Appointment for the paid employment scheme for disabled - I'm reasonable positive

I felt very positive overall about my meeting today. The woman couldn't say a definite yes to starting the programme on the day as she has to take my information back to the head office panel, but empathises that my situation is what the programme is aimed at. Most importantly she can see my capability of work in my CV.

Back on the right track!

E-mailed my adviser back as said and she's replied, she's clear now, contacted the right people about the paid employment scheme for disabled, and I have an appointment with them a week today. Wish me luck!

Friday 13th - of tick boxes and mix-ups

Went to see the Flexible New Deal adviser again today, she seemed confused about the paid employment scheme for disabled and was now thinking that I needed to be an ex-offender or recovering from drug or alcohol abuse to sign up for it, then instead called the parent company of where I had already been to the "Flexible Routeways" sessions that had the role play stuff. Of course as I'd done this already, I couldn't do it again.

The adviser was confused though, after this meeting I looked up on the internet and found the scheme in question. It clearly says who is eligible is "people that have been claiming benefits for more than 12 months where their disability or health condition is a barrier to finding employment" and nowhere does it say anything about being an ex-offender or recovering from drug or alcohol. I wonder that she's probably had to deal with many people in that position and got muddled by all the different programmes and tickboxes. I'm going to e-mail her this link on Monday because I'm sure she's got confused.

The need for a "thick skin" in Customer Service

The second stage of the Jobcentre college course began yesterday and today, with a two day Customer Service session, oh whoopee doo I think not. To be fair the stuff was interesting, but really reinforced why one will not transform me into a Customer Service bod, anyway at least they didn't put me through the dreaded role play exercises. I talked to the tutor one-to-one about my condition and why I really need a back office job that I can just get on with, without me having contact with customers, she could empathise which was good.

Points were made about being "assertive" and how much one really needs a "thick skin" in Customer Service, which is why I was saying that merely attending the course was not going to transform me. The theory makes sense, granted, but as I'm naturally nervous and passive I won't put the assertiveness into practice effectively.

This gets my goat - lazy guy on TV documentary and teenage apprentice stealing

No word yet on the situation with that scheme. Another local agency have been in touch about a temp ledger clerk job and they are still for the client employer to make their minds up. This waiting etc is so soul destroying, no wonder I started this Blogspot.

I have been these documentaries "7 Days on the Breadline" on Tuesday nights where celebritites have moved in with families on Leeds council estates with some perfect examples of really lazy folks, the last of the series is next week. One of these guys is late teens or early 20s, he slept in missing his Jobcentre appointment which of course meant he would not paid his fortnight's jobseekers, yet he even shrugged this off saying "so what". Worst of it is I wonder how many employers see the length of my unemployment and tar me with the same brush, when it is merely one count where I can't compete on the same level as my counterparts who don't have this disability.

To add to the upset I feel, a friend e-mailed me about her beautician taking on this teenage girl for an apprenticeship, but this teenage girl has stolen from them. It makes me sick that I'm crying out to be given a chance by an employer, while the beautician has given this teenager that chance of her first apprenticeship, and she's abused it by stealing.

Glimmer of hope - scheme offering paid employment to disabled

Had the "Flexible New Deal" meeting at the Jobcentre this morning, the adviser told me about this scheme through one service provider where they get a PAID placement in the charity / voluntary sector, maybe this is brand new, if not one wonders why wasn't I told about it earlier. She really empathised with why the issue of selling oneself is difficult for me and that it is a crying shame I've got such a great CV with clear talent currently going to waste because no-one's giving me a chance. In our previous meetings she had given me letters to send with applications to explain to them that I'm eligible for 3 week "Work Trials" at no cost to them as I'd still get Jobseekers, yet none took this up. This scheme could really pay some dividends if they can pull it off, the gist is that the provider would actually be my employer and this would last for up to a year, it is aimed at people with conditions making it difficult to compete in the open market.

Flexible New Deal - interesting Guardian article

This Guardian article about Flexible New Deal with an interview with the founder of the company with the large contracts raised some interesting points. It was good that she acknowledged that "the outgoing, one-size-fits-all, classroom-based formula central to earlier government New Deal employment programmes" didn't work and "If you are coming on FND, it means that other interventions in the past year have not worked. You will find there will be multiple issues. That person might come with a lot of aggression, or exceptionally low self-esteem and no confidence. Unless the adviser deals with that first, then pretty much everything else we do is wasted." The comments on the article aren't too optimistic though.

I'm not one of the "more difficult cases also needing drug addiction treatment or lack of basic skills", low self-esteem and confidence yes, that's part of the condition of Asperger, yet my overall capability of work is so clearly there, just for that one issue of employers' typical requirements for good communication skills in jobs I could otherwise do well, therefore despite what I can do well I'm still not their first choice of person, get rejected, and ever closer to the time I'll have to go on this programme. It needs the provider to actively sell me to the company, I'll be all for it if they can do just that.

I found the article as a result of following this blog, which had a link.