As posted elsewhere on the internet:
As an ex employee of A4e in Newcastle upon Tyne, - sacked for speaking out, and exposing the incompetency of management - I can vouch for the more realistic expositions of clients' experiences like that of Manchester.
I found that clients' were harassed into taking any job no matter how demeaning just so A4e Newcastle could meet its targets. One Pakistani client with a doctorate in toxicology and 2.5 years experience in a highly regarded research post, and with international awards and academic publications was humiliated by one member of staff.
When this proud, respectable 50 something man asked for the applicable training that would help him get a post suitable to his calibre he was humiliated by a tutor - minus a teaching qualification -in front of other clients and ordered like a concentration camp victim to a private room.
She ordered me like a junior to accompany her. The man was accused of been unable to speak proper English by this woman, and that he could not have the training that he requested, or more to the point, that was necessary to his line of work experience. At this juncture I was on the verge of walking out, and tears welled in my eyes.
I couldn't speak as I was emotionally upset. The same battleaxe tutor privately informed me that she doubted the Pakistani’s qualifications, saying that they were suspect. She had no evidence, but was making the assumptions based on his race. She assumed he’d purchased a bogus qualification in his home country, whereas the man studied at Newcastle University.
The same man along with other highly qualified clients at A4e Newcastle were told by one recruitment team member that she and her colleagues could not help them as they were over qualified. The jobs that clients were persuaded to apply for were low paid, and more to the point low skilled, such as cleaning. These are the jobs that nobody wants to take as they are not sustainable or financially viable to most clients.
The training placements clients were offered were low skilled, such as shop work in a charity store where most clients complained that they received no training in all aspects of the job, but for the most part told to sort out stock, or sweep the floor.
There was one female client from Iran who has a degree and is qualified in administration. As such this woman was offered a placement at a4e where she was only given photocopying duties. In-between photocopying she sat and twiddled her thumbs. She complained to me as did other clients as I was prepared to listen. However because of the fascist nature in which the branch was run I was helpless to change any situation for the complaining clients.
The clients who did complain about A4e Newcastle were the more educated, skilled ones. Those most vulnerable such as the low skilled clients were terrified of having their benefits stopped - as this was a constant threat made to them by staff members - and therefore dared not speak out.
Indeed, the lower skilled were herded together into one classroom, which was heavily over-subscribed often with clients sitting on desks or the floor due to a lack of provisions. There was a severe lacking of computers and certainly severely disproportionate to the client numbers.
With only 15 computers between approximately 100 clients, they were made to use them in 1- 1.5 hour relays and were sat two - three at one computer station. This over subscription was marketed as peer - to - peer job searches
There was a point when the only printer accessible to the clients in the department I taught in broke down. It was broke for weeks on ends without being fixed or replaced.
The parsony of A4e Newcastle meant that there was no air conditioning as they were not budgeted for such facilities. As such clients sweltered in high temperatures during the hot summer days. As they became dehydrated the water coolers ran out of water and clients were left to further dehydrate.
Other facilities in very short supply were basic utensils such as pens and paper. Of course this is because A4e Newcastle branch has a tight budget and as such the clients don't receive an adequate service even at the most basic level.
Moreover it is the tax payers’ money that is funding this shambles while ivory tower owner Emma Harrison sits in her huge mansion with a fleet of classic cars profiting from the naive tax payer.
Yes, A4e will say they do fulfil their obligation and that they get jobs for clients. But the jobs are for the most part, low paid and low skilled and dead end types.
They often don't last and the client is back at A4e in no time at all. A4e of course has made their statistics look good and formed a PR stunt that makes the company look as if it’s fulfilling its obligations.
The public relations of A4e Newcastle branch were reliant on what is termed in the company’s’ jargon as 'good news stories' written by clients about their positive experiences whilst on programme.
The reality is that staff were coerced and harassed by the Newcastle branch manager and likewise line managers into acquiring 'good news stories' from clients.
The staff then coerced clients, to tell a story about their experience at A4e Newcastle which was then given a positive spin by the tutor. The majority of stories were negative from clients, but they were never written about or published in the clients' monthly newspaper.
When I protested about what was going on at A4e Newcastle, exposing my managers' incompetence, I was told that I was a poor performer and unprofessional. As such I was sacked.
One such gripe was the lack of training for the specialised nature of the teaching. I was just thrown into a classroom of angry, disillusioned clients and left to 'get on with it'.
