Clients described where they were in relation to any move into/towards work and the impact they felt their participation on NDDP had on any movement. Broadly speaking, people reported four situations in relation to their position vis a vis work and the role they felt the Job Broker service had on their circumstances. Membership of these ‘groups’ however was not static and people reported movement between them in the past, with further fluidity between them possible in the future:
• moved into work – with the help of the Job Broker service; • moved towards work – with the help of the Job Broker service;
• moved into/towards work – but without the help of the Job Broker service; • did not move forward – despite contact with the Job Broker service.
This section describes the four groups and some of the broad issues related to them. Section 3.4 looks at specific service components and how they could help or be deficient in having a positive impact on clients’ movement towards work.
3.3.1 Moved into work – with the help of a Job Broker service
Clients in the first group were in work at the time of the research interview and perceived the Job Broker service to have made a positive impact on their entry into paid employment. (The nature and suitability of their work is discussed fully in Chapter 5). The group varied in terms of the length of time they had been away from the labour market (from a few months to ten or more years) and included clients with a range of physical and mental health conditions. The extent of contact with the Job Broker service before job entry varied and generally reflected the different stages clients were at in progressing towards work when they made contact with the service. At one extreme were those who had approached the Job Broker service for specific support immediately before starting work, for example, where a job interview had already been secured. Others had felt ready to move into work, some already applying for jobs but without success, and needed practical and motivational support with job search or the application process. At the other extreme were those whose entry into work followed a lengthier period of Job Broker support and entailed gradual movement towards job search and then employment.
The ways in which the Job Broker service positively impacted on the move into employment varied, perhaps unsurprisingly given the diversity in clients’ circumstances and closeness to the labour market. Some were quite certain that they would not have entered employment without the support of the job service. Others thought that they would eventually have found work without NDDP participation but felt that the Job Broker service had helped accelerate the process of moving toward work or had made it smoother.
3.3.2 Moved towards work – with the help of a Job Broker service
Clients in this group were not in work at the time of the research interview but felt that the Job Broker service had had a positive impact on their progress towards employment. People within this group had both stable and intermittent work histories, with periods away from the labour market (prior to contacting the Job Broker service) ranging from two to 18 years. Health conditions were varied, but respondents in this group often mentioned experiencing mental health conditions. At the time of contacting the Job Broker service, some clients in this group were just starting to think about work. For some there remained concerns about gaps in CVs, employer discrimination, lack of skills and low confidence about returning to work. Unsuccessful job searching could make it difficult for them to sustain their motivation.
However, by the time of the research interview people in this group were feeling more confident and optimistic about future work, or could ‘see a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel’ and had progressed into job searching or training. Even if they felt that work may still be some way off, clients in this group felt they were moving forward. One client who had not worked for 18 years had previously felt resigned to life on benefits, but had now written up a CV with her Job Broker and reflected
‘before I wasn’t close at all to work, I was nowhere near … Whereas this has made me think I am edging a bit closer to getting work’. Another had started a course that would lead to an NVQ.
One client had entered employment with the support of his Job Broker, but had been made redundant by the time of the research interview. He saw the experience of being in contact with the Job Broker as a positive one as he had gained work experience and felt that ‘the chances of getting another job are a lot higher now’. This also demonstrates the fluidity between these four groups.
Clients in this group were still in regular contact with the Job Broker service and typically were confident that the Job Broker service would continue to play a key role in any movement towards and into work.
3.3.3 Moved towards, or into, work – without the help of a Job
Broker service
In this group, clients were working (either in their first job since using the service or having changed jobs), looking for work, doing training or doing voluntary work. They tended to describe themselves as being highly motivated to work at the time they made contact with the Job Broker, though the extent to which they were actively job searching at that point varied. The key difference between this group and the two groups already outlined is that clients felt that their progress had been through their own initiative or with the support of Jobcentre Plus or a DEA.
For some clients, the lack of influence of the Job Broker was related to the fact that they had needed limited contact before getting a job. However, others expressed disappointment with the Job Broker service and felt that it had failed to meet their
needs or expectations. This was generally in relation to practical provision – particular aspects mentioned were employer contacts, vocational guidance, training or work placements and job search support. Sometimes it was felt that the Job Broker did not understand their needs; for example among a few of the clients who had mental health conditions it was felt that the level of practical support they had received had been inadequate: ‘they are leaving it to me and that’s what I’m struggling with’. They wondered whether the Job Broker adviser fully understood mental ill-health, or appreciated what a big step moving into work would be for them. Another had registered with a telephone-based Job Broker but felt she could communicate better face-to-face and received more practical help from a Jobcentre Plus adviser. Some people concluded that the service could add nothing to what they could do themselves; others had approached other agencies for help instead. For example, people who were able to job search themselves but had wanted employer contacts, training, or work placements that the Job Broker service did not provide. Sometimes clients had subsequently approached a Jobcentre (either on their own volition or Job Broker suggestion), where training had been arranged, for example in IT or business start-up training.
Although people had sometimes found some aspects of the Job Broker useful, they were not seen as playing a significant part in people starting work or moving towards it. For example, where clients had found a job themselves, help such as benefit advice or a back-to-work bonus was welcomed but not viewed as being a factor in the move into work. However, even where the service provision itself was not seen as having an impact, some people felt that taking the first step of contacting a Job Broker had helped them to build momentum to find another source of help, or given them ‘that push’ to start looking for work themselves.
There were mixed opinions as to whether they would return to the Job Broker, but where other sources of support had been more helpful, these were seen as preferable to the Job Broker service. In a couple of cases, clients reported being signposted by their Job Broker adviser to a Jobcentre for job search support. Clients’ contact with the Job Broker service in this group had generally dwindled by the time of the research interview.
3.3.4 No movement toward work – despite contact with the Job
Broker service
At the time of the research interview, this group of clients felt they were no closer to work than when they came into contact with the Job Broker service. People in this group were generally no longer in contact with the Job Broker service, with some concluding that Job Brokers could add nothing to what they could do themselves. Contact had generally petered out with neither the Job Broker nor the person instigating further contact.
In some cases, engagement with the Job Broker did not continue beyond an initial interview, and in others it dwindled after a period of activity. People were disappointed where they had expected the Job Broker to get in touch, and felt let
down when they had made efforts to contact the service which had not been reciprocated. In other cases, people felt that the service had not been helpful, and let contact tail off or chose not to use the service further. Deregistration was seldom mentioned. Only one person in this group had agreed with her Job Broker adviser to suspend contact because her health had deteriorated.
Some people who were job searching when they contacted the service were still doing so, either alone or using Jobcentre Plus. Others had stopped, sometimes because of a relapse in health and a couple were embarking on educational courses – in one case the client was hoping that his participation on the course would lead to full-time work. There were examples of people who had started work and, despite having strong desires to move into or toward work, had since left, and who now felt they were no further forwards, or even set back by the experience. For example, one respondent reported that she had been placed in an unsuitable job through the Job Broker that she had not managed to sustain. She had wanted to build on her confidence to work but when she had not managed to stay in this job it had made her feel ‘really inadequate … a failure’.
Where the lack of positive impact was due to the needs of clients not being met, reasons reflected those mentioned by the previous group who moved towards, or into, work without the help of a Job Broker service. For some people, the main issue appeared to be lack of contact and cancelled appointments. Others questioned the extent to which a service was tailored to individual needs, feeling they had been directed in certain ways, despite discussing their backgrounds with advisers. There was a suggestion that some Job Broker services had a narrow focus, and could not cater for those who fell outside the perceived ‘norm’ of what an NDDP client was. This included people who had professional backgrounds, wanted to work in a self- employed capacity or were interested in voluntary work as a first step toward paid employment. Others felt more generally that the service has not taken on board their individual circumstances. As in the previous group, there was also criticism where it was felt that advisers did not understand the implications of a client’s health (both physical and mental) on work.
It is difficult to identify the degree to which clients articulated their needs to Job Broker advisers and the extent to which advisers took on board needs. However, there was a feeling among clients that limited contact and a lack of understanding or response on the part of the Job Broker, inhibited a full exploration of these needs and how they could be met. A further possibility is that Job Broker advisers may not have entirely concurred with clients about their needs and aspirations or the appropriateness of the NDDP programme for them.
There was some evidence to suggest that, in a small number of cases, clients reported feeling demotivated or experiencing decreased confidence after contact with the Job Broker service, particularly where they felt that the service had not met their needs. This group of clients generally did not expect to return to the (same) Job Broker service in the future.