by maroondevo52
Removed unsuitable word

[jasta11]

I also find the Mandatory job searching really annoying. I have fibre internet and thousands of pounds worth of IT gear sat at home, and I'm sat there using defunct Windows thin clients that randomly share your session with other people!

 

You can try arguing that, as you are better-equipped at home, then this is not a 'reasonable' activity. Like the DWP, they MUST take customer's circumstances into consideration and everything they ask you to do must be 'reasonable'. Of course they stretch this as far as they can.. and if they can get you to actually attend - no matter how pointless it is - it's something to show their DWP masters. 'Oh look, we've had this guy in every week, aren't we doing a good job of trying to help him!'

 

I had the same rubbish with Ingeus, though mercifully I only had about 12 appointments in the entire 2 years.

[srpsrp]

Yes, I have raised issue about having to go there, my first consultant let me do job searching from home, so I don't know if they've had a change in policy or if I'm just unlucky. She was sat with us as a group this week so the normal people sat around complaining and mucking about was not so bad. I'd rather be getting on with my training etc than traveling 6 hours a week