Skills support for people who are homeless K O P P O R T U N I T I E S O W H L O P P O R T U N I T I E S E M D E M P L O Y M E N T G J L E A R N I N G E O F F E R B S S S K I L L S U P P D E V E L O P M E N T R T R A I N I N G July 2013
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS SECTION Introduction AREAS COVERED About this guide How can this guide help your client Developing skills Work Ready Informal learning Higher Education and Further Education The skills offer Helping people make career decisions Funding the learning activity Developing further skills Starting up in Business Community Learning Student Finance
About this guide This booklet is a short guide to the many learning resources available to help the unemployed gain a new skill and to open up new opportunities for finding a job which in turn can be a major step to helping them get permanent accommodation. If you are acting as a personal adviser or mentor, make sure you discuss the ideas in this guide with your client and listen to their feedback on any skills training they undertake as a result of this guide. How can this guide help your client? Scanning through this guide you will find many suggestions for places to find help to gain new skills. See which you think might be helpful to your clients and investigate further. In many cases there will be more than one organisation which might fit your client s needs. We have endeavoured to check the accuracy of the entries and at the time of going to print they are, to our best knowledge, correct. However, changes can frequently occur in these areas, so we are intending to produce updated versions when new information becomes available. Any comments, feedback or suggestion for improvement will be welcome 1
DEVELOPING SKILLS There are some learning entitlements whatever the person s benefit status All adults in England aged 19 or over, regardless of benefit status, are eligible for fully funded English and Maths tuition where that is needed. Full fee remission is provided for first full Level 2 and 3 qualifications for 19-23 year olds and for Foundation Learning (pre-level 2) for those who need a step up to progress to GCSE English and Maths. Although a list of qualifications eligible for full funding is available on the Skills Funding Agency website, the National Careers Service or a local Further Education College will often be a more straightforward source of advice. (Nationality rules apply to much of this funding, although UK citizens and citizens of a country within the European Economic Area will generally be eligible.) If the person is unemployed The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) service for homeless claimants, along with the skills offer, is a key element of the Government s Social Justice Strategy, transforming the lives of families and individuals facing multiple disadvantages. Jobcentre Plus work with specialist providers from the voluntary and community sector, so have the scope to adopt approaches to improve employment outcomes for those who are homeless, or who are at risk of becoming homeless. Jobcentre Plus: https://www.gov.uk/browse/working/finding-job The skills system gives people receiving Jobseekers Allowance and, where it will help them find and keep a job, those in the Employment and Support Allowance Work Related Activity Group, access to Government funded vocational training. This might be short courses, full qualifications or basic skills. The same full funding eligibility applies to unemployed people on the new Universal Credit, if they are required by Jobcentre Plus to undertake training. Training providers also have the discretion to help people on other benefits access some training if it helps them prepare for work. This discretionary funding eligibility applies to unemployed people on Universal Credit who have not been required by Jobcentre Plus to undertake training, but where the training may help them into work. The Jobcentre Plus delivery model enables District Managers to prioritise their flexible resources to deliver local support that reflects the needs of their labour market. Access to Apprenticeships Young people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs), or who experience other forms of disadvantage and who cannot immediately get an Apprenticeship place, can apply for the Access to Apprenticeships pathway within the Apprenticeships programme. 2
Access offers a personalised programme of work and training, drawn from a menu based on Apprenticeship frameworks, with the aim of getting participants into a paid job with an employer as quickly as possible, to continue and complete their Apprenticeship training. More information is available through the National Careers Service (see below). Get Britain Working There are a number of Get Britain Working measures aimed at helping unemployed people back into work, which are supported by strong local partnerships and the active support of employers. The measures can include: Work Clubs to encourage people who are out of work to exchange skills and share experiences; Work Together to help claimants develop work skills through volunteering, with local charities and voluntary organisations; Work experience to help young unemployed people with little or no work experience gain work related skills through a place with a local business. This helps to improve their CV an provides a potential new route to getting onto an apprenticeship; Sector- based work academies to offer pre-employment training and work experience places in sectors with high volumes of current local vacancies.; Enterprise Clubs to offer community based and locally led support for unemployed people who want to start their own business. The local Jobcentre is the best source of advice on these opportunities. The Work Programme The Work Programme provides intensive support and advice for those who are struggling to find work. At the discretion of Jobcentre Plus advisers, homeless claimants can opt for early access to the Work Programme after three months pre-work programme activity. Work Programme providers have the freedom to deliver personalised support for a broad range of participants and are paid more for supporting those who are harder to help. HELPING PEOPLE MAKE CAREERS DECISIONS The National Careers Service provides information, careers and skills advice that is tailored to individuals. The service provides a telephone helpline and web chat service, so all ages can discuss their options with careers advisers and make informed choices. Adults aged 19 and over (or 18 if on out of work benefits), have access to one on one support from a qualified, expert adviser, face to face in the community. Under the Youth Contract, the National Careers Service will provide all 18-24 year 3
olds registering for Jobseekers Allowance access to a careers interview within three months of their claim. Contact: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk National Careers Service advisers are professionally qualified and can give personalised advice to help individuals make the right choices about learning and work. They can help: find learning and training that is right for the individual, including courses that can help improve reading, writing and maths skills; understand the local job market; look at, and assess skills; find out about funding to support learning; develop CVs; improve interview and presentation skills; find out about the types of disability and childcare support available. Unemployed young people aged 18 years plus are eligible to receive up to three, funded face to face careers sessions in a year and and unlimited telephone and web advice FUNDING THE LEARNING ACTIVITY The material above describes how much of the learning and skills activity available to people who are homeless will be free (- that is, fully-funded by the government). But other sources of funding support those with particular circumstances Access to Work Grant Those with a disability or health condition that affects their ability to do a job or that means they incur extra work-related costs (e.g. special computer equipment or travel costs because they cannot use public transport) may be eligible for this Grant. They must be 16 or over and either: unemployed and about to start a job or a work trial; or in a paid job or self-employed it s not available for voluntary work. Discretionary Learner Support Discretionary Learner Support Funds can help students aged 19 and over with the costs associated with further education. Those may include, accommodation, transport costs, course material, equipment and exceptionally, fees support. If you are over 20 it can be used to help pay for childcare. If you are under 20 you can apply for Care to Learn instead. For further information contact the Student Support Officer at the college/learning provider that your client attends/plans to attend. Access to Learning Fund 4
If students are in financial hardship and need extra help to start a course or stay in higher education, they could get help from their university or college Access to Learning Fund. These funds allow universities and colleges to provide extra discretionary support for students in particular need. The funds are administered directly by universities and colleges, which are best placed to assess students circumstances. SOME CLIENTS MIGHT ALREADY BE IN WORK OR HAVE SKILLS, BUT BE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING THEIR SKILLS FURTHER 24+ Advanced Learning Loans Learners aged 24 and above studying at Level 3 and 4, including Advanced and Higher Level Apprenticeships, now have access to the loans to help meet up front course fees, removing one of the main barriers to learning Professional and Career Development Loans A Professional and Career Development Loan is a bank loan set at a competitive interest rate that learners aged 18 years or over can use to help pay for learning that leads to work or that will improve their employability. They can be used to support any full-time, part-time or distance learning courses for up to two years, as long as the course leads to a trade, occupation or profession. Like any loan, learners must repay the money they borrow, but the Skills Funding Agency will pay the interest on the loan while the learner is in learning and for up to one month afterwards. The learner then repays the loan to the bank over an agreed period at a fixed rate of interest. SOME CLIENTS MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN STARTING UP IN BUSINESS New Enterprise Allowance The Jobcentre can tell your client about help and information about starting up a business. People claiming Job Seekers Allowance and who can show that they have a business idea that could work, can apply for New Enterprise Allowance. A business mentor will provide advice and support on becoming self-employed, setting up in business and starting to trade. Once a business plan has been made and approved, financial support is available: a weekly allowance worth up to 1,274 over 26 weeks a loan of up to 1,000 to help with start-up costs 5
BUT SOME CLIENTS MAY BE A LONG WAY FROM BEING READY FOR FORMAL LEARNING Help for those who are furthest from employment BIS-funded Community Learning covers a broad range of courses, mostly unaccredited, that bring together adults of different ages and backgrounds to acquire a new skill, address a need, pursue an interest, become healthier or learn how to support their children. Community Learning objectives focus on helping the most disadvantaged to take up learning and progress. Community learning takes place in accessible community venues and takes account of individuals' needs and learning styles. Most Community Learning is delivered or commissioned by local authority adult education service providers, but provision is also commissioned and/or delivered by Further Education colleges, Specialist Designated Institutions such as City Lit and some voluntary sector organisations. By engaging people through their interests and building their self-confidence, community learning motivates those who have had fewest opportunities to learn in the past. It can make a real difference to people's work prospects because it helps those who are furthest from employment to develop the confidence and employability skills needed to progress in life and work. It is therefore particularly helpful as a first step into learning for people who are homeless or vulnerably housed http://www.niace.org.uk/current-work/community-learning-trust-pilots. AND SOME MIGHT BE AT THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM AND INTERESTED IN HIGHER EDUCATION Student Finance For undergraduate studies, all eligible full-time students are able to take out an up-front loan to finance their tuition costs and a loan to help towards their living costs, regardless of their household income. Most students will be entitled to a loan for living costs of at least 3,575, with those studying in London entitled to a loan of at least 4,988. You may also be able to get extra help from the university or college where you are studying. https://www.gov.uk/student-finance More information: Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/browse/education Skills Funding Agency: http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/ Care to Learn: https://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn Access to Work grant: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work Professional and Career Development Loans: www.gov.uk/career-developmentloans. 24+ Advanced Learning Loans: https://www.gov.uk 6
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Many of the courses are leisure orientated, and some also offer courses that improve your Maths and English skills, build your confidence, and increase your job prospects. Apprenticeships Apprenticeships are paid jobs that incorporate on and off the job training leading to nationally recognised qualifications. As an employee, apprentices earn as they learn and gain practical skills in the workplace. Apprenticeships are open to people over the age of 16. You must meet the entry requirements of the particular apprenticeship you wish to undertake. Skills support for the Homeless K O P P O R T U N I T I E S J O B S W H L O P P O R T U N I T I E S E M D E M P L O Y M E N T G L E A R N I N G E O F F E R S S K I L L S U P P D E V E L O P M E N T R T R A I N I N G July 2013
About this guide This booklet is a short guide to what is available to get you the skills that will help you find a job. This can be a major step to helping you get permanent accommodation. How can this guide help me? Scanning through this guide you will find many suggestions for places to find help to gain new skills. See which you think might be helpful to you and investigate further. In many cases there will be more than one way forward that might fit your bill. Don t just look at one way forward, but weigh up what would give you the best return or value for your effort. If you have a personal advisor or mentor, make sure you discuss with them their advice can be invaluable. If you don t have one, why not consider getting this kind of help as a first step ask your Jobcentre adviser to put you in touch with a suitable person. National Careers Service The National Career Services provides information on careers and skills advice tailored to individuals. It is available free to everyone aged 13 or over in England. The Service provides a telephone helpline and a webchat service, so anyone can discuss their options with professional advisers and make informed choices. What skills training and further education can you get? You can get nationally recognised training which will help you prepare for a job and improve the everyday skills that employers are seeking. The main areas of training for which you could be eligible are: Help with English, Maths, and computer skills. Today most jobs need you to have some of these skills. If English is not your first language, you can also get help to improve this. You could get training on how to write a CV, how to prepare for an interview, how to work well with others, how to improve your confidence all these will help to increase your chances of getting and staying in a job. Specific skills training can help you prepare for most jobs which you might feel are right for you. It might be a course on carpentry, hairdressing, or working in the care sector - there is likely to be training available to prepare you for most jobs in your area. The Jobcentre The Jobcentre can provide you with details of benefits and services to which you might be entitled, free CV advice and jobs searching to find a rewarding job. The adviser can help you to identify which skills or training you might need to help you get a job. They can also introduce you to Universal job match, the on-line job search and matching service. Work Programme The Work Programme supports people into employment that lasts. Your Jobcentre advisers will determine your eligibility for the Programme and help you to join it. Get Britain Working The government is encouraging unemployed people to consider taking up voluntary work whilst they are looking for permanent jobs. If you are interested in volunteering you can obtain further information from the Jobcentre Community Learning Community Learning courses are delivered either at a college or perhaps somewhere in the community. They allow you to develop your skills in an informal, friendly and fun environment.