NEW DISASTER CONFIRMS PROGRAMME IS “AN ALMIGHTY MESS”
The Labour party has attacked the Coalition’s flagship welfare-to-work programme, calling it “an almighty mess”. The accusation came after it emerged that over a million fewer people will be eligible to take part than had been previously thought – that’s almost half.
The mis-calculation means that fewer job-seekers will be able to benefit from the hugely expensive scheme, and employees at the private companies tasked with finding roles for these job-seekers may themselves be put out of work. Liam Byrne, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said:
“Chaos is engulfing the government’s flagship back-to-work scheme. Unemployment is at a 16-year high and yet welfare to work now appears to be in the hands of the Keystone Cops.
“The work programme is now so badly managed that we face the prospect of welfare-to-work staff being laid off in the middle of an unemployment emergency, as providers are forced to shed the staff they took on when they thought the government had the slightest idea what it was doing.
“Ministers have got into one almighty mess over their back-to-work programme and the result is there for all to see: a generation out of work and a government department totally unable to cope.”
Chris Grayling, the employment minister, insisted last week that the work programme was working. He said figures showed that of 28,600 people on the scheme in June 2011, 7,000 had had “a continuous 13-week break” in benefit claims nine months later. This works out at 24%. Of the mis-calculated figures, a spokesperson for the Department of Work and Pensions said:
“It is simply misleading to compare these figures from December 2011 and May 2012 as hundreds of thousands of employment support allowance claimants are not included in the more recent projections. Our data shows the work programme has had a promising start, with nearly a quarter of the early starters spending at least three months off benefits.”
Graduate Fog is following this with interest. Although this website specialises in graduate unemployment in particular and the work programme involves job-seekers of all ages and circumstances, we have been dismayed to see unpaid work form such a large part of the work programme. As we have already seen with the spread of privately-arranged unpaid internships, divorcing work from pay is a very dangerous game. If you’re going to do it, it must be extremely carefully managed.
Yet is it clear that this government is embarrassingly uninformed about the delicate situation they are dealing with. As anybody under 25 will tell you, unpaid work is not the solution to youth unemployment – it is already a big part of the problem. The fact that the people making decisions about this vital programme appear not to understand this is certainly cause for concern.
*DO YOU HAVE FAITH IN THE GOVERNMENT’S PLANS TO REDUCE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT?
How confident are you that our politicians have a proper plan, are taking good advice – and actually know what they’re doing? Do you share our concerns about unpaid work forming such a large part of the programme – or do you believe that these unpaid placements will turn into paid work for job-seekers?
“The mis-calculation means that fewer job-seekers will be able to benefit from the hugely expensive scheme, and employees at the private companies tasked with finding roles for these job-seekers may themselves be put out of work.”
All aspects of this statement are completely wrong. Suggest you go and learn about researching something properly.
Er, thanks Integrity – can you elaborate at all? My source for this is the Guardian… Did they get it wrong too?
I think the main problem with the statement quoted is the suggestion job seekers will BENEFIT from the work programme at all …
The work programme is supposed to provide help with job search skills (CVs, interview skils, etc); support to solve individuals’ work related problems; and work experience that’ll help participants back into adequately paid work where they’ll be self-supporting. It isn’t managed or funded correctly to achieve ANY of these goals.
The work programme tutors are hired on the cheap, they don’t have the background knowledge themselves to adequately support participants, nor do they have enough time to assist individuals asking for their help. Participants would get as much help as these tutors can provide by going straight onto the internet.
The work experience part of the programme is mis-directed into employment sectors (eg security, social care and retail) which are insecure, very badly paid and /or offer zilch transferable skills and learning opportunities.
Apart from being a costly way of wasting participants’ time at the tax payer’s expense, the work programme also reduces the availability of paid work, it doesn’t increase them. It’s a nonsense of a scheme.
Tanya de Grunwald, well if its the guardian it must be true!
I have no faith in the government’s plans to reduce youth unemployment.
The work programme is poor, and vague. If you rely on these you are going nowhere.
The future jobs fund was a real help, and i’m glad I was able to be a part of it. There is nothing like that any more and there probably won’t be again.
I’m sorry but I think this is the reality now. Unemployment / underemployment are going to remain for years.
Graduate Fog is an important forum for the exchange of information and ideas.
I am due to go on the Work Programme at the end of next month if I don’t get a job beforehand. I had been informed by my Jobcentre Plus advisor, with whom I had my final meeting on Thursday, about changes in the Work Programme since I was last on it in 2011.
This time around, if I get a job during my time on the Work Programme, eg one month into the programme and it lasts say 18 months, the example my advisor used, I go back onto the programme to the end of the two years. This is obviously a lifeline the government has thrown to providers.
In February, I applied to go on a work experience placement after seeing something interesting at a Jobfair organised by the Jobcentre. I’m still waiting to hear if and when I’ll be starting it. I’ve nothing against unpaid work experience if it is relevant to the area of work I’m interested in. I’d be sitting at home otherwise, whereas this way I get some recent work experience to put on my CV and a reference. Could it be better? Of course, but in reality it’s about as good a jobsearch opportunity as it’s going to get.
The one thing I didn’t like the last time I was on the Work Programme end of 2011 was the fact that the only retail opportunities was at British Heart Foundation or Poundland. Is this the furthest young unemployed people should aspire to? Are the flagship retail stores worried that the ‘workshy’ will harm sales? Discount stores and charities are probably not bothered about impact on sales because people who shop at charities and discount stores will shop there anyway since they can’t usually afford to choose between a top-class fashion boutique and a charity.
The providers can have a lousy attitude towards jobseekers, too, treating them all like skivers, ready to impose sanctions at the first opportunity.
The Work Programme is no substitute to a fully-funded training programme providing real training, real work experience, real qualifications and a wage of at least minimum wage.
Once you’re on the work programme you’re on their books for two years. If you are on the programme for say 2 months, and then get a job for 6 months, when you come off you’re back on the work programme for 16 months. I was on it for 6 months before going to university. I get emails from my advisor every now and then but I don’t expect anything from them to be honest, my advisor had over 200 clients when I was on the programme.
The work programme doesn’t really work, there are too many people on it, too little advisers and too few advertised jobs. All you can do is make the most of your time on it, or ‘play the game’. The job centre can arrange work experience placements which can be useful to gain more experience (usually office based).
I read a story recently that G4S (who I was with), are now running ambulances, and doing a bad job of it. These private companies shouldn’t be let anywhere near the benefits system let alone healthcare. They buggered up the olympic security too.
At the end of the day all blame lies with the government who are orchestrating the mess this country is in.
I’ve been on and off at the job centre for 6 years. i have no life
@Hopeless, are you really a graduate or are you taking the mess? Your short comment makes me ask.