To think support from the Job Center should be for everyone?

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I had my appointment for contributions-based JSA today. I had a list of questions about support/help that would assist me in getting back into work quicker.

I was pretty much told their services are not for me and other professionals or people who have been previously successful. Their services only cover people who lack basic skills.

None of what I asked about was available to me or anyone else using their services.

I asked for;

Assistance towards paying for driving lessons as we have a lack of jobs available locally and poor public transport. Even this was only a money-off voucher with certain providers or meant having to travel to a government-approved driving school I would have taken the support.

Local or remote training that would lead to a professional certification or government certificate to verify I had the skills covered by the course - I was thinking of things like Cisco/Juniper/Solar Winds etc. They only offer functional skills. They have the government-funded skills courses on top of this but these are not run by the JC and they have no information on them.

Professional CV writing services to make sure I am using the right keywords to get through the AI scanner/past HR. They offer support with CVs but it is basic such as support with SPAG and how to use a word processor.

I understand the budget is limited but surely spending towards some of these things for people on a low-income or looking for employment would reduce the benefits bill in the long-run?

They only help people on benefits because that is their target market.
They want people off benefits and paying tax.
They probably wouldn't have the resources to see everyone and the staff.

There is a national careers service that everyone can access.

Some people end up in a loop of being sent on course after course not suited to them, not really learning anything, just as a box ticking exercise.

However the numbers look good for the job centre because it counts as another person in training or on a course.

As you rightly say there are different levels of need when it comes to these things and the job centre doesn't cater for anything but the most basic.

Job centres don’t really provide support ime. They’re basically there to ensure people are looking for work and if not then to sanction them.

pay for driving lessons?😂

I agree that the help should be widened. If the government want the over 55's in work, then courses are needed etc. The help for the disabled is really poor.

That's the vibe I was getting from them. The bloke I saw was lovely but couldn't help as their support was not aimed at me.

He did point me in the direction of the careers service but last time I looked at that it seemed to be mostly aimed at school-leavers and people who need support with functional skills.

Even if they only have a remote service for people in mid-level careers and above rather than having it in every job center, it would surely help?

They don't pay for driving lessons even for those on benefits, what a bizarre thing to request!

This. I believe those people who are sent on tick box exercises are not on the unemployment register either, so the figures are altered.

To be honest the name job centre is a bit of a misnomer. They are more of a benefits centre.

I have never known anyone on benefits get driving lessons paid for. I don’t think that has ever been a thing.

I am on benefits atm. It was an appointment to claim a benefit as I said in the OP.

I could get a job locally in care or retail but that seems a bit silly when I have experience as a network engineer and was previously earning a decent amount. There are no jobs in my area that match my skill set that I can get to by public transport. I worked on a 24/7 NOC desk and public transport, unfortunately, is not 24/7 in my area. To get to the closest business park where there are jobs by 7 am when the shifts typically start using public transport I would need to set off the night before.

Plus, I'm pretty sure giving me 10% off driving lessons or whatever so I can get to a job suited to my experience would cost less in the long run than if I took a NMW care job and they had to top-up income long-term. That was my thinking behind it.

If you have career history and skills have you considered speaking to a recruitment consultant? They will certainly help with CV.

depends on your specialism of course

I had similar when I was made redundant just over a year ago. I wanted help toward a teaching qualification and Response to Redundancy at first wouldn't offer me it because I had degrees and experience. I did manage to get it in the end though. They do seem to have a certain target market.

You fundamentally misunderstand the role of the job centre. It is to get people of benefits into any job at all. They are not there to help people get a good job or be happy in their job.

To that end the training provided is very basic. So if you do not know how to use a computer, word, etc then you can get access to a course that teach you basic computer skills. If you do not know how to write a CV they will help you put together a basic CV.

The support you want is to get a decent paid job. They are not there for that.

I know a few people who did courses with the jobcentre. They aren't great, very basic and short. You'd also be better off doing your own cv, jobcentre cvs are full of useless filler.

I had help from the jobcentre years ago with my cv. They wanted me to put that being a single mum gave me experience of working to tight deadlines, good problem solving skills and first aid skills. I was also advised to list a bunch of hobbies that made me sound interesting

Yeah the CV writing skills are very basic and out of date. If you have written a half decent CV before you can do as well or better than what they will offer you.
They work on the basis that most people can find their own job within six months. If you have a decent paid job you will be in this group. They offer nothing.

A smaller number of people will get a job within a year. This group may get some support such as brushing up basic computer skills and getting a certificate.

A much smaller number of people probably will not get a job without help. These people often have literacy issues, have no idea about how to write a CV and/or no or virtually no computer skills. This is their target market.

If you were previously earning a decent amount why did you not prioritise paying for driving lessons at that point?

I think there's a real gap for those looking for professional work but have fallen through the caps.

I left school teaching and am in a. "mum job" but I'd really like to work out how to progress and earn a proper wage and I actually can't do it.

I didn't need to drive @FriendlyNeighbourhoodAccountant. I was working remotely and pretty happy to continue working remotely. If I had planned to change jobs I would have looked at remote jobs. I am applying to remote jobs but the competition is high compared to on-site jobs.

@GoingOutInABit Yes, you are expected to apply for every job, even ones you aren't qualified for and have no chance of getting

They have limited resources and ultimately it’s better that these are focussed on people whose functional skills, experience and CVs are currently so poor that they’re struggling to find and keep any sort of work, rather than expensive enhancements for people with qualifications and lots of professional experience they can build on.

Do you have any former colleagues or connections in your industry you can call upon for advice? People already in the industry you’re applying to are going to be better placed to advise on CV writing than those outwith it.

If you want to do a certificate you can get all the training materials on Udemy for quite cheap. I am doing an AWS at the moment, cost me 15 quid. Of course the exam isn't free but you could put "working towards XYZ certificate" on your CV and take the thing when you have a job.

Yeah I know. It does make it easy to hit the target of how many jobs to apply for though. Send CV with no covering letter off in response to 20 adverts. Spend a few days properly drafting an application to the 2 jobs you want to apply for and have a chance of getting.

Are you self-taught and worked your way up from IT support?
You've been quite short-sighted unfortunately. There's no guarantee that remote was ever going to last. Also, Network Engineering is one of those jobs where employers pay for qualifications although not really required - why did yours not do so?
As @CuteOrangeElephant stated courses on Udemy etc are really cheap, with the exam fee being a few hundred quid. I appreciate it's a lot of money when you're on benefits but it can be done.

Can you move to an area with more jobs - i.e are you a carer, have kids settled in school etc where you are? What does the rest of your household do?

I have a subscription to Udemy @CuteOrangeElephant it was mostly paying for the certification/exam I was wanting help with or maybe some help with deciphering which certificates are most in demand locally.