Last occasion I visited the JCP Office to sign on, I overheard a conversation between a FLA (member of the Hit Squad) and another candidate who, in reviewing their Job Diary (sadly, within Universal Job Match), insisted on counting out each vacancy that they applied for on day 1, counting each vacancy they applied for on day 2 etc etc And then following through "So, on day_1 you applied for 5 vacancies. On day_2, you applied for 3 vacancies" etc . Mid conversation, the FLA left the candidate sitting at the desk, moved across the floor, and spoke to someone, before returning some minutes later. The Hit Squad Tables are next to the ordinary signing on desks.... so, the most generous description that can be attributed is "Psychological Warfare", both for the candidate who left the WP and potential candidates who are likely to leave a few months later. However, that was simply one FLA, and another may have an entirely different attitude in dealing with claimants. I wont specify the Scientific Term lest it offend someone, but Simund Freud used a term of describe the personality of someone who would "obsess with detail to the annoyance of others, and to their own detriment". Part of the problem is down to the Recruitment Practises of the DWP who insist that potential recruits obsess with detail, obsess with rule based behaviour, and who presume that the existing system is perfect. It stifles innovation, but as the DWP admit to candidates, when they offer you a job, they require you to spend at least 6 months in the current role, cant apply for any Higher Grade, and this is to prevent the system from changing.

You should note that members of the Hit Squad, covering Post Work Programme Support, are essentially ordinary JCP Front Line Advisers, but no more, and are not really specialists. Also, note that the requirements for Mandatory Work Activity have changed, and depending on whether the JCP FLA has had a bad day, could send all candidates onto Mandatory Work Activity - which may be delivered by Ingeus in your area. Analyse http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplying-dwp/what-we-buy/welfare-to-work-services/provider-guidance/man-work-guidance.shtml Ingeus deliver MWA in CPA5 (Midlands) and CPA9 (North East). If you are referred, the following sections are worth noting

Unless the discussion was led by a Professional Careers Adviser, the issue as to what a Welfare To Work Clerks thinks could improve your employment prospects, is evidentially contentious. I am sorry to learn that you opted for signing off - which, if you dont have a job to go to, or have a full time place on a training course, may be financially difficult for anyone in similar circumstances.

I suggest that you hand in the letter, addressed to the Job Centre Manager, send a copy to the Regional Director of Job Centre Plus, and courteously point out that you are also sending a copy to your MP fir their deliberations.

Your contract is with Job Centre Plus through the Job Seekers Agreement ....and provided that you keep them in the loop, and make a full disclosure, it is entirely your discretion as to whether you admit your involvement with the course to any W2W outfit.

The Job Centre Plus Front Line Adviser remains ill-informed.... unfortunately, if you fail to declare the change in circumstances to Job Centre Plus, including completing the relevant form, then you may end up with a Sanction Doubt. As previously advised, raise the subject again with someone in Job Centre Plus - and if you do not get any job, report the course to the JCP Manager within a letter. Provided that the Total Study Time is less than (I think) 16 hours, you should not find that it has a negative impact on your claim for benefit. Depending on the type of course - such as an evening class, you may find that your attendance is required at a time which does not conflict with any Welfare To Work appointment, and they may continue to live in blissful ignorance.

Yes.... however, you will need to report this to Job Centre Plus, specify the start date and end date, and provide a copy of the Learning Agreement. However, it is not necessary for you to report such issues to any Welfare To Work organisation.

If a candidate provides, within their application, sufficient information that they could do the job, then I am not entirely convinced that any employer should be breached for any feedback over any application, be it after the interview, or arising from any stage of sifting. Even if an employer did provide feedback, a personnel officer is hardly likely to provide any indication as to why, in their opinion, they believed that "the candidate went wrong".

Let it not be said that being obsessed with such detail cannot be personally rewarding..... Sigmund Freud used the term "Anal Retentive" to describe individuals who suffer from such obsession. Dont let it dominate your life....although you clearly have more intimate knowledge of Mr Alan Sugar than I do. Checkmate

Although, to establish the infrastructure for a "Ready To Go" business, you may need more than 8 weeks, depending on the business model that is appropriate for the business, you may need nothing other than a Web Hosting Page (which only takes an hour or so to set up) and aim for the first contract. The business may be officially registered at the time of the contract being signed, but need not be created in advance of any funds coming it. Not every business requires you to be some idiot, such as Mr Alan Sugar, who wastes £Millions investing in a Product Line to develop a new public telephone box which supports email at 15p an email, to only find that the device bombs. Or, at the time, to suggest that Apple's iPod will bomb, thereby torpedoing your own credibility as in the case of Mr Alan Sugar.

Although, as highlighted within the original Press Release https://www.gov.uk/government/news/claimant-commitment-to-spell-out-what-jobseekers-must-do-in-return-for-benefits, the introduction of a Claimant Commitment will be of relevance to anyone claiming Job Seekers Allowance, it will prove to be a greater shock to workers claiming In Work Benefit. However, I am not sure whether any Front Line Adviser within Job Centre Plus, lucky enough to be retained on a 6 Month Contract, may presume themselves to be sufficiently qualified to call themselves (or be called) a "Job Coach" offering support to "Athletes". Perhaps some Policy Maker within the DWP had been watching the Olympics too much, became obsessed with how a "Coach/Athlete Model" could be applied to Job Centre Plus, and hey presto....unfortunately, the "Coach/Athlete" approach would only be viable if someone professing to be a "Coach" has apriorily been employed as a Professional Careers Adviser within the Careers Service.

I am sure that, if the security settings on Facebook were beyond reproach, someone would not have hacked into Mark Zuckenbergs account. If you wish to post something derogatory about any Welfare To Work Provider, the best advice is to create an anonymous account, and use this account.

Pedantics aside, the Welfare To Work "Client" is, more than likely not, Job Centre Plus....whilst there is only a direct relationship (through the Job Seekers Agreement) between Job Centre Plus and the Candidate. I am sure that, if a Welfare To Work Clerk was obsessed with a candidate, they would acquire an automated report on the comments made on Social Media (such as Twitter, Facebook), and if any inflamatory comments were made, could raise a sanction doubt.

For the majority of claimants, any Front Line Adviser within Job Centre Plus (other than a Jobsworth with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), would accept a Job Search Log.... however, if on a single day, you simply suggest that you complete a single Employer Application Form, and post it, this task could conceivably take in excess of 6 hours. The 4 hour rule is simply in place to give the illusion that the Rule Maker (more than likely a Politician with OCD) is actually implementing a harder line on claimants than trying to improve the economic situation, and increasing the rate at which candidates move from unemployment into salaried employment.

If you are on the final phase of the Work Programme with Ingeus, entitled "Breakthrough" (http://ingeusstaff.co.uk/diagram) , then it is possible....the first phase only lasted 4 weeks, with breakthrough scheduled to cover weeks 53-104

Potted History .... Theresa Reine (wife of Australian PM Kevin Rudd) established a consultancy in 1988 "Theresa Reine and Associates", delivering remedial services to ex offenders, and in due course, and after growing Internationally acquring companies such as Work Directions in the UK, rebranded themselves as "Ingeus" to reflect "Human Ingenuity". I think Ingeus UK was established in August 2010. In terms of the people you saw at Ingeus, the "Process" (Every Day Counts Service Delivery Model ( http://ingeusstaff.co.uk/diagram ), would assign Welfare To Work Clerks to the candidate when they entered a particular state. One W2W Clerk would be assigned at the beginning (Insight Weeks 1-4). Another to Intensive Support (Weeks 5-16). Another for Skills Plus (Weeks 17-52, comprising a Personal Routeway and Vocational Routeway), and finally Breakthrough (Weeks 53-104). When assigned a Vocational Routeway, the candidate would more than likely be sent for 13 weeks to another organisation - which could have been the Council in your case. In terms of the Council Program - it may have been the case that, after seeing you initially, the Council withdrew from the Work Programme, but did not have the courtesy to advise you and other candidates of the state of affairs. For your own satisfaction - it may be worth contacting the Council to find out the reason why, after being referred to them, and attending a meeting, they ignored you. For your penance.... how many Job Interviews (either face to face or telephone) were arranged as a direct consequence of any effort on the part of Welfare To Work Clerks within Ingeus? Did they even suggest that you seek Voluntary Work or a Placement within a company ? ******************************************************** Please note that, irrespective of whether dealing with Front Line Advisers in Job Centre Plus or Welfare To Work Clerks associated with the Work Programme, they are not Professional Careers Advisers, and if they treat candidates with respect, this should be noted - if, conversely, they treat candidates with disdain, contempt, this FACT should be reported for wider dissemination - irrespective of whether some find such FACTS difficult to accept.

According to another poster, one of the Welfare To Work Cleks is called a .... "Work Consultant". A baloneous term which was widespread through the Flexible New Deal (within A4E and Working Links), and quite offensive to Real Consultants.

Astonishing that Welfare To Work Clerks should be rebranded as an Ego Boosting Term of "Work Consultant"

If, in order to apply for the In Work Credit, you have to apply via Job Centre Plus, I would have assumed that JCP would have details of the employer - and that any Work Programme Provider need not be kept in the loop.

Good luck in starting the new job.... if, at the time of exiting the Work Programme, you had not attended any job interview as a consequence of any effort on the part of Ingeus, it would be difficult to claim any outcome payment. To do so for a job starting in August/September may be a case of fraud.

Two issues arise. 1. If a Welfare To Work Clerk uses any jargon/terminology which is unfamiliar, then perhaps they need to repeat themselves using a traditional form of language, such as English. 2. Although I haven't located any definition of a term such as "Rainbow Client", there is a project entitled (coincidentally) the "Rainbow Project" highlighted by the University of Glasgow. http://www.gla.ac.uk/projects/avg/fin5_rai.htm Apparently, the main delusion is that the only reason why candidates are unemployed is down to the candidate "The aim is to activate the client towards employment or training and to encourage him/her for change. " Perhaps the person using such a term should speak to a behavioural psychologist, lest they be accused of delving into matters that are not within their domain of competence, and giving the impression that they are Snake Oil Salesmen.

The case may be made that, if upon a random visit to your home, the adviser notices a BMW parked in the drive, or that you have a new turbo charged, ultra large, Plasma TV, or new computer etc, they may raise doubt as to whether you gave accurate information on any benefit form....suggesting that you had "Hidden Assets" and immediately terminate any payment of benefit until an investigation was concluded.

I dont think the WP should constrain you... if the course has merit, is a part time course (total study time

Thanks for posting. Until such time as the provider guidance is updated { http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pg-part-p.pdf , 15 January 2013}, Feature 12 of the revised guidelines is of interest "be additional to any existing or expected vacancies the host organisation may have", which remains similar to part of the Jan 15 2013 Provider Guidance: Depending on the candidate, potential options to minimise the risk of being conscripted would be i) to contact a local FE College to assess part time education - some courses are free, ii) explore distance learning options related to your job/career interests, iii) explore Self Employment (and identify local courses).

Perhaps you could try a different browser, or download and install the most recent version.... I use Firefox, but occasionally will go to Safari, Opera, Flock, Chrome if there is a problem in accessing a web page. This problem may have nothing to do with the browser, but an incompatible (or less developed) plug in for the browser - Adobe Flash being one example. I have taken screenshots of both pages of the form, have uploaded them, and attached them here. [ATTACH=CONFIG]45644[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]45643[/ATTACH]