Jobseekers

Can anyone join?

Employment Zone
This programme takes Members from three specific Member groups:
• Jobseekers aged 25 or over who have been in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) for at least 18 months out of the last 21 are in receipt of JSA at the point of referral.
• Jobseekers aged between 18 and 24 who have previously participated in a period of New Deal for Young People provision and have been in receipt of JSA for 6 months or more out of the past 7 months.
• Early Entrants who have been referred to Employment zone earlier than the pre-qualifying period due to an identified need for attending the programme e.g exceptional personal circumstances.
• Lone parent volunteers – lone parents who have a child or children under 16 years of age, are not in receipt of JSA and who are not working in excess of 16 hours per week. Participation is voluntary for this group 

Pathways To Work
Mandatory (if you've been referred by the Jobcentre)
New claimants of IB on or after 3rd December 2007 will go on to Pathways To Work from Jobcentre Plus.  Jobcentre Plus will refer clients who are defined as those on or after 3rd December 2007 who make a new/repeat claim for:
• Income Support on grounds of incapacity
• IS whilst appealing against decision
• Severe Disability Allowance (SDA)  

In addition to being on a qualifying benefit as shown above the customer must also:
• Live within the District covered by the Pathways contract (termed the Pathways District)
• Be between the ages of 18 – 59 years old.
If a referral is Mandatory, it is the responsibility of Jobcentre Plus to identify customers who are eligible for the Pathways To Work programme, and refer these customers to Reed In Partnership

Each mandatory customer is expected to attend 5 Work Focused Interviews with Reed In Partnership, and to receive an updated Work Focused Action Plan on attendance of these mandatory interviews. 

Voluntary (if you decide to join the programme yourself)
To be eligible for voluntary support and assistance, customers must:
• Live in the Pathways District
• Be aged 16 and over
• Must have Right To Work in the United Kingdom
• Must be in direct receipt of a qualifying benefit

POEM (Partners Outreach for Ethnic Minorities)
• Be a ‘Partner’ – i.e. is living with another person as part of a couple or family. If the prospective Member states they are living as part of a couple or family, this must be
accepted.
• Not be in paid employment of any description. The prospective Member must not be working in paid employment. If they are, even for only a few hours per week, they are ineligible for the POEM programme.
• Be aged 18 or over (working age). Prospective Member must be 18 years or older at the point of registration. The upper age limit is 65 as per the “Working Age” definition.
• Have a right to work and recourse to public funds.
Prospective Member must be legally entitled to work in the UK and must be eligible to receive help from a publicly funded programme.
• Prospective Member must prove their residence in one of the eligible wards specified for the programmes.
• Must not be in full time education.