As part of our series of articles highlighting Government Funded Support to help the United Kingdom’s unemployed back in to full time sustainable work, this article is designed for people aged over 25 who have been unemployed for over 18 months and who are looking to return to work, the New Deal 25+ programme is designed just for you to help you back in to employment.

What is New Deal?

New Deal aims to help you get a job if you are out of work. It will give you the chance to train, learn and do work experience so that you:

• get more confident
• get new skills
• can be worth more to people looking for staff, and
• can find and stay in work.

What is New Deal 25 plus?

New Deal 25 plus will help you find and keep a job or start to work for yourself. It will help you improve the skills you have and learn new skills. While you are on New Deal 25 plus you will get help and support from your personal adviser. They will help you look at what you can do, and to build on the skills you have.

If you are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, and you are aged 25 or over and under State Pension age, you must take part in New Deal 25 plus to carry on getting some of your benefits.

Is New Deal 25 plus for me?

If you are aged 25 or over but under State Pension age, and have been claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance for 18 months or more (or 18 months out of the last 21), you must join New Deal 25 plus. If both you and your personal adviser decide that it is best, you could join New Deal 25 plus earlier.

Your personal adviser

When you join New Deal you will get a personal adviser. They will be from Jobcentre Plus and will help you at every stage of New Deal. They will check how you are doing and help you plan what to do next. This could be face-to-face or on the phone. You should talk to your personal adviser if you are not sure about something or you have a question.

The first stage of New Deal 25 plus

The first stage of New Deal 25 plus is called ‘gateway’. It lasts for up to 16 weeks. Your personal adviser will help you to search for work. We will help you to:

• work out the steps you can take towards getting a job, and set these out in your own action plan
• work out what jobs you could apply for
• fill in application forms and write a CV
• get advice on careers
• find other support if you need it, and
• pay for some of your costs, such as bus fares or train fares.

The second stage of New Deal 25 plus

If you don’t get a job in the first stage of New Deal 25 plus, you will move into the second stage. This is called the ‘intensive activity period’. It lasts a minimum of 13 weeks.
We will work with you to decide what you do during this stage. You could try working in a job, or you might do some training. You could also get help to work for yourself.
We will help you look for a job so you can start work as soon as possible.

If you are between the age of 25 and 59 you must complete the second stage. If you are aged 60 or over you can also choose to take part.

Making the most of your intensive activity period

What you choose to do for your intensive activity period will help you get more skills and so will increase your chance of finding a job. Your personal adviser will help you choose what you do. If you can’t choose, your personal adviser will choose for you and tell you their decision in a letter.

Near the end of the intensive activity period you will have a meeting with your personal adviser to decide what extra help you can get to find work. This could be more full-time help or a further intensive activity period.

What is the New Deal Allowance?

When you are in your intensive activity period, you could get a New Deal Allowance. This is the same amount as your Jobseeker’s Allowance. You will also get an extra weekly top-up payment.

The New Deal Allowance does not affect other benefits (such as Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and help towards NHS charges) that you were getting before starting your intensive activity period.

The final stage of New Deal 25 plus

If you do not get a job when you have finished your intensive activity period, you will need to make a new claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance. At this stage, you will join ‘followthrough’ which could last between 6 and 13 weeks. Your personal adviser will help you try to find a job. You may have to take short courses to give you more skills.

Making work pay

One of the aims of New Deal is to make sure you are better off in work than on benefit. Your personal adviser will help you work out what pay you need from a job so you don’t lose out.

How will work affect my benefit?

If you find work through New Deal, there are some benefits you may still get. Your personal adviser will be able to tell you what benefits you can get.

What is a mentor?

As part of New Deal, you could get a mentor to give you extra support and advice. They will help you find and keep a job by listening to what you want and helping you decide what to do. Your mentor will be someone local. Ask your personal adviser if you would like a mentor.

Further Information

Visit your local Jobcentre Plus Office to ask about joining the New Deal 25 Plus programme, speaking from personal experience as a former New Deal Personal Advisor if you are really wanting to get yourself in to work or training then the New Deal programme is just what you need.

© The Career Engineer
WoWMyCV.co.uk

        

Tags: career, Career Advice, Careers, Employment, Job Interview, Job search, Jobs, New Deal, New Deal 18-24, New Deal 25+, New Deal for Disabled People, New Deal for Young People, New Deal Self-Employment

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 12:32 pm and is filed under Government Funded Training Provision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.