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Practical Support for the Unemployed
By Andy | February 8, 2009
Today’s Observer newspaper has a font page report on the difficulties faced by the governments welfare to work programme. “Key Labour Employment Plan Close to Collapse”.
This government’s faith in the private sector is either touching or mad depending on your point of view. According to the Observer key private sector partners are arguing for more financial support to run the scheme, surprise, surprise.
We’ve been down this path before in the early ’80’s. During that recession — when 3 million plus were out of a job — many work experience programmes were managed by private ‘managing agents’. Eventually even the Tories had to abolish this system as the bigger agents began to organise to lever more cash out of government.
James Purnell’s ideas may be on the point of collapse but those who are out of work — or those who will be vulnerable over the coming months — deserve a more sure footed,and definite response.
Experience from the 80’s shows that people on programmes will want payment, a real wage as much as it can be. They will welcome the opportunity to work in new sectors and to develop new skills.
The programmes of the Tories in the 80’s were very limited yet the experience is work considering as much of this was documented by the Labour movement at the time. We would be wise to look at those programmes and not simply dismiss them but to see how we can build genuine training opportunities and job pathways from them.
£3M people out of work is not a nice site. Whole communities and towns are decimated and some have never really recovered twenty years after the collapse of manufacturing. Simply helping people become more efficient at producing CVs will not help. Many of the leading companies bidding for Purnell’s work have been active in this area over recent years when the economy has been reasonably buoyant and the job market pretty accessible.
Life is not going to be like that for a while. It is time to have a real re-think of how we support and re-train our unemployed. And it is surely time to use tis opportunity to have a step change in local, environmental programmes. back in the 80’s it was these programmes that were not only best supported by communities but often best valued by participants.
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February 8th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
NIce to be able to agree with you wholeheartedly for once, Andy.
I was interested in the Observer story: I have to say I am delighted that those companies who were rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of profiteering from the misery of the unemployed by bullying them into dead-end, probably “temporary” employment (which would have lasted about as long as their bounty money did) are likely to get nothing. Unless, of course, Purnell is so vindictive he can persuade the Treasury to give him even more money to throw at these companies - though I should think Alistair is too cautious for that, and, frankly, I doubt that the funds could be made available.
As a matter of fact in the 80s I was a volunteer for Capital Radio’s “Jobmate” scheme which supported unemployed teenagers.
February 9th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Did you read this, Andy?. It was written in December, but is even more pertinent now:
http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/pcs_comment/index.cfm/id/88499BA5-823B-4FC8-BA082F484AEBCFEF
February 14th, 2009 at 8:49 am
As you will no doubt be uncomfortably aware, Andy, another 5,500 retail workers face unemployment with the announcement yesterday from Barrats and Priceless. Just what is Mandelson doing about this carnage?. He is just about the worst business secretary we have ever had to endure from Nu-Labour: if only his competence matched his arrogance!
February 15th, 2009 at 6:52 am
Well, well Andy - whoever would have thought it!. The “practical help” offered by Puirnell COMES FROM A TORY!
David Freud, multimillionaire investment banker, best mate of little Jamie and welfare “expert” has joined the Tory party and become a life peer!.
I wonder how normal decent real Labour MPs will now view the Welfare Reform Bill?. Of coure, kit will make damn all difference to Purnell who is a closet Tory anyway.