Today the much-publicised Government’s initiative The Work programme officially starts. I believe it will fail, and I also really hope it will fail, for three main reasons:
1. I spent the best part of 3 months doing a load of what turned out to be pointless and tedious work to get the organisation I work for included in the Work Programme. Although politically I really didn’t want to, I felt we should try to get in on it so we could get funding for the work we do with young unemployed adults. The contracting system was a ludicrous, protracted and bureaucratic process that must have cost millions in terms of how much time the so-called prime contractors and potential sub-contractors (including us) spent on it. In our region, there were 14 potential winners of the contracts, of whom only 2 would be successful. We approached all of them and jumped through their often ridiculous hoops in order to get on their list of potential sub-contractors should they be successful in actually winning the contracts – we got on 5 of them which isn’t bad going I guess, but none of these 5 got the contracts, which were eventually awarded to Best and Ingeus Deliotte. I must admit, the thought of effectively working for the likes of G4S or Serco did stick in the throat and a part of me is relieved that we’re not a part of it, but now what also sticks in the throat is that we have failed to be in on the paid side of offering services to the unemployed, and yet the Job Centre have no compunction in asking us to do stuff for nowt under the other ‘Get Britain Working’ measures – see below.
2. The Work programme was originally lauded as being one single, straight forward programme for helping unemployed people back to work but it isn’t. There are still a plethora of initiatives, including a raft of measures under the ‘Get Britain Working’ banner, which those of us lucky enough (sic) to remember the 80’s will recognise.
3. Do we really want a situation where people who can’t really work or really don’t want to work, are made to work? I know this government does – I’m surprised they haven’t re-introduced the workhouse! Anyway, this last one is the main reason why I think the Work Programme will fail, especially as people have to be in a job for 2 years before counting as a positive outcome – who knows if they’ve got a job in 2 years’ time these days? I don’t know if I’ll have one next year never mind anything beyond that!
So, onto the other so-called ‘Get Britain Working’ measures. The list reads (click on them for blurb off official site):
- Work Clubs
- Work Together
- Work Experience
- New Enterprise Allowance
- Enterprise Clubs
- Sector-based work academies
See what I mean about the 1980’s? Oh yeah! And apart from the Enterprise Allowance due to come out later in the year where you can get up to £2,000, none of the others have any money attached to them. That’s right! They expect providers to deliver them for free! And what’s worse, some already are! Big Society in action eh? It’s the first step down the slippery slope for many of us, especially in the not-for-profit sector; losing our jobs due to cuts in government funding and then being expected to do it for nowt. When will these collaborators stand up and say no?
Actually, there is a fourth reason why I am hoping for failure – I want the whole lot to come crashing down and the government itself with it.
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