Youth Unemployment and the Future Jobs Fund

Written evidence submitted by Bolsover District Council

Strengths and weaknesses of the current FJF

Under FJF all jobs must be ‘real jobs’ however 26 hours doesn’t really constitute a full time job that most would recognise.

One of the challenges the programme and the candidates have faced is that the candidates have a shock starting work. Many are not used to getting up in the morning and struggle to make the transition to work environments and culture.

A 26 hour week may offer a stepping stone to full time work but ultimately fails to offer full emersion into the environment.

It’s understood that FJF allows candidates time for additional job searches for the more motivated individual. However, not all candidates have that motivation and lack self respect. It has been found that many of the potential candidates have been disillusioned by prior ‘dead end training’ interventions that have offered little incentive or real opportunity once finished.

Lack of self esteem is a major problem with the majority of candidates we have seen. Full time work and training has without exception changed each candidate for the better.

It will be interesting to see if the Apprenticeship Programme delivers the goods long term.

In two years where will the apprentices be? How many will have secured long term employment? Will they be making a contribution to the economy and how many will have reverted to benefits?

Possibly a more important analysis of those who do return to benefits is do they stay there or will they have the wherewithal and ‘skills’ to enter the labour market again?

FJF has strength in that it sets out to offer employment and job search training but due to the hours and length of stay could fail to deliver a genuine and lasting change in the harder to reach groups. The Apprenticeship Programme, due to it’s longer contract and content should lead to a real and lasting benefit to the individuals as they are given time to consolidate skills and knowledge.

Most candidates take three to six months to settle in to their new role. With FJF one would be expected to be looking at a route to work as soon as they are on programme which could be unsettling.

Eighteen month placements may have a number of advantages over a six month in allowing candidates to gain more experience and weather the economic storm.

It takes time to

§ adapt to work from being on benefits.

§ understand the unwritten and written rules of the workplace.

§ fit in to a new workplace, team and role.

§ regain or in some cases gain self esteem

§ find another real job

Some candidates have found themselves in a benefit trap. Cost of travel and the removal of some benefits, such as rent and council tax have been real hurdles for individuals returning to work.

Vacancy matching

Particular difficulties have been experienced in matching individuals to the available opportunities at times. The profile of jobs required has changed over the year.

Construction was hard hit in the early recession leaving a large number of individuals looking for work. Most of those would not look outside their area of experience and wouldn’t consider widening their skills and knowledge base. The wider employment picture should be considered when offering placements. There is little point in preparing people to enter redundant industries or areas in major downturn.

Bolsover and Chesterfield have treated every vacancy under the programme as a job. A job that required an application and interview before an offer would be made.

Recruitment days were tried and were advised by DWP as a way of speeding up the recruitment process. This method could result in devaluing of the programme and isn’t the way an organisation would normally interview.

The apprentice opportunities were from the start to aspire to and were worth making an effort to secure. Real benefits were attached. If successful candidates gained experience and qualifications from the role whilst also gaining references. More importantly all candidates gained real interview experience and were given feedback on their application and interview whether they were successful or not.

Third Sector Support

Many of the third sector partners we have worked with have been able to support candidates better than other public sector partners. Inherently, by their nature, many third sector organisations are equipped to offer a more supportive environment.

The longer term employment holds no guarantees, especially as many third sector organizations are now suffering cutbacks in funding, but the soft and hard skills learnt and networking done during placements should offer more opportunities for the future.

The End of FJF

The impact to end FJF has made a difference in the district. As there are currently a number of people still on FJF programmes the true extent of it’s value and loss cannot be assessed at this point in time. However, eligible candidates are down in the district.

This said if it isn’t replaced with another fund or appropriate intervention the district could return to the same state in a few months time.

FJF has very tight parameters of eligibility. With wider parameters much more could have been done.

Using a mix of funding to provide such a powerful and initiative programme is difficult when the funding streams parameters are unequally matched. It would make some sense to look at replacing FJF more flexible funding that can be used to concentrate on ‘local’ issues within the labour market.

Apprenticeships

The Chesterfield and Bolsover Apprenticeship Programme is proving a successful model.

Apprenticeships offer a firm foundation if delivered well and responsively.

No one is too old for an apprenticeship, to retrain or reinvent themselves. The programme is challenging the perception that all apprentices are 16 to 18 years old.

The employment method is attractive: apprentices are employed by the council and placed with organisations.

It allows organisations and individuals to try before they buy. There are only a few ATAs / colleges that offer this option.

The Government's response to fund new apprenticeships needs to have flexibility at a local level; a wholesale response will not effectively meet local needs.  It is also important that Local Enterprise Partnerships have a role to play so that new apprenticeship places meet genuine skills gap in order to kick start growth in the economy.