Just after a rather glorious Easter, 12-15 unsuspecting clients of the Government's Work Programme, plus me, were ushered into Avanta's downstairs facility. A deep descent down some unforgiving steps and into a bright classroom with fully functioning flipchart and white board.
Greeted by a fairly nervous looking course tutor, our disquiet soon became evident as we recounted tales of having been brought here under false pretences. It was all mandatory, we knew that, but we had been duped into a Num & Lit test a few days earlier and on the back of fuzzy heads and distraction, we all had signed our life away to what we later found out was New Deal. We were given the minimum of surface details. Little transparency there then.
Now, apparently New Deal has a separate funding mechanism and renders you temporarily off your existing benefits, only for all hell to break loose when the course finishes as you chase your tail making sure that Mortgage Interest payments are restored and Council tax arrangements are in order. No information was forthcoming from anyone, the onus was enivitably on yourself to find out & resolve.
Lisa Turnbull, she was called, fighting for her life, trying desperately to believe in the words she was spouting, was trying to steer the course onto calmer waters. None of us wanted to be there and by mid afternoon, my head was fried; couldn't concentrate, it was all going over my head in an atmosphere of intimidation, cocky bravado and general disruption.
People were facing sanctions for not turning up the following day, as I just decided to make the best of a bad imovable situation. 11days of 'Introduction to Customer Service', shortly before a General Election, suggested a propaganda tactic to me; massaging government employment figures whilst teaching skills to the great unwashed of Newcastle upon Tyne.
By the third day, I was lucky enough to escape to a decidely less fraught scenario of a Basic Digital Photography course up the road in Newcastle's Ridley Place for the afternoon. Here everyone was treated with respect, offered tea and coffee, encouraged and helped, through the soothing tones of one by the name of Michelle. Trouble was I was still returning home to a fitfull night's sleep, having retired around 7.30pm mentally drained from the day's stresses.
It was to gradually get better, the course eventually pared down to 5 hard core participants and we rubbed along and took some solace in the anarchic meanderings of John Purvis, who was to eventually leave before the end having secured his own employment outside the remit of Avanta.
Role play scenarios, attempts at artistic posters, semi-agreable teamwork and a certain amount of pressure to sign up to call centre work. These were all added to the pot along with a densely repetative ring file of course work that would eventually contain some of my best prescriptive handwriting!
I signed up to discarding the file after finishing the course, I would never refer to it, even though I slightly question my actions now. Wise after the event?
Positives? - met some decent people and realised that I need contact with the public more than I thought, particularly if in the same boat. The discipline of having a purpose to the day, getting up and getting somewhere for a specific deadline was beneficial, but I'm still a maverick that wants my own way, if not the responsibility that goes with it.
Up the workers!
