Help-to-work Scheme Unveiled

This morning, Chancellor George Osbourne’s plans for the help-to-work scheme were unveiled. The scheme aims to get each able-bodied person into some kind of daily routine, whether this be volunteer type work, training/educational courses or even just daily visits to the job centre – failing to consume an activity results in a loss of Jobseekers allowance for a four week period (and a further three months on failing a second time)

Osbourne states ‘no-one will be able to get something for nothing’. The long-term unemployed will not be ignored – there will be ‘intensive’ help for those with problems such as drug addictions and illiteracy.

Young people will benefit from this system, as alongside the rise in the compulsary learning age this means there is no real chance for individuals to experience living solely off benefits, and having unproductive days (which could be spent working /gaining experience, learning or applying for jobs).

Could getting all available bodies into work result in an all-time trade high for the British economy? Working for benefits takes us back to the beginnings of national insurance, when once JSA was only paid out to those who had previously paid in.

What do you think to the scheme? It is welcomed?