Avanta & The Work Programme

(I apologise for the length and verbosity of this post. I'm not a brilliant writer, and it's just mainly to get down everything I've experienced)


Me

I won't pretend I'm the perfect job seeker. I don't spend the majority of my time applying for everything out there I can find (which, to be fair, isn't much anyway). I'm picky. That said, I do have a desire to work, and I do actively apply for work which I feel I'd be suited to. Like most job seekers today, I rarely get a response - and when I do reach the interview stage, I get turned away for whatever reason. Better people for the job; people who haven't been unemployed for as long as myself, etc. So many others apply that the numbers are usually against me...

In the past, the Job Centre have referred me to other organisations designed to help me into work. 'Gateway to Work' is one I remember well. I've been there 3 times, and each time I got "taught" the same things. How to make a CV. How to write a letter. How to make a bunch of nails stand on top of another nail. I'd ace literacy and numeracy tests designed for a child. I understand there are people out there who need this help, but I'm not one of them, and I know there are many others in my situation who feel the same. Other referrals were the same deal. Same patter, same unneeded services. As much as I enjoy the fresh air, having the government give me extra money for travel expenses to do the same things I can do at home never really made much sense.

I've witnessed a lot of these 'back to work' schemes fail miserably and shut down. A testament, I'm sure, to their ultimate effectiveness.

Enter the divine hand of the Work Programme...



Avanta

It's been the best part of a year since I was first referred to 'Avanta' as part of the government's so-called Work Programme. As I understand it, I was referred as a reward for being a loyal member of the benefits club for more than 12 months. I had planned to write about my experiences earlier but, unfortunately, I kept putting it off. On the bright side, I have a good memory.

The 'Work Programme' was sold to me by my Job Centre adviser as "... they reckon it's different to the old ways we did things - Gateway to Work etc.". He said this with a knowingly unconvincing tone, and a hint of amusement. I laughed with him, but expressed my hope that it actually would be [different].

It would be cumbersome for me to explain each meeting with Avanta in detail from this point on, so I will try to summarise my overall experience:


The Assessment

I was required to take an assessment on the computer which would determine the jobs I'm suited to based on personality questions; statements where you select 'strongly agree', 'agree', 'disagree' etc. There was something like 50 questions initially. The system then gives you a list of suitable jobs with a rating as to how close it fits your answers. If you're presented with no suitable jobs, you complete another series of questions (which is what I had to do). At the end of this assessment, I had 3 results. 1 which was a 'slight match' and 2 were '??' which means a questionable match (?). None of the results were anything I felt I was suited to. A lot of my answers had focused on how much I like working with computers, but the results were far from I.T. based.

There was also an option to look at jobs I "thought I was suited to", and then view what answers were connected to those jobs. The most bizarre thing about this experience is that the Avanta adviser said to me "So what you can do now is look at this, and go back and change your answers so the results will be more like what you were expecting". I couldn't believe he was saying this without realising how pointless that would be, and how it renders the whole assessment completely redundant. I explained this to him, and told him I wasn't going to bother.


Avanta Jobs

This is Avanta's own job search hub online. What I've been told is that it is made up of jobs from a variety of different job search websites - that Avanta jobs is all you need, basically. The theory behind it is you can save what you're interested in to a list on your account and the adviser can look at your list and discuss the jobs with you. They can also add jobs to the list for you to view; give you a call and say "I've added a job for you to look at" etc. This is all very good in theory, but the site is absolutely terrible. I can't see any evidence that it's a collection of jobs from multiple websites, as the results are lacking. On top of that, the database is littered with the likes of "Earn £10 an hour working from home!" which turns out to be door-to-door catalogue work - I've even found the odd outright scam (email steve1234@hotmail.com for work now!)

My advisers have rarely used the site in my presence, opting instead for searching direct.gov or some other website that exists without the need for Avanta. Useless.


Work Placements

This is the ONE thing I actually thought would be useful to me. I was appointed an off-site adviser whose job it is to call companies and arrange job placements; maybe one or two days per week. These placements would be unpaid, but expenses would be reimbursed. The benefit here is that the job seeker can get some more recent work experience under their belt, and maybe even be offered a job. I was really interested in doing this. Unfortunately, nothing ever came of it. I asked numerous times when I might get put in for a placement, but was told "the girl doing it has left".

I have since learned that this unpaid work aspect has come under scrutiny (you may be familiar with the girl who was forced to leave her volunteer job at a museum to work in Poundland for free instead). That aside, I was interested in the placement aspect for the above reasons. The only placements they'd ever created at my branch were also at Poundland. Grim.

I asked if it was possible for me to request work placements with employers myself and I've been told it isn't, and Avanta have to do it for me. At the time of writing this, "a new girl is being trained for the job".


Meetings with Advisers

Few and far between. I've been to Avanta about once per month since I started with them. The operation has moved to a new, swankier building in this time. They appear to be putting money into decorating but not much else. I usually go through the exact same conversation each time I'm there - about what I'm looking for, would I consider <insert type of work here>. It's like being in my very own television show repeat. We do a job search on the computer; the adviser gives me information for jobs he told me about last time, or vacancies whose closing dates are the next day. I've even been given information for vacancies which have passed their closing dates.

On one visit, I witnessed my adviser logging down that they'd helped me make a CV. A complete lie. I already had one, which I emailed to them.

The adviser generally fumbles about with their useless, badly designed booking system on the computer. The two advisers I've had have shown a complete lack of IT skill - to the point I've had to tell them how to complete certain tasks on the system.

I once got an appointment letter which had two conflicting dates and times on. I called to make sure I'd be arriving for the correct appointment and was told neither were correct, and was given a completely new date and time instead. Crazy.

Not much else gets done on these visits.


The Course

This is the most recent offering. I'm being told I have to go on a 'course' which is basically exactly the same thing as before - CV making, group work, etc. The only difference here is that we get a certificate at the end of it to say we've completed it (although I can't imagine it's recognised by potential employers)

For this I was told to come in for a group session (my first one!) where we would be assessed for our 'eligibility' for the course. Long story short, we were all told to arrive at 1pm - had no interaction with each other - and were seen one by one by the adviser. Those who were seen last had waited up to an hour in reception. The adviser told everybody the exact same thing, which he could have done in a group.

I can only conclude this was done to deliberately stretch out the time being used. I.e. Avanta can now tell the Job Centre that they've done a 2 hour group session with 8 people, rather than report 8 more individual appointments.

Upon speaking to the adviser myself, I had to hold back my amusement at the rubbish he was coming out with. He explained how we'd watch videos of job interviews and comment on what is right and wrong in the videos (kid's stuff), about how we'd work as a group doing "group things" and how he'd teach us to keep a log of our job searches so we "don't accidentally apply for the same job twice". I apologise for how ridiculous this description is, but this is what happened.

I was also asked if I was into computers. I said yes, and the adviser replied "yeh you look the type". He meant no insult, to be fair to him, but he then started explaining to me how people like me "who are into computers and that type of thing" often don't work well in groups, and this course will be beneficial to us. I'm not sure where he's acquired this wisdom, but I'll let the reader judge it on it's merits.

This meeting ended with the adviser trying to get ME to agree to go on the course, asking "can I put you down as a reluctant yes?". I have concluded from his desperation that this 'course' is not mandatory at all. Avanta appear to be trying to make it look like we're all asking for this, so they can then take the results to the DWP and prove their usefulness and entitlement to funding. They're clutching at any straws they can.


The Staff 

I will say this - I DO NOT blame the Avanta staff for any of this. They are just trying to get by and make a living too. They may be misguided, uninformed, and even deceptive - but it's only because they have to make their jobs look worthwhile in an organisation that has nothing to offer.

As I sat in the reception area for 'The Course', the receptionist engaged with us. She was an upbeat, friendly person. She had no idea why we were there. She was discussing Avanta with us in a way that would suggest she finds it just as ridiculous. She was laughing at how silly it was that we were all sat waiting like that, and she seemed genuinely baffled by the description of the course. Another member of staff entered, late for an appointment. She openly discussed how she was losing her job at Avanta soon. The receptionist explained how she's been trying to find another job too. A 3rd member of staff joined in, and all 3 seemed to be ridiculing their job and the company. Marvellous.

It really does boggle the mind why so much money is poured into these schemes. It's nothing but a waste. Avanta can receive up to £14,000 if they get me a job - but who's to say I wouldn't have got it anyway? I'm sure they'll take credit regardless.

In conclusion, Avanta are exactly the same as every other back-to-work scheme. Useless and highly flawed. Avanta are just one provider contracted by the Work Programme, but I imagine the others aren't much different.