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 50 who have been unemployed for over 6 months and who are looking to return to work, the New Deal 50+ 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 50 plus?

New Deal 50 plus gives help and advice to people aged 50 and over who want to work.

Is New Deal 50 plus for me?

New Deal 50 plus is for you if you are over 50. You must also have been on at least one of the following benefits for the last 6 months or longer:

• Income Support
• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Incapacity Benefit
• Severe Disablement Allowance, or
• Pension Credit.

You may also be able to join if you have been getting National Insurance credits, Carer’s Allowance or Bereavement Allowance, or if your partner has been getting other benefits for you for at least 6 months.

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.

How do I join New Deal 50 plus?

If you want to take part in New Deal 50 plus contact Jobcentre Plus and arrange to meet a personal adviser. At this meeting, you and the personal adviser will decide what you should do next. You might agree that you need to update your skills or learn skills for job interviews.

Do I have to join New Deal 50 plus?

Joining New Deal 50 plus is up to you. You do not have to take part. If you do take part, your personal adviser will show you how you could be better off in work than if you stay on benefits.

Help when your job starts

Once you find a job, you may be able to get Working Tax Credit and a training grant. Your personal adviser can help you claim these.

About Working Tax Credit for 50 plus

The Working Tax Credit for 50 plus could top up your wages when you start work. You may be able to get Working Tax Credit for as long as you work, but you can only get the specific Working Tax Credit for 50 plus for one year.

You can get Working Tax Credit for 50 plus if you:
• are 50 or over, and
• will be working for at least 16 hours a week, and
• were on benefits for people out of work.

How much you get depends on you and your family. Ask your personal adviser to explain more.

About the training grant

Once you start work you can get a training grant. This is to help you update your skills or learn new ones. You can use the money to pay for training at your work or at a local college.
You could get up to £1200 for training to do with your job, or up to £300 for general training or courses. You can apply for the training grant any time in the first 2 years of starting your job. You can also get it if you set up your own business. Speak to your personal adviser to find out more.

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: New Career, New Deal, New Deal 18-24, New Deal 25+, New Deal 50+, New Deal for Disabled People, New Deal for Young People, New Deal Self-Employment

This entry was posted on Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 11:31 am 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.