The Work Programme: not working for young people
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A
million young people are jobless, but the government's 'big society'
flagship employment scheme appears to be ignoring both them, and the
youth charities that help them find work.
million young people are jobless, but the government's 'big society'
flagship employment scheme appears to be ignoring both them, and the
youth charities that help them find work.
The
theoretical beauty of the "big society" work programme was it would
channel funding to skilled, focused, high-impact voluntary sector
providers to enable them to continue to do what they do brilliantly.
theoretical beauty of the "big society" work programme was it would
channel funding to skilled, focused, high-impact voluntary sector
providers to enable them to continue to do what they do brilliantly.
With youth unemployment touching one million,
it might seem a good time to call in those specialist organisations
with a proven track record of finding work for jobless youngsters.
it might seem a good time to call in those specialist organisations
with a proven track record of finding work for jobless youngsters.
The reality is very few of these specialist charities are getting the call, and as a result, young people are losing out.
The New Deal of the Mind (NDotM)
is one such charity. Set up by Martin Bright, former Observer home
affairs editor who is now political editor of the New Statesman, it
specialised in taking young unemployed people and finding them paid
placements in the creative industries. Armed with cash from the
now-defunct Future Jobs Fund, NDotM has been, it seems, an outstanding success.
is one such charity. Set up by Martin Bright, former Observer home
affairs editor who is now political editor of the New Statesman, it
specialised in taking young unemployed people and finding them paid
placements in the creative industries. Armed with cash from the
now-defunct Future Jobs Fund, NDotM has been, it seems, an outstanding success.
An independent evaluation of its work published today
finds that of the 807 youngsters it placed in theatres, film studios,
museums and other arts and music bodies across England and Scotland over
the two years 2009-11, nearly three quarters ended up in employment,
education or training.
finds that of the 807 youngsters it placed in theatres, film studios,
museums and other arts and music bodies across England and Scotland over
the two years 2009-11, nearly three quarters ended up in employment,
education or training.
More than that, it
delivered opportunities for youngsters who lacked the contacts to find a
foothold in an industrial sector renowned for its nepotism, unpaid
internships and socially-narrow "not-what-you know-but-who-you-know" recruitment culture.
Over half were from an ethnic minority background, and half were women,
such as Josephine Isibor, whose placement at theatre company Backstage Arts led to a placement at Google, and after her Future Jobs Fund contract finished, a job at Def Jam records in New York.
delivered opportunities for youngsters who lacked the contacts to find a
foothold in an industrial sector renowned for its nepotism, unpaid
internships and socially-narrow "not-what-you know-but-who-you-know" recruitment culture.
Over half were from an ethnic minority background, and half were women,
such as Josephine Isibor, whose placement at theatre company Backstage Arts led to a placement at Google, and after her Future Jobs Fund contract finished, a job at Def Jam records in New York.
The
evaluation suggests NDotM is an extraordinarily good social investment.
It has worked with some of Britain's highest profile arts employers
(Pinewood studios, The Royal Opera House, Royal Court Theatre, and so
on) to deliver excellent employment results (and welfare benefit
savings) in a deeply unpromising market.
evaluation suggests NDotM is an extraordinarily good social investment.
It has worked with some of Britain's highest profile arts employers
(Pinewood studios, The Royal Opera House, Royal Court Theatre, and so
on) to deliver excellent employment results (and welfare benefit
savings) in a deeply unpromising market.
Its success should not have gone unnoticed in government, says Bright: organisations benefiting from its work include Only Connect, the ex-offender Theatre charity run by David Cameron's former speech writer, Danny Kruger, which took a NDotM placement; and Big Society Network, set up by Lord Wei, the prime minister's former Big Society advisor, which hired two NDotM graduates.
NDotM
is, in theory, a Work Programme participant, as a specialist provider
attached to the supply chain of prime provider A4E, which won the
contract to operate in the east London region. I asked Bright how many
unemployed young people had been referred to his high-performing charity
in the first six months of the programme. He replied:
is, in theory, a Work Programme participant, as a specialist provider
attached to the supply chain of prime provider A4E, which won the
contract to operate in the east London region. I asked Bright how many
unemployed young people had been referred to his high-performing charity
in the first six months of the programme. He replied:
"We still haven't had one."
I
asked A4E if it could explain why no young unemployed people had been
referred to NDotM. It has not yet responded formally to me, but it is
understood that the company, along with other primes is talking to
ministers about how a situation it regards as "complex and difficult"
can be ameliorated. Primes are saying they are aware of the problem and
doing all they can to support both young people and their own
subcontractor charities.
asked A4E if it could explain why no young unemployed people had been
referred to NDotM. It has not yet responded formally to me, but it is
understood that the company, along with other primes is talking to
ministers about how a situation it regards as "complex and difficult"
can be ameliorated. Primes are saying they are aware of the problem and
doing all they can to support both young people and their own
subcontractor charities.
Bright says he has some
sympathy for A4E. Most of prime providers are in the same boat, he says,
not necessarily because they don't want to refer young people but
because jobless young people, its seems, are not being referred to
primes by Job Centre Plus. It is impossible to tell for sure how many
unemployed young people are being left in limbo as a result because the
Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is refusing to publish any data on
referral flows.
sympathy for A4E. Most of prime providers are in the same boat, he says,
not necessarily because they don't want to refer young people but
because jobless young people, its seems, are not being referred to
primes by Job Centre Plus. It is impossible to tell for sure how many
unemployed young people are being left in limbo as a result because the
Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is refusing to publish any data on
referral flows.
Despite the ministerial rhetoric,
says Bright, it is hard not to see the entire programme as systemically
geared against organisations like NDotM, which was set up to work
nationally, and in partnership with a specific industry. These qualities
stood it in good stead for Future Jobs Fund, but go unrewarded by the
regionalised, more generic Work Programme.
says Bright, it is hard not to see the entire programme as systemically
geared against organisations like NDotM, which was set up to work
nationally, and in partnership with a specific industry. These qualities
stood it in good stead for Future Jobs Fund, but go unrewarded by the
regionalised, more generic Work Programme.
"To
be honest one of the problems is that Work Programme was not really
designed to work with the third sector. It was designed to privatise
welfare to work. Big society was a bolt on...The difficulty for us is if
you are a massive prime provider then where is the incentive to devolve
work and money, to, say, a small specialist drugs charity in Hull?"
be honest one of the problems is that Work Programme was not really
designed to work with the third sector. It was designed to privatise
welfare to work. Big society was a bolt on...The difficulty for us is if
you are a massive prime provider then where is the incentive to devolve
work and money, to, say, a small specialist drugs charity in Hull?"
But even if no incentives exist, sanctions - in the form of the Merlin agreement (which is supposed to ensure primes treat their supply chain fairly)
should come into force. The employment minister Chris Grayling has
stated he is willing to sack a prime provider that abuses its "big
society" partners. Bright says the difficulty with this is that Merlin
agreement can only be triggered by suppliers, many of whom are small,
relatively impoverished and at this stage still reluctant, for financial
reasons, to effectively destroy the relationship they have with their
powerful prime provider partners, however dysfunctional:
should come into force. The employment minister Chris Grayling has
stated he is willing to sack a prime provider that abuses its "big
society" partners. Bright says the difficulty with this is that Merlin
agreement can only be triggered by suppliers, many of whom are small,
relatively impoverished and at this stage still reluctant, for financial
reasons, to effectively destroy the relationship they have with their
powerful prime provider partners, however dysfunctional:
"We
have been begged to trigger it [a Merlin complaint] by the DWP. The
journalistic side of me is absolutely dying to. But I have other people
to think of."
have been begged to trigger it [a Merlin complaint] by the DWP. The
journalistic side of me is absolutely dying to. But I have other people
to think of."
NDotM along with a couple of
its partner arts organisations, The Royal Opera House and the Jerwood
Foundation, succesfully lobbied via the arts minister Ed Vaizey to
arrange a meeting with Grayling to discuss the problem. The meeting,
scheduled for last week, was cancelled at the last minute: there had
been a misunderstanding, Bright was told. Grayling was prepared to speak
only to Vaizey. The message passed back, it seems, is that the solution
to the problem lies in the problem itself: the Work Programme.
its partner arts organisations, The Royal Opera House and the Jerwood
Foundation, succesfully lobbied via the arts minister Ed Vaizey to
arrange a meeting with Grayling to discuss the problem. The meeting,
scheduled for last week, was cancelled at the last minute: there had
been a misunderstanding, Bright was told. Grayling was prepared to speak
only to Vaizey. The message passed back, it seems, is that the solution
to the problem lies in the problem itself: the Work Programme.
The
Labour Party, which sometimes appears to be intensely relaxed with the
idea of the Work Programme, at least seems to have rediscovered exactly
why it set up the Future Jobs Programme. Commenting on the NDotM report,
labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman said:
Labour Party, which sometimes appears to be intensely relaxed with the
idea of the Work Programme, at least seems to have rediscovered exactly
why it set up the Future Jobs Programme. Commenting on the NDotM report,
labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman said:
"Not
only was the Future Jobs Fund good for young people but it was good for
our economy. It helped to get young people into work and helped provide
the diversity and creativity on which the future of our creative
industries depend."
only was the Future Jobs Fund good for young people but it was good for
our economy. It helped to get young people into work and helped provide
the diversity and creativity on which the future of our creative
industries depend."
The danger, says
Bright, is the Work Programme is being cast as a catch-all delivery
mechanism for an ever-growing range of policy priorities - youth
unemployment, family breakdown, big society - that it just doesn't have
the robustness or the flexibility to support:
Bright, is the Work Programme is being cast as a catch-all delivery
mechanism for an ever-growing range of policy priorities - youth
unemployment, family breakdown, big society - that it just doesn't have
the robustness or the flexibility to support:
"We
are desperate to put our shoulder to the wheel to help young people
into work. But the model the DWP has developed is just too bureaucratic,
too centralised and too Whitehall-driven. That's the [big society]
irony. [The message is] if it does not work within that narrow model
then young people can go hang."
are desperate to put our shoulder to the wheel to help young people
into work. But the model the DWP has developed is just too bureaucratic,
too centralised and too Whitehall-driven. That's the [big society]
irony. [The message is] if it does not work within that narrow model
then young people can go hang."
• This
article was amended on 9 November 2011 to correct the reference to
Martin Bright. The original described him as a former political editor
of the Observer. He was the paper's home affairs editor and is now
political editor of the New Statesman
From the Guardian | Nov 7, 2011 by Patrick Butler
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