WPP1 / WPP2

28064212

AJJ2010 wrote: »

Ok this thread is very long (tl;dr all of it, sorry!) but anyway..

I got a letter yesterday from FAS telling me there is a WPP1 job going that would suit me. Is this the normal way they let people know? The job happens to be the Education and Training Co-Ordinator at the local FAS centre(!).

I signed off the JSA over the summer and haven't been back on it for the required 3 months yet so I need to double-check my eligibility but was just curious as I don't know anybody who is looking for work who was sent a similar letter.

They're pretty much just direct-mail advertisements sent out more or less at random. Hell, I got a couple the whole time I was already on a placement.

jimoc wrote: »

I thought it was in the news last week or the week before that FAS was being disbanded and replaced with a new agency after Christmas.?
Surely they wouldn't still be hiring people if that was the case?

The new agency is hardly going to be started from scratch. It's essentially just a rebranding with a bit of restructuring going on

rathmore1

esween wrote: »

I think the work placement programme is a good idea but a person would only be effectively earning the 196 euro (paid by the social welfare) for a full weeks work.... ie 35-40 hours a week... while i agree that any kind of work looks better on your CV this small amount of money has made the uptake of this programme very slow...

the outright winner in this programme is the employer as they get staff (whether this is a graduate or experienced worker) for up to nine months for nothing!!!!

in my view for this programme to work the employer should have to pay some salary or 'expenses' so that the person is at least earning the minimum wage!!!!

otherwise someone on this scheme would feel very undervalued and used..
would like to hear from someone currently on this scheme for their opinion..

Your are dead right there, like there is a company that is availing of it and lets just say they are a major supermarket chain and believe me they can well afford to pay some one 25,000 grand and they are taking on a professional for nothing. Pure abuse of the system. Like fair enough if a company is struggling but i nearly would safely safe that some companys are worth billions and take in millions everywhere and they are availing of this. ****ing disgrace, pure opportunistic.

Also it is for graduates pure and simple, I came across one today that asked for 1+ year exeperience for the position to work for nothing. I seriously am gona write to FAS about that particular one as the programme states 'it is what experience the company can give to the particpant'.

I don't mind company's struggling and if they give a graduate a couple of months experience but when they are loaded and/or ask for experience that is actually breaking the rules of what the wpp1 stands for.

grogttown

Forecourt Assistant - WPP2

Ref. WPP2-586566


Job Description

Area of activity in which placement is offered: Assisting Forecourt, carwash, stock control, receiving deliveries and general duties. Participants will gain experience in: Dealing with public, carwash, stock control, manage stock room. Person specification: Someone who is well presented, friendly and hardworking.
Please Note: This is a work placement programme and does not offer a salary.

hoff1

I am on a wpp at the mo and i am applying to companies for a proper job at the same time, just wondering should i say that I am doing a Wpp on my c.v or leave it out?

mood

hoff1 wrote: »

I am on a wpp at the mo and i am applying to companies for a proper job at the same time, just wondering should i say that I am doing a Wpp on my c.v or leave it out?

Why on earth would you be doing the WPP if you didn't intend on putting it on your cv???

hoff1

Id obviously put down the company ive been working for over the last 6 mths but should i tell them that it was a wpp?

mood

hoff1 wrote: »

Id obviously put down the company ive been working for over the last 6 mths but should i tell them that it was a wpp?

Yes because if they want a reference from them they will find out the truth and lying will come against you big time.

Mr McBoatface

mood wrote: »

Yes because if they want a reference from them they will find out the truth and lying will come against you big time.

Not stating it was WPP doesn't make it a lie, it's merely a work reference.

@ hoff1 - I can't see why any company would view any work experience WPP, voluntary or otherwise in a negative light. If worded correctly on the CV and used by you in an interview employers will be very impressed at having experience. For example a Typical Question : Tell me about some shortcoming you may have ? Response : I was lacking some retail experience but I took up work placement program for 6 months and I gained some excellent experience, experience that makes me confident I can be successful in the job role you have on offer.....

The WPP have been in place for a long enough period for FAS to be able to back up the validity of the scheme with statistics of how many people actually got jobs as a result of these programs. If I was going for a WPP, the first question I would ask FAS is what is the statistical data backing up the success or otherwise of these schemes. I'm against WPP in their current format as I believe they are open to far to much abuse. That said I actually got my first job 17 years ago after working in the company on a 4 week work experience part of a FAS course, if I recall correctly I think 4 weeks was the limit back then.

CoolGirl101

Just wondering, do you have to be on social welfare for three months still to do WPP2, or can anyone unemployed do one?

jos22

CoolGirl101 wrote: »

Just wondering, do you have to be on social welfare for three months still to do WPP2, or can anyone unemployed do one?

pretty sure anyone reg with fas can do one
but you want to claim dole you need the 3 months

CoolGirl101

jos22 wrote: »

pretty sure anyone reg with fas can do one
but you want to claim dole you need the 3 months

so yes then?
Ugh....It's a catch 22, sick of sitting at home

jos22

CoolGirl101 wrote: »

so yes then?
Ugh....It's a catch 22, sick of sitting at home

yes from my understanding once you reg with fas and meet the requirement for the exp you can apply away for them.

Francesco10

Does anybody know the story with moving location for a WPP1. Will I get travel expenses or my accomadation paid?

jos22

Francesco10 wrote: »

Does anybody know the story with moving location for a WPP1. Will I get travel expenses or my accomadation paid?

nope you get nothing.

dole office can arrange to have you signing and payments moved to the location you plan to move to tho.

skinandblister

Currently I am working 10 hours a week (2 hrs Monday - Friday) and am earning a lot less then what I would if I signed on. I finished up college last week and would like to get some experience but everywhere seems to only want people with experience. This scheme seems to be my only option to gain experience. I was reading up about being entitled to claim while on WPP but it seems you have to be signing on for three months in order to keep all your benefits. I am going to take a year out before returning to college and doing my professional exams, I have compeleted my degree. I am studying accountancy and need three years work experience as well as my professional exams in order to qualify and any kind of relevant work experience will be taken on board as part of my three years. I guess maybe signing on for a few months and then applying for this, or would I be wasting my time and should forget about it?

snubbleste

TG4 are now getting in on this WPP1, offering a placement as a Comhordaitheoir Sceidil
39 hours a week
Required: Level 7 - Cúrsa Teilifíse

Please Note: This is a work placement programme and does not offer a salary

road_high

There won't be a real job left in the country ever if this is allowed continue as it is.

Bagenal

Having looked at the WPP listings relating to my own area this system is being abused left, right & centre in my own opinion. In principle I have no problem with the system but to make it less likely to be abused would it not be better for "employers" to have to pay travel expenses and perhaps €10 per day meal allowance? I personally do not think it fair as it stands.

godspal

This scheme is being seriously abused. I am on one of them now. I have to travel 20 miles to work, I have to pay €50 per week on travel a further €50 on food per week, and then I have to pay €50 on debts for the degree that allowed me to get my intern-ship. Leaving me with €38 a week which leaves me with no other opportunity but to stay in the job.

And the job that was advertised was a team-environment, learning search engine optimization, and learning how to market new websites. I am sitting everyday writing ads, by myself, in an empty office. I have to quit today or I will be stuck here forever.

EDIT: Oh and just to show bad things are I had to buy a train ticket to go to an interview for another job in dublin, which cost me €45, and I couldn't eat that day.

Lux23

That sucks. Has anyone managed to get travel and lunch expenses from their employer?

mitty87

Lux23 wrote: »

That sucks. Has anyone managed to get travel and lunch expenses from their employer?

I did a WPP 1 for almost 10 months last year, however for about 5 months I wasn't getting any social welfare allowances as I took up the job directly after finishing my degree. They were hesitant to take me on at first as I wouldn't be getting social welfare, but I was adament to get some work experience so they offered me €100 a week travel expenses. when I finally got the social welfare issue sorted out they continued to pay €100 per week. I think that this is only fair as travelling to and from work is expensive for most of us - and getting worse!

Lux23

Yea I asked for it today and I was told no way. Pretty soon I won't have the money to travel to work so its kind of putting me of the thing at the moment.

CorkFenian

This whole WPP1\2 crap should be exposed on Frontline or Liveline, I admire most about Bill Cullen , but working for free in jobs where experience doesnt count for anything is not one of them....

road_high

Lux23 wrote: »

Yea I asked for it today and I was told no way. Pretty soon I won't have the money to travel to work so its kind of putting me of the thing at the moment.

Jesus, I think I'd be telling them to shove it where the sun don't shine unless you see a very real prospect of a decent job after this.

DraganSerbovic

Came across this via a buddy of mine, I'm wondering what would be the attitude of Social Welfare to someone who has sourced a position themselves, where the employer is not in a position to pay (e.g. a sole practitioner in a solicitors office with no other staff), and the employee goes to work for that employer while still retaining their benefits.

If the same position was advertised via WPP, then the employee in question would retain their benefits for the duration of the placement, but if the employee sources a position themselves, is this not contrary to the "actively seeking work" criterion for Jobseekers Allowance/Benefit?

Mods, feel free to bounce this to the Social Welfare forum, but I'm just curious to see a few viewpoints as I know anecdotally of quite a few trainee solicitors who are doing something similar to try and support themselves in order to complete their training.

Lux23

Legal Aid are hiring trainee solictors through the scheme but I reckon you could get the position registered with Fas, heard of people doing it before.

I have no chance of getting a paid position from the placement unless they get some massive donation to keep me on. I told them I will hang on as long as I can and sure we will see what happens.

Lux23

Lux23 wrote: »

Yea I asked for it today and I was told no way. Pretty soon I won't have the money to travel to work so its kind of putting me of the thing at the moment.

if they wont do that they`ll never pay you or hire someone without the govt paying

the_syco

CorkFenian wrote: »

This whole WPP1\2 crap should be exposed on Frontline or Liveline

I think someone mentioned somewhere that RTE have one or two WPP jobs, so they won't have to look far.

godspal

I am a graduate journalist, freelancing at the moment, trying to build up my portfolio.

I was just wondering could the people who feel that they have been mistreated under this program PM me with their name and number, and a short description of the mistreatment they suffered as a result of this program. And I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Mr McBoatface

godspal wrote: »

I am a graduate journalist, freelancing at the moment, trying to build up my portfolio.

I was just wondering could the people who feel that they have been mistreated under this program PM me with their name and number, and a short description of the mistreatment they suffered as a result of this program. And I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Hi godspal,

I've not been on one of these scheme, I've never had the need and intend never to be on one. While you doing your research this post in a Internship thread in AH may be of some interest to you.

It looks like a paid job gone and replaced by an internship. :mad:

Best of luck in your research