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Tuesday 18 August 2015

Questioning the wisdom of 'boot camp for young unemployed' in 'no excuses' crackdown on youth unemployment

By Dude Swheatie of Kwug

The Green Party website announces:(1)

Greens slam government over ‘boot camp’ plans

17 August 2015
The Green Party has accused the government of fighting a ‘war on young people’ after ministers unveiled plans to force unemployed young people to attend a three-week ‘boot camp.’ (2)
Amelia Womack, the Green Party’s Deputy Leader, has called the plans ‘damaging’ and called for the government to take a longer-term approach to youth unemployment. 

Womack said:

“This latest announcement is yet another outrageous step in what can only be described as the Conservatives’ war on young people. This move and the rhetoric surrounding it are typical of the government’s approach to unemployment: placing the blame on ‘welfare culture’ and those affected rather than taking real action to tackle the root causes of youth unemployment....
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2015/08/17/greens-slam-government-over-%E2%80%98boot-camp%E2%80%99-plans/#sthash.NbQOX1Jj.dpuf

Greens slam government over ‘boot camp’ plans

17 August 2015
The Green Party has accused the government of fighting a ‘war on young people’ after ministers unveiled plans to force unemployed young people to attend a three-week ‘boot camp.’ 
Amelia Womack, the Green Party’s Deputy Leader, has called the plans ‘damaging’ and called for the government to take a longer-term approach to youth unemployment. 
Womack said:
“This latest announcement is yet another outrageous step in what can only be described as the Conservatives’ war on young people. This move and the rhetoric surrounding it are typical of the government’s approach to unemployment: placing the blame on ‘welfare culture’ and those affected rather than taking real action to tackle the root causes of youth unemployment.
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2015/08/17/greens-slam-government-over-%E2%80%98boot-camp%E2%80%99-plans/#sthash.NbQOX1Jj.dpuf

Greens slam government over ‘boot camp’ plans

17 August 2015
The Green Party has accused the government of fighting a ‘war on young people’ after ministers unveiled plans to force unemployed young people to attend a three-week ‘boot camp.’ 
Amelia Womack, the Green Party’s Deputy Leader, has called the plans ‘damaging’ and called for the government to take a longer-term approach to youth unemployment. 
Womack said:
“This latest announcement is yet another outrageous step in what can only be described as the Conservatives’ war on young people. This move and the rhetoric surrounding it are typical of the government’s approach to unemployment: placing the blame on ‘welfare culture’ and those affected rather than taking real action to tackle the root causes of youth unemployment.
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2015/08/17/greens-slam-government-over-%E2%80%98boot-camp%E2%80%99-plans/#sthash.NbQOX1Jj.dpuf
While I broadly concur with this statement, I suppose it would take a Young Green to say that this "can only be described as the Conservatives’ war on young people."

Threats against poor unemployed people are nothing new, and Amelia Womack is correct in observing that this announcement and Government policy is directed toward condemning young unemployed people more than supporting them. The lack of support has actually manifested itself from the time that Mass Higher Education was brought in at the expense of proper mandatory grant support for students. And of course Mass Higher Education largely masked the unemployment system, just while the Microsoft dominated PC industry invested heavily into the promotion of Microsoft Office related jobcentre-funded training courses. Furthering the burden on young people, the Blair Government brought in tuition fees that widened the gap between student outcomes based on parental background.

I was a dole queue veteran even before becoming a mature graduate. Applying Sociology graduate discipline to my vast reservoir of experience of a progressively worsening system, questions I would ask would include:
  1. What training would these 'work coaches' have in order to qualify as 'Work Coaches'? Eg, would they actually have experience and understanding of what goes on in job recruitment, or would they be of the old school that says, "The more jobs you apply for, the better your chances. [Quality of job application is irrelevant in the numbers game. To maximise your jobsearch output, draw up one CV and if you don't have home computer access, get that photocopied and sent out for each job you apply for. [We don't care how much you waste employers' time with output that will be binned very shortly. Our game is to keep you busy rather toeing our bullying line rather than demanding more support. There is no alternative]."
  2. Will the power of Work Coaches to sanction be in any sense of proportion to their understanding of the people they are given the power to sanction?
  3. Will ther power of Work Coaches to sanction apply only to jobcentre employees, or will it include employees of privatised 'workfare companies' that have peverse financial incentives to reduce the claimant count at any cost?
  4. How does the Government treatment of young unemployed people relate to the increasingly urgent need to help support older people in a society where centenarians are becoming more the norm than the exception?
  5. Will this clamp down on younger people's benefit entitlement increase slavery?
  6. Re the Conservatives' "'no excuses' crackdown on youth unemployment," is this not just a matter of abusers always blaming their victims?(3)
  7. How much does the weekly crack budget of those promoting such rubbish policies compare with what they are keen to limit the incomes of those less well off young unemployed people to?
    ;-)

Notes

While I broadly concur with this statement, I suppose it would take a Young Green to say that this "can only be described as the Conservatives’ war on young people."

Threats against poor unemployed people are nothing new, and Amelia Womack is correct in observing that this announcement and Government policy is directed toward condemning young unemployed people more than supporting them. The lack of support has actually manifested itself from the time that Mass Higher Education was brought in at the expense of proper mandatory grant support for students. And of course Mass Higher Education largely masked the unemployment system, just while the Microsoft dominated PC industry invested heavily into the promotion of Microsoft Office related jobcentre-funded training courses. Furthering the burden on young people, the Blair Government brought in tuition fees that widened the gap between student outcomes based on parental background.

I was a dole queue veteran even before becoming a mature graduate. Applying Sociology graduate discipline to my vast reservoir of experience of a progressively worsening system, questions I would ask would include:
1. What training would these 'work coaches' have in order to qualify as 'Work Coaches'? Eg, would they actually have experience and understanding of what goes on in job recruitment, or would they be of the old school that says, "The more jobs you apply for, the better your chances. [Quality of job application is irrelevant in the numbers game. To maximise your jobsearch output, draw up one CV and if you don't have home computer access, get that photocopied and sent out for each job you apply for. [We don't care how much you waste employers' time with output that will be binned very shortly. Our game is to keep you busy rather toeing our bullying line rather than demanding more support. There is no alternative]."
2. Will the power of Work Coaches to sanction be in any sense of proportion to their understanding of the people they are given the power to sanction?
3. Will ther power of Work Coaches to sanction apply only to jobcentre employees, or will it include employees of privatised 'workfare companies' that have peverse financial incentives to reduce the claimant count at any cost?
4. How does the Government treatment of young unemployed people relate to the increasingly urgent need to help support older people in a society where centenarians are becoming more the norm than the exception?
5. Will this clamp down on younger people's benefit entitlement increase slavery?

Dude Swheatie of Kwug - See more at: http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/greens-boot-camps-part-of-governments.html#comment-form
While I broadly concur with this statement, I suppose it would take a Young Green to say that this "can only be described as the Conservatives’ war on young people."

Threats against poor unemployed people are nothing new, and Amelia Womack is correct in observing that this announcement and Government policy is directed toward condemning young unemployed people more than supporting them. The lack of support has actually manifested itself from the time that Mass Higher Education was brought in at the expense of proper mandatory grant support for students. And of course Mass Higher Education largely masked the unemployment system, just while the Microsoft dominated PC industry invested heavily into the promotion of Microsoft Office related jobcentre-funded training courses. Furthering the burden on young people, the Blair Government brought in tuition fees that widened the gap between student outcomes based on parental background.

I was a dole queue veteran even before becoming a mature graduate. Applying Sociology graduate discipline to my vast reservoir of experience of a progressively worsening system, questions I would ask would include:
1. What training would these 'work coaches' have in order to qualify as 'Work Coaches'? Eg, would they actually have experience and understanding of what goes on in job recruitment, or would they be of the old school that says, "The more jobs you apply for, the better your chances. [Quality of job application is irrelevant in the numbers game. To maximise your jobsearch output, draw up one CV and if you don't have home computer access, get that photocopied and sent out for each job you apply for. [We don't care how much you waste employers' time with output that will be binned very shortly. Our game is to keep you busy rather toeing our bullying line rather than demanding more support. There is no alternative]."
2. Will the power of Work Coaches to sanction be in any sense of proportion to their understanding of the people they are given the power to sanction?
3. Will ther power of Work Coaches to sanction apply only to jobcentre employees, or will it include employees of privatised 'workfare companies' that have peverse financial incentives to reduce the claimant count at any cost?
4. How does the Government treatment of young unemployed people relate to the increasingly urgent need to help support older people in a society where centenarians are becoming more the norm than the exception?
5. Will this clamp down on younger people's benefit entitlement increase slavery?

Dude Swheatie of Kwug - See more at: http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/greens-boot-camps-part-of-governments.html#comment-form

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