Enjoying your Employability Skills Course? Does it help you get a job?

[scentral 10]

Ignorant to say the least, those that can, do leave. In my class, four dropped out in the first week and one got a job from which he applied for before going on the course.

 

And that is part of their tactics. Anyone who has ever had a decent job/education is so appalled by the patronising nature of these 'schemes' and will probably leave. Hey presto! Another outcome - one more off the claimant count!

 

The OP asks "Does it help you get a job?"

 

I would say NO - Not if the potential employer knows you are on one of these courses. Unfortunately attendance on one of these courses is seen by many a "black mark" - equating to a lack of initiative or even only wanting the job as any job to get the jobcentre off their back.

 

And it gets worse. When these people force you to sign their contract & hand over your CV (illegal on 2 counts), hidden deep within the small print is a bit that says basically 'if, during the period of your contract with us (2 years) you find a job (even if it has nothing to do with them - in your own time, word of mouth etc.) - they will claim the credit and therefore the funding.'

 

And to illustrate how these schemes actively work against people getting/keeping a job, they will ring your new employer up on the falsehood of 'checking how you're doing'. Imagine if you got a decent job and simply didn't want to admit to being forced onto one of these scams (see Squiggs comments).

 

'Hello, this is A4e/Wiseability/JHP...' That would have the same effect on an employer as saying 'Hello, I'm Xs probation officer. He hasn't signed the paedophile register this week...'

 

If you're on one of these schemes, don't tell them about any interviews, job offers etc. Get a firm start date, sign off and, when the JC and work provider asks why, tell them you're signing off because you're fed up with being patronised, spending 2 years writing a CV. If you don't they will get involved and bugger your chances up.

Edited July 30, 2013 by scentral

[DenadaInnit 10]

I feel your pain of having to attend these courses. I had a long spell of unemployment and it isn't nice.

 

What has happened here is that the government has put out a tender and asked organisations to respond to it. Therefore it is the government that has set out the specifics of what they want teaching and the length of courses they want, and the organisation has to deliver and produce progress reports to say that is what they have done. There is no room to deliver what they believe is needed because it isn't in the original bid and so they won't be able to draw down the funding for it.

 

This government is still of the belief that the majority of unemployed are there because they choose it as a lifestyle. They are in denial that many people have hit unemployment because of the cuts that have been going on over the last few years and that a lot of very well educated people have been hit, hard. They believe that the private sector will plug the gap which is simply ridiculous.

 

Until the government wake up and realise this, then they will continue to put out tenders that are no good for people who want to work.

 

The best thing to do is to lobby your local MP. You can make a change.

[Shef_Fitness 10]

DenadaInnit has hit the nail on the head, its all about drawing down funding for the organisation.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Shef_Fitness

[charlie_boy 10]

My last job before becoming self employed 2 years ago was as a Tutor on these courses and many of the Tutors probably do want to help the students but won't be able to for fear of losing their jobs.

 

We had a section devoted towards Maths and IT and on these days (that came round once every 2 weeks) the numbers shot up, because we were doing what students wanted.

 

As many of you know, for any job you are likely to need to pass a numeracy and IT test, and so I veered off the maths I was supposed to do, rejigged the course materials towards the type of questions that are likely to come up on these tests (percentages, times etc...) and made sure the students were able to do these type of questions

 

As a consequence, many students were passing the aptitude with flying colours and for many, some gained a job for the first time in their lifes. SOme passed their ECDL and rather than working as a cleaner etc.... they then got work for almost £8 an hour working in and Admin role (full time and permanent)

 

So students were not only getting placements, they were getting jobs (proper jobs)

 

BUT, I was warned by my superiors that if I continued to do this that I would be fired because I wasn't following the appoved working materials, the ones that were researched by so called experts.

 

So we went back to teaching confidence courses (confidence is a muscle, use it or lose it - really??? is confidence a muscle, I don't think so), job interview skills where the clients are told not to do things like turn up late etc....

 

What happened? the numbers dropped like a stone.

 

The students are motivated, but they want to learn something thats of benefit to them. I reckon many Tutors would love to teach the students something useful, but can't for fear of losing their jobs

 

Was this at potential4skills by any chance?

[truman 10]

Well, so far on this course we've covered, "behavioral skills", "time management skills", "body language skills"...

 

Think anyone can agree, most if not all adults already have these skills.

 

 

..................................................

Edited July 30, 2013 by truman

[Shef_Fitness 10]

Was this at potential4skills by any chance?

 

 

 

No.

 

But most of the organisations were similar, I guess they had to jump through the hoops to gain the funding.

 

SOme of the Tutors at some organisations were better paid than college tutors, so I guess you do as you are told in this scenario

[sgtkate 10]

If people put as much effort into gaining employment themselves these courses wouldn't exsist.

 

You honestly think that there are enough jobs for every single adult in the UK do you? Really? Considering that 1700 people applied for 8 jobs on minimum wage at Costa. If there really are jobs for everyone as you suggest, then why would this happen? A mass trolling attempt by the idle benefit claimers?

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/more-than-1700-people-apply-for-just-eight-jobs-at-costa-coffee-shop-8501329.html

[gamezone07 23]

It's incredible how the media, the select committees, etc, ignore the nature and effectiveness of these 'training courses' which are making millions for the providers from tax payer funds.Imo, in some ways, they remind one of the 'anti-shirker' campaigns in the old eastern bloc, where 'offenders' would be sent to be 're-educated'

 

What was wrong with programmes like the 1980's Community Programme which gave people the option to do very worthwhile things and which often led onto greater things like University and managerial positions. In times of mass unemployment like now it is the duty of the state to help people develop genuine skills, confidence, etc not persecute and degrade them for profit.

 

Kudos to the Op for so eloquently speaking out.

Edited July 30, 2013 by gamezone07

[Skippy06 10]

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!

 

College courses are available to anyone who wants them however like all mature students you need to apply for a grant and pay for the courses again like everyone else.

 

I thought you went on the work programme if you had been out of work for 12 months or more and were with the provider for 2 years.

 

Skilled and unskilled jobs are available in Sheffield however like most things you have to manage your expectations and maybe if you haven't been able to get a £60k per year job in the first 6 - 12 months of trying you should apply for the minimum wage ones which 1: allows you to gain valuable work experience 2: an up to date work reference 3: a wage whilst looking for the all important £60k per year job 4: the chance not to go on these courses.

 

It isn't rocket science if you don't want to do the course and think you know all there is to know about getting a job get one so you don't have to complete such a mundane and demeaning course.

 

---------- Post added 30-07-2013 at 16:40 ----------

 

I was sent on an employability course last year. We had to make a giraffe out of aluminium foil.

 

What is wrong with this - I know someone who went for a job at Asda and had to do something similar in an interview.

 

You need to be ready for anything when going for interviews so maybe this has given you a head start on the competition when applying for jobs and going for interviews.

[Mr Mandate 10]

Hi,

 

Out of curiosity, What is the companies name running the course?? Because they are making the killing.

 

Yes, these programmes do create jobs or work... maybe not for us but the people running the courses.

 

Sadly, its just how the public sector works. They obviously get funding to run these courses, in many cases its just a way of ticking boxes for the job centre and not so much about the job seekers.

 

What frustrates me is, seeing people who lack the knowledge and skills running these courses.

 

All i can say is best of luck and keep your head up if you are in this.

 

 

Thanks Jay - and everyone else who can see these schemes for what they are.

 

The organisations involved in this fraud are: Job Centre Plus; Sheffield College and an "awarding organisation" called Edexcel. Edexcel's business is inventing 'courses' then handing out meaningless 'qualifications' at the end of them. Edexcel are owned, in turn, by Deloitte, the giant corporate finance and accounting company.

 

Sheffield College are paid - ultimately - by taxpayers' money via Edexcel and the DWP. But - as I understand it - only if we (the 'learners') pass the course: hence the stress the tutors put on the "assessment" elements of the course no matter how irrelevant and bizarre.

 

I sympathise with Sheff_Fitness' attempt to teach something real (ie not part of the 'course') and I can see our tutors struggling: they clearly didn't come into education to teach groups of unwilling adults how they can "Modify Behaviour" or to circle happy and sad Jelly Babies. They've complained about the insulting/useless nature of the course and spent hours of - unpaid - time working to try to improve the course content. But the course manager has made it clear that Sheffield College needs the courses for reasons of "income generation". It's planned that Sheffield College will be maximising its "income generation" from 700 of us in Sheffield by September at Granville, Norton and, possibly Hillsborough, Colleges.

 

This - as far as I know - is the first attempt to force unemployed people onto a useless compulsory course (as opposed to useless mandatory work). As Jobseek has pointed out, this course is significant in being run by an organisation NOT being investigated for serious fraud (A4e, Serco) or serious fraud and corporate manslaughter (G4S). Sheffield College's involvement gives this whole scam some semblance of respectability: that's why it's got to stop.

[jobseek 10]

College courses are available to anyone who wants them however like all mature students you need to apply for a grant and pay for the courses again like everyone else.

 

I thought you went on the work programme if you had been out of work for 12 months or more and were with the provider for 2 years.

 

Skilled and unskilled jobs are available in Sheffield however like most things you have to manage your expectations and maybe if you haven't been able to get a £60k per year job in the first 6 - 12 months of trying you should apply for the minimum wage ones which 1: allows you to gain valuable work experience 2: an up to date work reference 3: a wage whilst looking for the all important £60k per year job 4: the chance not to go on these courses.

 

It isn't rocket science if you don't want to do the course and think you know all there is to know about getting a job get one so you don't have to complete such a mundane and demeaning course.

 

---------- Post added 30-07-2013 at 16:40 ----------

 

 

What is wrong with this - I know someone who went for a job at Asda and had to do something similar in an interview.

 

You need to be ready for anything when going for interviews so maybe this has given you a head start on the competition when applying for jobs and going for interviews.

 

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.

[Ms Macbeth 73]

There are quite a few jobs in the council from around £15k FTE upwards. Some are part time, some term time only, and some full time. They are for support staff in schools. If I was an unemployed parent of a school age child, I'd apply.

 

Teaching assistants; science technician; caretaker type role. https://jobs.sheffield.gov.uk/school_search.asp?NAV=S

 

Do people on these courses get pointed towards jobs like these?