Youth Allowance and IAP- Intensive Activity Programme

If you're 18 to 21 and want to claim Jobseekers' Allowance, you'll have to do a series of courses to get benefits. The government is calling it a "boot camp".
 It is unlikely though that this 71-hour programme at your local job centre will involve crawling through tyres or polishing boots.
Instead young people who want to claim JSA will have to attend classes to be given tips for interview techniques and help searching for vacancies.

These courses will be compulsory and if you want to claim £57.90 a week - the maximum 18-24 year-olds searching for work are entitled to - you'll need to complete these courses in the first three weeks of unemployment.
It's being called the Intensive Activity Programme (IAP) and was tried out in job centres in North East Yorkshire, Humber and West Yorkshire in March.
Politician Matt Hancock, who heads a government team called "Earn or Learn" which is rolling out these measures to end youth unemployment, told Newsbeat it will be "tough but fair".
This new programme, which will be classroom-based, will condense all the training into one block at the beginning of unemployment instead of having a more "piecemeal" approach, he says.
Although acknowledging that 71 hours was a long time, he added: "If you are young and unemployed what else should you be doing with your time? "You should be spending your time trying to get a job. The only alternative to that is living on the state."

What we know 71 hour programme over three weeks Called the Intensive Activity Programme (IAP), it's part of measures being rolled out by an Earn or Learn taskforce If you don't take part you'll lose your benefits: up to £57.90 a week Will be mainly classroom based Will help you with interview techniques and writing CVs as well as helping you search for jobs Comes into force everywhere in April 2017, but is already being trialled in parts of Yorkshire and Humber Mr Hancock told the BBC: "We are penalising nobody because nobody who does the right thing and plays by the rules will lose their benefits. "This is about giving young people more support. "It's about having a dedicated work coach that can give one-on-one support to young people so that they can get a job or apprenticeship. "After six months they are required to get a job or an apprenticeship or go into a work programme."

The plans are being criticised by the University and College Union as well as the Green Party and Labour. UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, describes the plans as another "attack on young people" and says they "fundamentally fail to deal with the reasons that so many of them are unable to find work or are not in education and training. " She also says they are just a "short-term gimmick".

Meanwhile Stephen Timms MP, Labour's Acting Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary says the government needed to make sure that there were jobs or apprenticeships at the end of the "bootcamp".
Young people aged 16-24 are nearly three times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population. Amelia Womack, the Deputy leader of the Green Party says: "The measures announced today are a damaging short-termist attempt to bring down unemployment figures by forcing young people into some kind of work or work programme as quickly as possible, rather than recognising the diversity of career paths and the importance of ensuring that young people choose one that is right for them. " The idea of having to complete training to get unemployment benefits is nothing new.

You can already lose your benefits for a period of time if you turn down a job or training course or take part in any employment schemes.

The Conservatives have also promised to scrap Jobseekers' Allowance for 18 to 21-year-olds and replace it with a "youth allowance", requiring young people to do some form of community work if they are out of a job for more than six months.
These changes to youth benefits will come into force in April 2017. BBC Newsnight article

NEET support

NEET support unemploed welfare benefit

Support online

A key aspect of support is responding to those in need when they need it and that often means outside of the conventional 9-5 routine

We all dislike the call centre solution that doesnt meet our needs but meets the name of the charity or business.

Reality is that out teenagers are expecting and demanding support when they need it not when our offices happen to open

Solutions come accross as fairly simple

The option to chat is probably the key because that is what the user prefers

This gives the option to send links is possible. Chats are the way that most teenagers communicate.

NEET welfare issues

Youth & our Responsibility

The Youth of today have real issues
They are looking for support that they can access today
Our responsibility is to provide that in a way that they can access and relate to and in a way that they have the confidence to communicate in.
This may not mean the traditional call centre and a 5 mins queue due to the lines being busy.
Chat and messages are more relatable allowing for a delay many still have more confidence.
We provide support and can incluse links to the information that is sought. We also accept appointments on Benefits2work

NEET morning challenge

When your Neet teenager faces the day. You have woken them up and you get the rejection. They don't want to be disturbed.
You have to get to work yourself. Your manager may be less than understanding but your teenager or NEET hasn't mastered the concept of getting out of bed.
Having faced this challenge I immediately asked myself what was the solution.
Is your job the priority or is your child's need to get off their ... the priority.What can you do.?

The taxi arrived and I asked the driver. It turned out they had a 10 mins window. Imagine how it feels as the first child having already got into the taxi waiting for someone else for 10 mins.

Yes your teenager is up in terms of being awake but they haven't washed their hair or sorted their all important clothes or accessories out. THEY HAVEN'T GOT TIME.

I rang the office of the provider and advised them of the update.
I worry that teenagers don't take notice of the advice that they are given. The reality is that obtaining education and getting qualifications is the key to their future.
Once it has happened once the teenager may feel that they can get away with it without the consequences. After all they have been excluded and it is almost a way of life

Finances

A key aspect here is that all those around the NEET teenager have to not fall for the No CASH game.

The Teenager's boundary may include cash flow.

So if a caring member of the family decides to over ride the issue that no attendance and performance no cash flow a new issue develops. There has to be a united front

Having found this situation occuring a new challenge emerges.

It may be worth talking to family members about this and point out the issue

NEEt to training

With 3 days to go a child can face it challenging the idea of returning to Education or training.
In Lincolnshire Taxis are provided to get the child to the Training provider.These Taxis are shared with other childen. The funding of the Education of a teenager and the complexity of funding.
The child may make many decisions based on who is at the establishment rather than the Quality of the training or type of training. there is a drop our rateof the youngsters as in the past the children had a less than effective engagement. Recent changes include a ban on smoking which is to make it more relateable to the work place.
Many of these youngsters may know each other at these establishments. This may come as something of a shock to parents but the world is small.
The structure by nature of the establishment is different due the situation that the teenager is coming from. Exclusion. In many cases the child will have been excluded from school or will have had some form of challenge with the school environment. The school has limitations in the way they can deal with such issues and as I found out intervention is not always an option within some policies.

Initial Questions

My child's discussion with the Deputy Head of the provider didnt provide an insight. An understanding of options wasn't there.
I reflected on the career's advice I had had at his age..Mine was in the 1980's

The options then were different to the intial questioning that my child had


Are you interested in Engineering?
Answer-Dont know

Are you interested in computers?
Answer suppose

Reality from a NEET teenager is that they are not likely to be sure of their capabilities or abilities. Why would they.The lack of experience through lack of attending school has left them missing out. The uphill climb of engagement, motivation and direction starts next week

Careers Advice

When you make contact with the Careers service this is what you can expect.

A map of possibilities.

  Careers service map
 For the 13-16 age group
The Map has individual links for the catergories
Links that lead to more information on each category that you can follow and look at the options.
This may be a key web site at this time of the year for many.
Both parents and students can see whats available.

Is it time to chat to an advisor?

You can undertake an online chat here with the National Careers service
This isn't available with all gov.uk web sites