Work Programme Information

[Goldentony]

I have an interview soon-ish with an advisor about being eligible for the scary new government scheme known as the Work Programme. Gone are the days of signing for six months, then being referred to an employment zone where you could turn up once every 10 or so days to bathe in the glorious zero enforcement paradise that these places offered, with their job sections cut out of the local paper and stapled together so clients didn't use them to read instead of looking for work.

I don't know a thing about the work programme beyond all the shit about the Thunderdome style making people work for benefits full time and shafting them like a proverbial urethral rod in the most prurient of porn movies. What can you tell me? I want to know what CaB has to offer in terms of experience and advice because I trust you stupid twats. I asked the job centre for clarification on whether this will cock up my current college attendance, and all they would say was "possibly"

WHAT ARE WORK PROGRAMME, then, is what i'm saying. HOW ARE IT?

[Santa's Boyfriend]

College attendance?

[Icehaven]

Is this where they get you to do unpaid work placements (possibly in Poundland), and you have to do it to or you lose benefits (which is where I imagine the potential to fuck up your college course will come from, unless they can arrange for you to be in two places at once, which if they can then college is the least of your worrries, you've got two mouths to feed) I might be completely wrong about this completely, in which case my apologies for the scaremongering. If it is this however, there's a lot of stink being kicked up about it still, as far as I know. Sorry for turning this into a ''write a summary of a government employment scheme you know nothing about'' thread.

[Goldentony]

College attendance?

Yeah, tiny amount of hours like and all above board and doesn't interfiere with claiming since I don't get any sort of cash for going like EMA, but the thing i'm trying to get to the bottom of is whether the likelihood of this turning into what icehaven describes (which is exactly as i'm imagining it!) and forcing me out of college and away from university (insert joke) and winding up working for benefits is pretty not likely at all or very bloody likely on the How Likely O Meter.

Like I said, I think, the most I could get out of them regarding whether this could interrupt everything I want to do was "Possibly". Helpfully, the official websites cover up all the evil.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

This may be a long shot, but if there is real possibility of Mandatory Work Emplacements interfering with things to help people actually get jobs or actively sabotaging someone's attempts to get work, then it might be worth chatting to your MP.  I don't know what kind of power they hold over this, but if you can explain the problem to them in language they can connect to, maybe they'll make some calls on your behalf.  It's kind of what they're there for on local level anyway.

[small_world]

I'd like to know what your college course is.
Until I do, it's difficult to advise.
For now, tell them you just don't want to work and you'd rather just take the free money thanks.
If that fails, see if they'll accept a sick note.

I would agree with writing to your MP, but that may feel too much like work. So maybe best to avoid that.

[Flouncer]

For fuck's sake, maybe he's trying to get a qualification to help him get a job in the future. I didn't see where he said he wasn't looking for work either - why do you assume he's an idle cunt?

[Big Jack McBastard]

You could always royally fuck the interview up if needs be.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

There are 3 phases to the Work Programme.

One is ENABLE. The Other is ENGAGE. (they are in capital letters, I've seen them)

I can't remember the other one though for the life of me. I think it might be RUBBER FIST DILDO, or SWIMMING LESSONS. One of those two.

[Borboski]

For fuck's sake, maybe he's trying to get a qualification to help him get a job in the future. I didn't see where he said he wasn't looking for work either - why do you assume he's an idle cunt?

Well I know he was probably joking but he said this, didn't he?

where you could turn up once every 10 or so days to bathe in the glorious zero enforcement paradise that these places offered

[small_world]

I'd like to know what your college course is.
Until I do, it's difficult to advise.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I'd like to sneer at your college course. Go on tell me, I bet it's something economically unproductive.

[small_world]

A question though.


If I didn't want to work, like truly, just said "Yeah, tried it, didn't like it - I've only got ~50yrs left on this planet, and I can think of better things to do."
Is that really THAT bad?
Some people may just not fancy working, there's plenty out there who do, different strokes, different folks.

I don't mind that, as long as they're truthful to it.


On the other hand, there are people who will think "I'll work, but at what I want to do." Which I see as being very similar to the above.
Again, no issues, as long as it's honest.

[small_world]

Fuck you Shoulders, I took an HND in popular music (jazz), for two years of my life.
Before that I studied art and design at 6th form.


Actually, no, don't fuck you.
Entitled to your own opinion.
Soz.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

I don't think it's helpful of this or any government to assume anyone can do any job.  We're all different, with different skills and different abilities, but we all have different weaknesses too.  Where someone might thrive in one job they might be crushed in another, whereas someone else might be the exact opposite.  I see it all the time.  Yet the prevailing attitude from government today is just "get a job, I don't care what" and punish anyone who seems a bit picky.  I see workfare as a part of this, and I don't think it's a helpful attitude.

[Thursday]

These people might be able to offer some help and advice GT http://www.boycottworkfare.org/

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The real problem continues to be utterly unaddressed, or spoken about, or acknowledged, or suggested by anyone with the ability to communicate within politics and media to a lot of people.

Even if all the workshy scum, and all the genuine applicants suddenly found themselves applying and succeeding to find work and even beat off employed people (not like that) to every available job vacancy going, there would still not be enough jobs for 50% of them, let alone all of them. Even in the most unlikely possible event, there would still be a crisis.


So when you see the government spending multibillions in reorganising the NHS, completely overhauling the welfare system, means testing the mentally ill and disabled for their 80 quid a week, forcing people to work as security for the royal family and sleep on the streets afterwards for benefits they were entitled to to begin with, removing the link between benefit rises and inflation, having graduates work in tesco to get 'apprenticeship training' for semi-skilled labour anyone could do, just think that all that time and effort and money they are putting into doing this is so people are encouraged to get off their arses and apply for private sector jobs that don't exist.

[Borboski]

I don't think it's helpful of this or any government to assume anyone can do any job.  We're all different, with different skills and different abilities, but we all have different weaknesses too.  Where someone might thrive in one job they might be crushed in another, whereas someone else might be the exact opposite.  I see it all the time.  Yet the prevailing attitude from government today is just "get a job, I don't care what" and punish anyone who seems a bit picky.  I see workfare as a part of this, and I don't think it's a helpful attitude.

But - we know for most people being in work makes a dramatic difference to their health and wellbeing.  It really does.

[massive bereavement]

I've not been on a Work Programme but I imagine it would be just like this.....











So yes, I'd definitely attempt suicide or at least do something to get myself sectioned before the day arrived.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

But - we know for most people being in work makes a dramatic difference to their health and wellbeing.  It really does.

It depends on the job. My job makes me much less happy than I was out of work and the money only just compensates. The job itself has nice colleagues and very understanding management and a good work environment, but the job itself is shit-awful, pointless and degrades your every waking moment doing it. If I was single there's no way I'd be able to stick at it.

The sort of people who need to be working to give themselves some sort of self-worth generally do work and do anything they need to from the word go, which makes your point moot anyway. They're the sort of people that feel the stigma of being unemployed the most. Unemployment for them is a shock and they don't know what to do with the free time. I don't have enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to. Likewise I couldn't give a fuck if I tell people I'm unemployed because I can look people in the eye and tell them what makes me happy.

It depends on your attitude, some people take the view that everyone just needs to grind their teeth and get on with it (see my above post about there not being enough stuff for everyone to get on with). These people won't understand people like myself who get self-worth by building and creating things. Having the time taken away from me to do that really does feel like a penancy, and work for me (not all work, the type I'm currently doing) seems like a jail sentence, nothing more or less. It is detrimental to my health and well-being.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

But - we know for most people being in work makes a dramatic difference to their health and wellbeing.  It really does.

Of course it does.  Most of the time.  But not for everyone.  There are plenty of people out there for whom work, any work, is impossible to cope with.  I know, I work with these people.  (Though not for much long as all the funding has gone.)  It's hard for most people to imagine, I know, but anxiety and depression is a complex beast.  For some, the mere thought of going to work is so stressful as to be unbearable.  For others, physical problems make them unable to cope with the pressures that any job would bring, which in turn makes it unbearable.

Beating such people with a stick isn't helpful!  With help and guidance, such people can eventually return to work, but you need to overcome their problems first.

[olliebean]

There are 3 phases to the Work Programme.

One is ENABLE. The Other is ENGAGE. (they are in capital letters, I've seen them)

I can't remember the other one though for the life of me.

Presumably EXPLOIT.

[olliebean]

But - we know for most people being in work makes a dramatic difference to their health and wellbeing.  It really does.

Is it the work itself that makes such a difference, though, or is it the regular social contact with work colleagues?

[massive bereavement]

I remember being on some "job review workshop", way back when, and the "team leader" had this white board out which he divided into two with his marker pen - 'Positives of being out of work' and 'Positives of being in work', then he got us to shout out suggestions. We made a great big fucking jack-off list of positives for being out of work - Get up when you want, eat when you want, wank when you want etc, etc, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. and then we had just three positives for being in work - more money, meeting people (which was an absolute negative for me) and I can't even remember what the other one was, probably access to a coffee machine (when it was actually working). So after we'd exhausted all ideas of fun you can have when your time is your own, the team leader crossed out all our positives for being out of work and then writes "leisure time" underneath whilst looking extremely pleased with himself - "it's just one thing, you see! One positive against three." This could have been a sketch on "League of Gentlemen" (I only ever saw a couple of episodes), but it really did happen for real to me.

[Blumf]

Presumably EXPLOIT.

EXTINGUISH

[Zetetic]

It depends on the job.

Yes. Meaningful occupation is the key for the vast majority of the population.

[Milo]

But - we know for most people being in work makes a dramatic difference to their health and wellbeing.  It really does.

Not necessarily a positive difference.

[Goldentony]

Well I know he was probably joking but he said this, didn't he?

Also not entirely serious. I used to work at one aswell as having had to attending one or two, so know how lax those places got toward the end, and how useless they can be and how full of miserable angry world weary staff they are/were, in turn making them one mundane cycle of useless twattery

To try and pin an answer on whatever small_world's doing - I don't know how this has all come across, but I am looking for work and always want to work. My job prior to all this finished near enough a year ago to the day, and I always had a view to going to college and then university. Unfortunately, this Work Programme thing has fallen just as I started college (about a month ago) which has also changed what i'm looking for, what i can look for and what I can do, thanks to the reduced hours i'm available. I don't know anybody in my usual gang of idiots who's had to go through this, so have no first hand experience of this new and exciting brand of 'GIT TAE FUCKIN' WORK' Scheme and don't know what to expect, beyond the boogeyman stories of people being forced to work full time for benefits, which brings me to my excitable and horrified state of presuming there's a vague chance that this thing might cock up what i'm doing right now, and what I hope to go on to do.

In between jobs i've already experienced the New Deal (which resulted in a few months at LIPA) employment zones (which wound up with a job) and something moons ago which sounds exactly like what Mr. Massive described, only it was two weeks long and seemed to be designed to just get people out the house. None of them have seemed quite as spooky as this thing. I was on my way out of an employment agency as a member of staff as people were being trained up for this stuff, so my knowledge on the goings on ain't as canny as i'd like them to be, but my lasting memory is about how confused and shite scared the staff were.

[Lost Oliver]

I'm glad someone has posted this because I will have to deal with the same ignominy in a few weeks time. I was even going to make a thread about it but I was scared.

This website has been quiet helpful: http://www.consent.me.uk/ but I'm still shitting a brick that I'm going to be forced to clean up after tossarse for no money. The Job Centre is the worst place in any dwelling. AND they won't let you use the toilet. What do they think I'll do in there? Smack myself off my tits? Piss on the tiles? Vomit in the ceiling fan?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

AND they won't let you use the toilet.

I've never had that problem, they've alway been quite helpful in that regard. One time one of them even invited me to piss on their face.

Naturally I couldn't refuse.