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

[Frequency]

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?

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

It already exists. You just need to use it.

Ex-network consultant here.

Yabu. If you've had years working as a network engineer, why haven't you already learned to drive. It's a pretty fundamental skill.

And Cisco courses are very expensive, far more than the job centre can afford. It is up to your employer to pay for those.

I was out of work for six months after my dc was born. They did eventually offer me help with my cv but the advisor looked it over and said I'd done a good job, and I just needed to be patient.

In the end I gave up looking in the Midlands, moved back to the Thames Valley and got the 2nd job I applied for. Where are you applying from? Have you considered moving in to London where the lack of a car would be less of an issue?

I understand the budget is limited

Apparently not. Driving lessons?? Gimme a break.

As for CVs, there's a zillion online resources. It's never been easier for someone with a modicum of intellect to do the research themselves and craft a decent CV, you don't need your hand holding.

Courses, well, if you want to retrain, you have to get a loan to pay for it. There are jobs available, it's not on the JC to help you achieve your career goals.

I'm sorry your DC situation sounds very distressing, but having a job that can be flexible to something that happens a handful of times a year is v limiting. Not impossible of course, but it's your own limitation you're imposing and not something like a disability that the JC would have to take into account.

As you've discovered, the JC is not there for these things, but there is help for a reasonable level of support on other services online, and plenty of help for those who can pay for it. I once worked for a firm where big execs paid a small fortune to get people to manage their careers, job applications and all of that. It's not that there isn't a need, but it's very much about who'll pay for it.

Yes for those on high rate mobility on pip.

The job centre isn't going to pay for someone on contribution based benefits.

If you were made redundant, there is usually a retraining budget and that's where most of us go and sit a bunch of qualifications.

I'm surprised you don't have a drivers license. Have you been working as a network engineer long? Were you always remote? I always think of it as very in-demand skills. I know of the names you dropped. We have network engineers at my work and I'm not sure if they are remote or on-site.

I think you're possibly overestimating the level of 'professional ' help with CV writing that the job centre offer.
My DS did a job which involved helping people on UC find employment (referrals came via the job centre). Part of his job was helping people put together/improve their CVs. His only experience of CV writing was preparing one for his own job applications! And from what I know of his colleagues, they only had a similar level of experience. Average age of the people doing his job was around 25!

OP, what specific courses have you done? What IT skills do you have?

If they are recent, there will be opportunities. Have you contacted all your old colleagues and let them know you are looking? Have you flagged yourself as available for work on LinkedIn and updated your profile to cover all your skills?

Have you searched onLinkedIn for your specific skills?

I don't think you should have driving lessons paid for just because you didn't want to pay for your own lessons while you were working. As others have said, take a local job as a means to an end and pay for your own lessons.

I think I've learnt something from this thread. Like you OP, I think if I needed a job, the Job Centre is ONE of the places I would go for help and advice. Never crossed my mind that they wouldn't help me as I wasn't claiming benefits.
Luckily, I live in an area of the country where it's fairly easy to find work.

@Frequency actually Job Centres in Northern Ireland can help with all of these things including driving lessons through a scheme called Advisor Discretionary Fund or ADF. From reading all the threads on here, UC and JBOs are very different beasts here in NI compared to the rest of the UK.

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/find-a-course/page?searchTerm=Driving%20&distance=10%20miles&town=&orderByValue=Relevance&startDate=Anytime&learningMethod=&courseHours=&courseStudyTime=&filterA=true&page=1&D=0&coordinates=&campaignCode=&qualificationLevels=

Depending what area you live in you may be able to learn to drive a tractor, an HGV or a forklift. Some areas will help you get your driving theory.

check what funding your local authority provides for courses.
eg WMCA pays for adult education courses if your salary is below £30k.
I’m currently doing a finance course alongside working full time.
The job centre is just for jobs it isn’t focused on careers.

I teach adult education courses. I earn15k a year (but do get most holidays off). I so need a new job but it makes me laugh that I might get recommended to go on my own courses...

I agree with those saying that the job centre is not about actually helping people to get a job that they want. They are there to try and ensure people are looking for work and sanction them for not. It’s about getting people off benefit. I know someone who works for them and they are targeted on how many people they’ve got off benefit and into work.

I welcome that they don’t pay for driving lessons and so on but we’re on the outskirts of a major city and there’s many people locally who aren’t interested in looking for work and come from generations of non workers.

Job centre would expect you to apply/take a job and look for a job that matches your skill set thereafter.

If you consider that we have a limited pot don’t you think paying for people to get basic maths and English or write their first proper cvs is a good use of funds? If you are likely to find a job quickly without help then you are not who they are aiming to help.

I was looking for extra support and was surprised it was not available to anyone needing the most basic of support. It seemed shortsighted to me to not have anything available for people needing a higher level of support such as courses/professional CV building etc.

Nope. The purpose of the job centre is to get people onto benefits and then get as many of them as possible into work, any work, to get them off benefits (I went there post graduation and was immediately sent for interviews for part time cleaning work and told I had to take it - so no benefits and Jobcentre had served it purpose). That’s it.

As a professional looking for work you need to help yourself, and the jobcentre won’t be any use to you. Asking for higher support is a waste of time. Have you seen the state of thise places already?

Indeed it's one of many rebrands over the years - like changing unemployment benefit to jobseekers allowance.

I think that Driving lessons is pushing it a bit! If you apply for a job could you not afford an Uber for a while? Maybe move closer to work ? Lessons are very expensive here, about £40 for an hour x however many people want them and it would very soon add up!

Driving lessons are £60 per hour where I live, cannot believe anyone would expect help with that.

A Learner Loan for driving lessons might work, but no reason why the taxpayer should have to fund it.🙄

I had the same experience with the job centre some time ago. I walked in with postgraduate qualifications and they basically said they couldn’t help me, because they only assist people to get unskilled jobs. They said they could send me for interviews to be a cleaner or a shop assistant etc, but they couldn’t help me get a job that actually used my qualifications. So it’s always been like that, the job centre is only there to get people into min wage unskilled work.

Having seen the job centre up close with my DC, they are targeted at people who don't really know how to help themselves and they have some good resources on that like basic work experience or short courses targeted at entry level jobs. I don't think you are their target client sadly.

Do you have access to any professional associations who might do career/retraining advice in your relevant field?

Basically you are a smart/educated person and I suppose expected to be able to find resources yourself. Is there anything in the zillions of Linkedin courses/Ted talks/free webinars that help?

‘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.’

This is the issue.

The employment part of JCP isn’t there to help you get the best job for you, they’re there to get you off benefits. They won’t give anyone taxpayer funding in order that they can pay for driving lessons/courses that will help them get a high paying job.

I think the goal of the JC is to identify and remove barriers to work in mostly low skilled low paid positions. If somebody can't get a job staking shelves they assume there is a straightforward reason. You just need to update your CV, improve interview skills, brush up on basic literacy and numerousy etc then your ready to go. Not that simple unfortunately as many people out of work are over skilled and educated for these positions but lack experience for anything else. They are unemployable but not for the reasons JC assume.