Job

[Keith Scantlebury]

Stuff the elections, the real news of the day is that , as of 16th May 2011, I will be rejoining the ranks of the employed. D.V.L.A. just need to get their fingers out and send me my new digital tachogragh card pronto.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Good man.........well done.

Would that be the self employed employment you were on about?

[Keith Scantlebury]

Good man.........well done.

Would that be the self employed employment you were on about?

Cheers Malcolm, no, signed on with an agency to a long term [hopefully] placement. will go into it later but on both counts the job centre seemed to go out of their way to be as unhelpfull as possible, they blame it on restricted funding.

[John Fox (foxy)]

Stuff the elections, the real news of the day is that , as of 16th May 2011, I will be rejoining the ranks of the employed. D.V.L.A. just need to get their fingers out and send me my new digital tachogragh card pronto.

Well done Keith and good luck in the job.

[Brian Cross]

Good luck with the job Keith

[Vic Patterson]

Congratulations Keith, and good luck.

[Merlin]

good news Keith, hope all goes well

[Brett]

Good luck with the new job mate, was out of work for bloody ages not too long ago and it's so demoralising.

I also know what you mean about the Job Centre not being the most helpful of people but if you look at it from their angle and the people that they have to deal with on a daily basis (not jobseekers, the people who are going in just so they can get their money and have no intent on looking for a job). Can be quite patronising.

Just in time for summer :-)

[Malcolm Robinson]

I would be very interested in reading what people thought about how the Job Centre interacted with them, especially if you wanted/needed some form of training or advice on employability.

If you don't want to make your comments public send me a PM but it would be handy to have some real anecdotal evidence to back up my claims that Bedlington needs some innovative employability solutions.

[John White]

Excellent news Keith.

Had the misfortune to be out of work myself as a 20yr old (many years ago) & I remember it non too fondly!

Well done you.

[Keith Scantlebury]

I would be very interested in reading what people thought about how the Job Centre interacted with them, especially if you wanted/needed some form of training or advice on employability.

If you don't want to make your comments public send me a PM but it would be handy to have some real anecdotal evidence to back up my claims that Bedlington needs some innovative employability solutions.

I wiil PM you with more detail at some point Malcolm as I dont think what I have to say would go down too well in some quarters [you can decide]. On the whole, the advice that I was given was adequate, the advisor that was allocated to me was very good at what she did. However, I had an appointment with an advisor from the the N.E.W.S. team at the Bedlington Hub, [on the opposite side of the street to the job centre] on Wednesday and she was extremely helpful, her name is Sue Ward. I have another appointment with her this coming Wednesday which I will still keep.

[Merlin]

Although I got a start at Nissan through Bedlington job centre, the service and guidance I received from them was absolutely abysmal. Here are just a few things that really annoyed me, the page isn't big enough for everything!

1. Over one period of 18 weeks I had 9 none payments of benefit, because somebody at Bedlington job centre forgot to push a button to send my details to the relevant people. By receiving late payments this cost me money in bank charges!

2. Had my benefit stopped because I missed an appointment, even though I had letter from them saying it had been changed to the following week, they denied this of course, and trying the 'Right to appeal' was a waste of time and effort. Talk about banging your head against the wall!

3. Asking for training at the beginning is met with 'You haven't been on benefit for 6 month so we can't help you' Then after 6 month you are met with 'We haven't enough money to help'

4. While doing a 6 week training course for Nissan through the job centre I was threatened with having my benefit stopped because in their eyes I wasn't doing enough to find a job!!!!!!! EH!!!

I can go on and on, but basically some of these people are on a power trip, some have had little or no training and others just couldn't care less how their actions affect peoples lives. One or two really do want to help but are ground down by the people around them. They also target the wrong people, we all know the scammers, the ones who have no intention of looking for work, yet nobody seems to target them!

[Keith Scantlebury]

Although I got a start at Nissan through Bedlington job centre, the service and guidance I received from them was absolutely abysmal. Here are just a few things that really annoyed me, the page isn't big enough for everything!

1. Over one period of 18 weeks I had 9 none payments of benefit, because somebody at Bedlington job centre forgot to push a button to send my details to the relevant people. By receiving late payments this cost me money in bank charges!

2. Had my benefit stopped because I missed an appointment, even though I had letter from them saying it had been changed to the following week, they denied this of course, and trying the 'Right to appeal' was a waste of time and effort. Talk about banging your head against the wall!

3. Asking for training at the beginning is met with 'You haven't been on benefit for 6 month so we can't help you' Then after 6 month you are met with 'We haven't enough money to help'

4. While doing a 6 week training course for Nissan through the job centre I was threatened with having my benefit stopped because in their eyes I wasn't doing enough to find a job!!!!!!! EH!!

I can go on and on, but basically some of these people are on a power trip, some have had little or no training and others just couldn't care less how their actions affect peoples lives. One or two really do want to help but are ground down by the people around them. They also target the wrong people, we all know the scammers, the ones who have no intention of looking for work, yet nobody seems to target them!

1oo% totaly agree Merlin with everything you say, that is how it is. Your last paragragh sums it up perfectly, there are far too many chiefs and not enough indians. The advisors discretionary fund should be just that,for the advisor to decide [or to be persuaded by the claimant] that by giving extra financial help for expenses and training etc the chances of getting work would be greatly increased. It is not the advisors discretion if he/she has to to then go and ask a superior and then that superior has to ask someone else and so on. The answer is normally no, you cant have any help, so why bother asking in the first place. The level of humiliation you suffer [at least by, some of us] by just signing on at the job centre is bad enough without someone accusing you you of not doing enough to find work, when you tell them what you have been doing , they don't believe you and threaten to stop your benefit. There was one time they did not believe me even when I produced proof of an interview.

[bettyboo]

wahoooooo!!!! peace in mummy's house again lol x only joking dad its great news!!

[Brett]

I would be very interested in reading what people thought about how the Job Centre interacted with them, especially if you wanted/needed some form of training or advice on employability.

If you don't want to make your comments public send me a PM but it would be handy to have some real anecdotal evidence to back up my claims that Bedlington needs some innovative employability solutions.

Are you wanting specifically about Bedlington job centre or other job centres included.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Are you wanting specifically about Bedlington job centre or other job centres included.

Anywhere really as long as its about the mainstream providers such as a Job Centre. What are the common problems and any suggestions about better ways to deliver these sorts of services.