jobseek

I'm sorry skippy but I disagree! There is not enough unskilled jobs available in Sheffield, as well as the rest of the UK, if there was I think there would be less unemployed people such as myself actually in work. And trust me, how you regard to say ''Do not have high expectations'', Then consider I have applied for jobs in Mcdonalds, and still been rejected due to high volumes of applicants. I don't think working in Mcdonalds is a job that will earn you £60.000 a year now is it? ---------- Post added 30-07-2013 at 17:43 ---------- I don't think anyone will truly realize, what a waste of time these courses are, until they have experienced it for themselves, like many of us who have shared our experiences about it. You can't just make assumptions to us, and expect us to agree with you, because you are on your high horse and working. I get what you are trying to insinuate, by trying to put the blame on us unemployed people, but the blame lies with the UK government not us. Challenge them, why your hard earned tax money is going down the drain, and not been put to something constructive, like actually creating jobs or put into practical work schemes that deliver practical work skills.

More people, need to stand up for themselves, who are mandated to these courses. If we just sit there and not say anything, then nothing will change, however writing to your MP or bringing this to the attention of the media, community unions will give us a chance of either improving the courses or abolishing them. If an MP gets one letter, then that's a starting point. If they get more, then surely they can see something is going wrong and will need to arrange to make changes in the current welfare to work system? In addition the £5 billion pound work program has been a huge failure, maybe the government should have put that money into actually creating new jobs for the unemployed, not giving it to work program providers like A4E, Serco and G4S; In this case, which have been prosecuted for fraud. However still allowed to retain billion pound contracts through the government. Tell me where the logic is in that? We might be unemployed, but it doesn't mean we can be treated like this! ---------- Post added 29-07-2013 at 19:33 ---------- I appreciate what you are saying Kal El, We have someone in our group, who was volunteering and has since had to give up some of his time volunteering, just because the job center has mandated them onto this course. It is unreasonable and unfair what the government is allowing to happen. I have raised my concerns with a job center adviser, however they fail to reason with you. They do not seem to care about what you have to say, other than the course is mandatory, so do as you are told! The rest of the UK population, should really open their eyes, and see what is going on here. I'm starting to think, we are becoming a nation, that is brainwashed into thinking that the government, taking away your basic human rights, is a good thing to happen? People can be made redundant, quicker than they may think within this day and age, and fail to realize how quickly they could become unemployed and forced onto courses like this. ---------- Post added 29-07-2013 at 19:35 ---------- Thank you, I hope so too ---------- Post added 29-07-2013 at 19:38 ---------- Never heard of that place before? Has it been there a while? Potential4skills, potential? it doesn't sound very convincing does it? More like debatable4skills

Thanks for your reply's everyone, I'm sure we would rather be in work, than claiming job seekers and having to attend useless courses like this. However, there is a shortage of jobs out there, which require specific qualifications to even be in with a chance of getting to the interview stage. Perhaps, if we were given a choice of what college course, we would have liked to enroll on, then we would not be complaining about courses like this one. Also would give us a qualification in something that would be beneficial and actually contribute towards finding a career/job we would like to do. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be one of the minority forced into either unpaid labor or a dead end job, just because the job center want to make an incentive out of you for shoving you into any job, you do not wish to do. At the end of the day, I want a career; however the job center and government are not willing to provide the training or funding available to make this happen. So don't blame me Lisa, blame your government!

Hi everyone, I am starting this topic, as I believe I have not seen this covered elsewhere, including this forum. I am currently attending the Mandatory Essential Employability Skills Course at Sheffield City College, and would just like to point out what issues myself and others have experienced here over the past three weeks, considering this course runs for eight weeks in total. From day 1 of the course, many of us were split into individual groups. Maybe this was done, because we all have different skills levels or scored differently within the Skills Conditionality Test at Sheffield Job Centre? Here are some of the following are experiences I would like to point out; No health and safety induction on the premises for either group, to show nearest fire exits etc. The content within work books we had to work through was childish, including a Jelly Baby Tree, We are adults? Walks into the city center to look at the markets on the moor, and Sheffield castle market, with tutors leading us there and telling us when to cross the road. Again we are adults, and finding the course more and more patronizing. The course, does not provide anyone with any further skills and qualities, if they already possess these. Again forced learning, and complete waste of time for most people here on the course. We were not assessed individually for our skills and qualities, so people with degrees and from higher education are been sent onto these courses for a basic work skills certificate. Total disregard and lack of respect towards people with health problems and their age group, as some are almost of retirement age. A total disregard for human rights, you are mandated onto the course, with or without your consent. You are sanctioned, if you do not have a good enough excuse to have time off the course, if you are ill or have other problems. This is payment by results, so each person who gains the certificate at the end of the eight weeks, gives the job center a nice incentive to claim their bounty, who knows how much they will claim per person? We feel that we are been punished for the work program's failure, as anyone who has come to the end of the two year work program, will soon find themselves on this particular course. We just want to make people aware, that tax payers money is going into funding these courses, and are no different than courses A4E could produce. It is just a way of mainstreaming welfare to work courses into colleges in my. Some of us have written to our MP's about the course, and made them aware of the content we have been taught, and how patronizing and insulting this course is. Some of us here on the course have recently been in work, and not been signing on for more than 6 months. However, because the work program lasts for 2 years, regardless of if you found work during this time, you are still classed as been on the work program. We have made suggestions to our tutors, MP's on how to improve the course, however we feel these will be disregarded. To be honest, we all feel that hard working tax payers, are been conned of their valuable taxes to fund diabolical courses like this. Why not mandate you to a college course, which you are interested in? and which would actually provide you with some real practical work skills, such as catering & hospitality, business & admin etc? The course is full time and five days per week, Monday to Friday 9:30am to 3.00pm. Also we all claim bus passes for travel each month, which costs £60 per month for each person. There is over 70 people on the course, and more new groups starting each week, So figure out the math on how much money is been spent on travel fares, yet alone the incentives of the payments they get for each person completing the course. [THIS IS PUBLIC ROBBERY!!] I'm not saying the course will not work for everyone, but most people I have spoken with regarding it, say it is completely worthless to them. In addition there are a few people, who are now doing the same course in which they have already completed three times before. Where is the logic, in sending someone on a course they have already completed three times before? Just to obtain a certificate which you already have? If anyone is on the same course, or wishes to share their experiences and opinions, then please don't hesitate to do so. Thank you for reading, and I hope this has provided some tuition on what to expect from this course.