Benefit Busters - Channel 4

[Blade1983 10]

Saw my first episode last night and I was shocked, and slightly jealous!

 

I wish I'd could form a company and charge the government £100 per week for housing jobless people in a room all week - Offering NO SERVICES AT ALL

 

She could sell sand to the Arabs. UNREAL.

 

The main thing I was left with after the programme - apart from the disbelief at what a waste of space A4e are, is this:

 

What is the Job Centre's role at present?

 

I thought the idea of the job centre was to offer re-training and try and find people jobs. Why refer the long term unemployed to A4e, costing the taxpayer £millions more, when they could be doing what they are doing at a Job Centre.

 

And setting them up with short term agency work - again - why does it require a process of:

 

1.unemployed person goes to job centre

2.job centre sends to A4e

3.A4e get in contact with agency

4.agency sets up unemployed person with work.

 

Could the process not be shortened to:

1.unemployed person goes to job

2.centre job centre get in contact with agency

3.agency sets up unemployed person with work.

 

need for A4e? zero!

 

If they were offering IT courses or training in cooking or personal presentation or something - but getting them to make stuff out of card board like they're back at junior school, then getting them a weeks work at a food factory is something the job centre could do.

 

what a joke.

 

Shows why we're all so heavily taxed and there still isn't enough to go around.

[Shef_Fitness 10]

Blade1983

 

You are so right, why do they not bring employ Tutors to teach the Jobseekers how to do a job? beauty therapy, courses on plumbing etc.... if they then had a skill, then they could go into the world of work and have a chance.

 

Again, I mention it earlier, CV workshops or as one person on the programme mentioned "why does the Tutor not help with CVs?" but the point is, many on this programme have no qualifications and so whats the point in creating a CV when there are no qualifications to put into the qualifications section ???

 

Its simply a blank CV

 

They had Newpapers for jobs, yet clearly one of the Job Seekers was looking at the Sunday Sport ????? you won't find many jobs in there

[Paul2412 10]

I honestly wish I could start a business, be funded by the government and just rent out a room to fill up with copies of Yellow pages and newspapers... If I was unemployed I'd hate to go there and be looking for jobs myself, they don't seem to be able to offer anything.

[sharpend 11]

I honestly wish I could start a business, be funded by the government and just rent out a room to fill up with copies of Yellow pages and newspapers... If I was unemployed I'd hate to go there and be looking for jobs myself, they don't seem to be able to offer anything.

 

You forgot to add that includes unlimited postage too...

[millsands 10]

I have been shocked at A4E and how they treat grown up men and women. It was like watching CBeebies or in our day Blue Peter and the sticky back plastic. I have been unemployed since March this year and am dreading the day that I have to go to A4E. I was amazes at the women who kept on coming into the room saying who wants to work in a food factory .. but it is only for a couple of weeks and then the whole procces starts again if they have to accept.. ie sign on again but A4E gets a bonus for getting a that person a job even if it is only for 2 weeks.. what a joke

[Darth Vader 10]

After watching the programme last night, I am becoming increasingly disgusted at our incompetent government for giving our money to these at A4E. How Emma Harrison has the arrogance to show her lavish lifestyle on TV at Thornbridge Hall, whilst her "trainers" appear to be bullying clients to accept unpaid and temporary work where their hours are reduced after a fortnight....Horlicks should be looking to use her for their next ad.

 

The only real winner here seems to be Emma Harrison, all the A4E employees last night looked absolutely sick to to teeth. Oh, someone did mention a 30k pa sweetener for David Blunkett in another post....what's that all about then?

 

So these employers, that take people on and then reduce their hours to a joke within a few weeks, what's the deal there then? Are they getting subsidised for the first couple of weeks, or what? Apart from cheap disposable labour, what's in it for them?

 

Seems to be good old Labour looking after the rich again.

Edited August 28, 2009 by Darth Vader

[Waldo 96]

What mechanism(s) does the government have in place to ensure that A4e don't just milk the system?

[bobbie 10]

 

Seems to be good old Labour looking after the rich again.

 

 

 

 

 

And the conservatives.......

 

 

Lets not forget A4e thrived under the conservatives as well

[silverknight 10]

I was amazed that companies can issue a 'zero hours' contract.

[Lady Star 10]

I have been shocked at A4E and how they treat grown up men and women. It was like watching CBeebies or in our day Blue Peter and the sticky back plastic. I have been unemployed since March this year and am dreading the day that I have to go to A4E. I was amazes at the women who kept on coming into the room saying who wants to work in a food factory .. but it is only for a couple of weeks and then the whole procces starts again if they have to accept.. ie sign on again but A4E gets a bonus for getting a that person a job even if it is only for 2 weeks.. what a joke

 

Nope - A4e doesn't get paid for people taking short term work - that's a bit of a Sheffield myth... They get paid on a long term job outcome - and as from Oct they get paid for working with the long term unemployed/hard to motivate or find work for people only if they take a long term post (52 weeks) so not quite as the TV may make it seem...

 

I wouldn't want to work for A4e Work - Just watching that programme last night made me make a note to self that I NEVER WANT TO WORK FOR A4e WORK! What a soul destroying job, trying to get those who don't want work to take a job??? That said, ever wondered why they haven't shown the Sheffield office??? The tv people visited and interviewed them, but sadly thay just wouldn't make good tv... They just grit their teeth and get on with a low paid and difficult job... I think it a mistake for A4e to have allowed themselves on tv, I am guessing that Emma Harrison isn't as savvy as she seems - I bet she had no idea that they'd make her and a small portion of her employees look like fools...

[Lady Star 10]

I was amazed that companies can issue a 'zero hours' contract.

 

That's been going on for years - both myself and my partner were on them when we first left uni many moons ago - It's a way for employers to get rid of you when you have done nothing wrong, just that they have too many staff! Also, you get no holiday pay!

[Lady Star 10]

And the conservatives.......

 

 

Lets not forget A4e thrived under the conservatives as well

 

It was with tory assistance that they were created! Sheffield and the Thatcher years... The jobless were a bit more motivated back then though! Or so I am led to believe!!!