What does the job centre do exactly

[Anotherproblem]

Aibu to think they are useless dp can't get a job we have tried everything and so we thought we would pop in yesterday to see if they can help but was sent away and told its all online.

A relative works for an organisation which is funded by Serco via the Local Authority. Their job is to help people on Universal Credit to find jobs. They get their referrals from the Job Centre. So it seems like the job seeking part of Job Centre plus has been farmed out but only after Serco, Capita et al have taken a contract on which to make a fortune for supervising a service which the Job Centre employees used to do. Another great scheme by the Tories!

They used to help people find jobs and advocate for people then staffing numbers were reduced and the support work was outsourced to private companies.

@Aliciauk No it's not. I think the contracts went to different organisations depending on the area/region.

Job Centres have one solution only - basic skills courses (whether people need them or not) force people to apply for any job going regardless of their context/care responsibilities/physical and mental health. and sanctions if you don't comply.

It's a travesty- the vast majority of people want to work, but the system is set up on the assumption that people are lazy shits. A system not only unfair, and cruel, but expensive and useless. In this day and age it would't be fucking rocket science to find out where skills shortages are in the local area, and match people with those shortages and offer free/subsided training to fill those jobs. It wouldn't be rocket science to offer advice and support to people who have business ideas, or would like to train in a very employable skills but might need advice or financial support to do so. But no, it's back to the checkbox/sanction list every time.

I had dealings with Reeds Restart Scheme up north.

Another complaint...

I contracted COVID. It was around when the vaccines were just coming out.
I have never ever been so ill. I honestly and truly thought I was going to die. I locked.myself in my bed room and kept my daughter away. I can't stress enough just how ill I was, I literally typed in 999 on my phone to call for an ambulance because I couldn't breath. The only thing that stopped me pressing the green call button was worrying about where my daughter would end up if I was hospitalised.
So I was pretty ill...

I was meant to have a fortnightly phone call with a Reed Scheme person. They called, unexplained I was ill, asked if we could re schedule..
They refused, they insisted that we don't now and threatened to sanction me if I refused. I swore and put phone down.
I messaged work coach on journal, explained what happend, she replied and said that the woman couldn't sanction me and that if I want to.make a formal.complaint, let her know..
Well I did.
Reed person was taken off dealing with people until after more training.

I've not had much luck.. 🤣

So today in my role in the Jobcentre, which incidentally I work at because it works well around my kids, not because it's the most amazing job of all time; I've been on the phone to Adult Services about a person I saw who literally had fleas hopping from them to try and get them some help, I sorted two food bank referrals, paid upfront childcare costs to help a lone parent start work, helped a bereaved man who was being financially abused get the right support.

Oh and I got two of my customers an interview with a local firm. And paid for interview clothes for them. Just as well I finished at 3 to round off my completely pointless job.

I signed on when I finished uni in 2003 and couldn't initially find a job. I was fairly willing to do most jobs but I didn't drive so knew that realistically I'd need somewhere I could easily get to - not a problem, I lived somewhere on an underground line and with lots of buses.

But one day the advisor showed me a job that was miles away in a place where I knew there was no direct transport to. I said 'oh yes, it looks interesting. I'd just have to check that I could get there.' The woman snapped at me that I could be sanctioned if I didn't 'apply for all jobs going.' Fortunately I found a job soon after.

Then in 2010 I found myself out of work (and in a different town) so signed on again. That time I didn't receive any benefits as I was married and my husband was earning, though he was on a pittance and we were struggling. This time they just didn't seem to do much. Checked my little diary every fortnight to make sure I was writing down job searches but did nothing to help me find a job. In the end I begged them to send me on a training course. They said they didn't normally do that until you were out of work for two years. I begged some more and they did send me. It was a basic IT course and I didn't particularly learn anything but it got me out of the house every day which helped a lot as I think I was starting to feel depressed. The trainer was lovely as well. So supportive. Some of the day was spent on IT and employment skills and some on job searches. About a third of us, including me, found a job by the end of it.

I've only been once in the last 20 years & that was for an emergency loan for rent advance. I was escorted like a criminal to a waiting room, told to sit down & not move, it was like waiting for prison visiting, I got called through to a cubicle where I got my giro & tried to leave the waiting room only to find the security guard had locked the door, I had to wait for him to come back to unlock the door & escort me out. With the number of security guards you would think they had something worth stealing.

Sounds like you're a good one @Umbrio
Unfortunately, and it's not fair I know, for every one of your customers that have a good experience, there's 10 customers who have had a bad experience with their work coach.

Part of the complaint with the coach mentioned was her tarring me with the same brush. She'd had people lie to her before, fine, but she shouldn't assume I'm going to lie just because I'm also unemployed. As I said to her, I wouldn't make assumption about her based on other work coaches and I try.my.best not too.

Job centres do get jobs for some people.

However, the only people who actually end up getting a job because of the job centre, are the ones who actually end up working in the job centre.

@AnonWeeMouse yeah I am good at my job and I do a lot of good every day that I'm at work. There's a lot easier jobs I could be doing for the same salary where I don't put myself at risk but as I mentioned, this job is handy and works well for my family.

The rules we have to work by are strict. I've been there long enough to do my own thing most of the time and will do what's best for the customer. People rarely dislike me as they know that I don't make government

A friend of mine who was an ex alcoholic was told by someone at the job centre to attend an interview for a job in a pub! When he told them this he was told if he didn’t go for the job he would be sanctioned! They are bullying idiots.

My local job centre has good and bad. I first went when my ds was 5, because I had to. My mental health was not good. I ended up on esa, been on it ever since. They referred me to a woman who was supposedly good at getting people back in to work. She was so aggressive that she made my mh worse, to the point where I cried in front of her and she had the cheek to say she was worried about me.
Then I had a review, after a few years, because I went on public transport to it, they put me on a different kind of esa. There was no contact until just before covid, then nothing until last year.
I now see a lady once a month, presumably to make sure I'm still alive, she referred me to a group that helps people with issues get back into work. I was told they do zoom, they phoned me, explained all the stuff and told me I didn't qualify for zoom. As the group was a 40 minute bus ride away, which I cant cope with. I refused. Funnily enough I've now been referred to a different group who actually come to my local job centre.
I'm living in hope that this way of doing things actually helps because I would dearly love to have a job, I just want it to be local.

I went to the jobcentre years ago just to get out of the rain. Someone asked if they could help. I sat down and they asked me what sort of job I was looking for. I said , Im not sure really. Possibly doing what you do?". ( As a joke. ) 6 weeks later, I was behind the desk of the jobcentre working on reception!!!

That's insanity.

But again, tallies with my experience.

"I have a child who is 7..."
"They're looking for people at the bowling alley"
"The one that's open and busiest on Friday and Saturday night?"
"That's the one, I'll make it a commitment that you apply"
"You know I have a child and I can't work Friday or Saturday nights, or late on the week or Sundays?"
"Well apply anyway...."

I got a phone call from the Alley, they told me the shifts, I told them the Job coach made me apply and apologised for wasting their time.

Cuckoo land some of them.

Mostly they're there to ensure claimants get sanctioned. Or at least pissed around.

Well given that there's a huge shortage for unskilled labour it would be astounding to have no response to 50 applications. Why so you think he has this problem op?

During covid, a firm I worked for lost their contract an we were laid off. After a month or so of looking, with no joy, I thought I might try and sign on for job seekers allowance to help out. Only to be told, although I’d been eligible, the claim was not accepted because I should have claimed the very day I lost my job.
The lady I was dealing with, did apologise and say this was a regular thing for people who’d never been out of work before, and she was sorry. I coul appeal and did, but they refused my claim, and said I should have known to sign on immediately.
You can’t make it up really.
I got agency work a while after

50napplications with no reply is nothing. I've sent out 100s a month and never heard a dickie bird.
I think employers get so bombarded with so many applications, many from people unsuitable and that have been forced into applying, that they just don't have time to reply to them all.

That's just awful 😞
Good on you for complaining x

Yes I remember the 80s style job centres where you looked on the boards and if you found something you were interested in, you took the card to the desk, they set up an interview and usually went off to have your interview there and then. Got two good summer holiday jobs that way when I was a student.

I think you used to go to DSS office to actually sign on, it was nothing to do with the Job Centre.

Hilarious :-)

Would you mind me asking what advice you'd give to new start-ups?

Ive just finished uni and I'm interested in starting-up a web dev business. I've built my website, needs a few tweeks before I make it live, but financially I'm snookered until I'm earning.

Starting-up will give me a chance to see if working for myself 'is' for me, and if not, at least give me the chance to create a portfolio that I can use to get job interviews, since a portfolio seems to be the requirement for what I want to do.

I briefly looked on the government website to see if there were any gov-backed schemes - the list looked confusing and so thought my work-coach would point me in the right direction.

I've got my JC First Commitments Meeting coming up, but now reading this thread I'm anticipating I'll be mindlessly shoved into a box and told get or job or no payments.

Did an EAS work for you? or is there a better way / scheme. All advice welcome :-)

To be fair, matching people with potential employment was their original purpose, not sorting out benefit claims!