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Original poster

Job centre courses experience

9 replies

Lovingbooks · 03/08/2025 09:38

I am in the middle of a 4 week job centre course provided by a college online. I felt that I had to say yes to doing it as the job centre said they can sanction me if I didn’t agree.

The tutor keeps dropping veiled threats everyday to the group about 20 of us like you need to come back from break exactly on time as I report your attendance to the job centre. She’s an older tutor and delivers hours of courses by talking at us rarely encouraging discussion to then prove I’ve learnt after being subject to up to 5 hours with her droning on I then have to complete workbooks by a deadline every day.

The units don’t seem particularly useful as so basic CV writing even though I had a CV, money management, positive thinking, data protection, the course is supposed to be for working in schools I feel as an adult this is really patronising I think these private companies are milking the government for all they can by offering courses which surely employers won’t pay any attention to. Apparently if I pass the course I will get a certificate but I’m not convinced this is really worth the paper it is printed on.

OP posts:
isitme111 · 03/08/2025 11:40

You're probably right. I did a similar one supposedly tailored to the Civil Service a few years back. The tutor was poor, liked to chat about any random crap. It was very basic and I don't believe we learnt anything meaningful to CS applications.
You might be asked to complete a feedback form and I wouldn't hold back on the truth. The amount of money the government must pay for these courses to run and they seem so ineffective, it's such a waste.
I got a Level 1 Employability Certificate at the end of it but at the time I had already been in employment for over 30 years like so many others on the
course so it wasn't a very useful qualification for me.

isitme111 · 03/08/2025 11:46

Meant to add - like you say - not worth the paper it was written on for me!

PhilippaGeorgiou · 03/08/2025 11:56

I felt that I had to say yes to doing it as the job centre said they can sanction me if I didn’t agree.

You are almost certainly correct in all you say, but out of interest, aren't these courses targetted at people who have been claiming for a longer period of time? If you have been out of work for a longer period, what would you need to get you back into work?

Original poster
Lovingbooks · 03/08/2025 15:01

PhilippaGeorgiou · 03/08/2025 11:56

I felt that I had to say yes to doing it as the job centre said they can sanction me if I didn’t agree.

You are almost certainly correct in all you say, but out of interest, aren't these courses targetted at people who have been claiming for a longer period of time? If you have been out of work for a longer period, what would you need to get you back into work?

Perhaps they mainly are but I haven’t been out of work that long less than 6 months Maybe my work coach had to refer a certain number of people I know the course as online is for people nationally not just my local area. I will try and be positive constructively if asked for feedback as I’m sure they must benefit some people.

OP posts:
PhilippaGeorgiou · 03/08/2025 15:18

@Lovingbooks I'm a bit out of touch with these things now, but I think they generally refer at around 4 months, the hope being that people don't get to 6 months (as that is a trigger point for long term unemployment). TBH I don't think the courses really do anything. I have always been fascinated by the focus, for example, on writing a CV when so few employers accept them any more.

But I did mean - are there things that would help you back into work (I assume that's what you want, based on your posts) because sometimes those things might be available and yet that is the thing they didn't tell you about!

Original poster
Lovingbooks · 03/08/2025 15:32

Of course I would prefer to work I think there’s a whole lot of positives that come with working. I never had much of a problem with finding a job before this is the first time most employers have seriously cut down on recruitment leaving care work that has unsocial hours or retail zero hour contracts the most frequently advertised. I haven’t been very successful in job hunting and the job centre are not really there to help that much just direct you to indeed or agencies and just police the system. The more I visit the job centre the more I feel less capable it’s hard to explain I just think the job centre staff have targets that don’t align with real people that visit them. The course is basic and just from my life experience in work continuously for over 25 years I’m not convinced by the flashing marketing benefits the course provider says they deliver.

OP posts:
mintydoggyv · 03/08/2025 15:53

Lovingbooks · 03/08/2025 09:38

I am in the middle of a 4 week job centre course provided by a college online. I felt that I had to say yes to doing it as the job centre said they can sanction me if I didn’t agree.

The tutor keeps dropping veiled threats everyday to the group about 20 of us like you need to come back from break exactly on time as I report your attendance to the job centre. She’s an older tutor and delivers hours of courses by talking at us rarely encouraging discussion to then prove I’ve learnt after being subject to up to 5 hours with her droning on I then have to complete workbooks by a deadline every day.

The units don’t seem particularly useful as so basic CV writing even though I had a CV, money management, positive thinking, data protection, the course is supposed to be for working in schools I feel as an adult this is really patronising I think these private companies are milking the government for all they can by offering courses which surely employers won’t pay any attention to. Apparently if I pass the course I will get a certificate but I’m not convinced this is really worth the paper it is printed on.

Let's say what sort of area are you in um say like London Manchester etc William dwp

TheFinePrintess · 03/08/2025 16:02

My son did a couple of the half day courses via the job centre, to be honest he didn’t really learn anything but at the end of the day he saw it as giving up his time in return for being paid UC which is fair enough.
Also whatever the content they are good for people to learn the importance of turning up on time, being respectful, social skills etc ( although I appreciate this is not really relevant in your case and more beneficial to youngsters)

PhilippaGeorgiou · 03/08/2025 17:02

Lovingbooks · 03/08/2025 15:32

Of course I would prefer to work I think there’s a whole lot of positives that come with working. I never had much of a problem with finding a job before this is the first time most employers have seriously cut down on recruitment leaving care work that has unsocial hours or retail zero hour contracts the most frequently advertised. I haven’t been very successful in job hunting and the job centre are not really there to help that much just direct you to indeed or agencies and just police the system. The more I visit the job centre the more I feel less capable it’s hard to explain I just think the job centre staff have targets that don’t align with real people that visit them. The course is basic and just from my life experience in work continuously for over 25 years I’m not convinced by the flashing marketing benefits the course provider says they deliver.

Yes you are correct. The main Jobcentre system is designed for two things: meeting targets and policing unemployment. That isn't the fault of the staff, but the system they are in often has no room for anything else. I was asking because it's possible there may be other services or ideas - even in the Jobcentre ther are under utilised services that actually can be very good for the groups they are designed to support.

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