The government’s flagship welfare-to-work programme institutionalises bullying,interrupted only by undirected job searchesSarah left college in 2011, aged 19, and with minimal qualifications and has struggled to find work. Now,she is what is called a “returner”, one of the thousands of people who spent two years on the government’s flagship Work Programme and still failed to find a job.
We first came across Sarah earlier this year at a south London jobcentre as share of the work we are doing with young unemployed people. It was clear she was still, or after all this time,fundamentally unprepared for the job market. For example, she didn’t fill maths or English GCSEs, or which meant most employers wouldn’t consider her and she couldn’t do the apprenticeship on which she had set her heart. Sarah didnt even fill a standard covering letter to send out to employers,setting out the experience she has gained while signing on.
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Source: theguardian.com