WPP1 / WPP2

gollem_1975 · 29-09-2010 5:16pm

robw017 wrote: »

Well I was doing voluntary work, told my local office and they said its fine as long as I wasnt getting paid.
It didnt stop me from applying for jobs and attending interviews.

again, I suspect this could be a new development or else a response to the fact that DSFA have more to worry about now with 450,000 on the live register to be chasing up people doing voluntary work when they should be looking for work (full-time)

but if this has always been the case then I stand corrected.

mossyc123 · 29-09-2010 8:18pm

At this rate it'll be a fair while till the Placement starts anyway so the 3-month thing mighn't even be an issue. Will take it as it comes anyway, thanks for the input lads.

eclectichoney · 29-09-2010 8:51pm

gollem_1975 wrote: »

again, I suspect this could be a new development or else a response to the fact that DSFA have more to worry about now with 450,000 on the live register to be chasing up people doing voluntary work when they should be looking for work (full-time)

but if this has always been the case then I stand corrected.

Afaik, you can do voluntary work for up to three days per week without it interfering.

Jarren · 09-10-2010 7:11pm

Another example of slave labour

Bistro Assistant - FAS Work Placement Programme
You must be registered with FÁS and have checked your eligibility before you apply for this Work Placement

We currently have a work placement opportunity for a full time or part-time Bistro Assistant to work in our busy customer restaurant.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who has excellent interpersonal and customer service skills with a passion for food and food presentation. Candidates are required to work 20hrs per week over 3 days OR 39 hours over 5 days, both including Saturdays

What you'll do
Serve customers with cold/hot snacks, meals and beverages
Food preparation
Clear tables
Back of house kitchen duties

What you'lll get
bags of customer service & a busy kitchen experience to put on your CV
A great opportunity to work with an energetic, inspiring team

What you'll need
A passion for food
Ability to work under pressure within a busy environment
Great organisation skills
High attention to detail
Excellent communication skills to deal with customers
Impeccable personal presentation & hygiene
Excellent spoken english
Candidates will preferably have experience of working within a food service environment or similar.

When do you start
As soon as possible for up to 9 months

http://www.jobs.ie/ApplyForJob.aspx?Id=1062649

Why can't they just pay minimum wage to someone and get PRSI exemption for 12 months?

http://www.fas.ie/NR/rdonlyres/8E541957-DDF0-4965-91FF-BB1F5AFEBD70/1121/SW128.pdf

sorry I had to rant

hatful · 09-10-2010 9:51pm

What do the WPP employers get out of this? Do FAS pay them? I agree completely with the above poster, they are taking the piss completely.

Faith+1 · 10-10-2010 12:36am

jarecki1976 wrote: »

When do you start
As soon as possible for up to 9 months

I love that last line. They should of added " After 9 months we throw you out the door with a free meal token and we'll get the next stupid douchbag to work the next 9 months for free because we greedy rotten bsatards!"

The bloody nerve of them :mad::mad::mad::mad:

donkey balls · 10-10-2010 2:41am

ah the old saying a man/women willing to work for nothing wil never be idle

katcali · 12-10-2010 12:50pm

Well I have been on the WPP for nearly 8 months and I cannot wait for it to finish!!! I am actually looking for advice on how to quit-has anyone done it?

I am working 9 to 5 monday to friday and its actually costing me money to stay on the WPP. I really need to get out and about handing out my CV and arranging meetings with Recruitment Agencies in Dublin but I have no time. Its driving me insane-I just wish I had never taken it up! Im gaining little or no experience. I know it has filled the hole in my CV but I really think the fact that there is no incentive to take it up (for someone out of college years) doesnt help make the job any better.

Its also a matter of luck which company you get to work for. Mine hyped up my role so much I actually thought they might keep me on but I now know thats not going to happen so I just want to up and leave and get something else asap before finiances get even tighter for me

.

In short it has been a waste of time for me-although it seems it is of benefit to graduates mainly looking for experience. There just needs to be a bit of of an incentive-even just travel and lunch expenses would help loads.

AnnyHallsal · 12-10-2010 12:56pm

I'm being considered for one and I'm apprehensive. My problem is that I work one day a week but that work often bleeds over into unpaid hours. I'm concerned about how I'll balance the two. I thought working part-time might render me ineligible but they say not.

12-10-2010 1:05pm

katcali wrote: »

Well I have been on the WPP for nearly 8 months and I cannot wait for it to finish!!! I am actually looking for advice on how to quit-has anyone done it?

Just quit. Tell the employer you have no interest in continuing, and tell Fás that you were not getting relevant experience, then stop showing up for work. You're not an employee, you don't have a contract, you don't owe them anything. Telling Fás is very important, so that the employer will find it more difficult to get someone. I don't understand why you stuck it out for 8 months though, you're practically finished. If I wasn't getting relevant experience I'd be gone after a month, 2 at the most, then just apply for another one if you still can't get any work

katcali wrote: »

In short it has been a waste of time for me-although it seems it is of benefit to graduates mainly looking for experience. There just needs to be a bit of of an incentive-even just travel and lunch expenses would help loads.

That's who it's supposed to benefit, that's the whole point of the programme

gollem_1975 · 12-10-2010 5:27pm

hatful wrote: »

What do the WPP employers get out of this? Do FAS pay them? I agree completely with the above poster, they are taking the piss completely.

Are you seriously wondering what do the employers get ?

they get a resource that they may otherwise not be able to afford to employ ( e.g. wages, prsi etc. )

the employee is not forced to take the job !

despite what another poster said about being in a WPP for 8 months - you are not forced to stay in a WPP position either.

not enough time to send out CV's ... sorry but without knowing further details I don't buy that one .. its not as if WPP people are chained to their desks and can't get time off.

gollem_1975 · 12-10-2010 5:36pm

AnnyHallsal wrote: »

I'm being considered for one and I'm apprehensive. My problem is that I work one day a week but that work often bleeds over into unpaid hours. I'm concerned about how I'll balance the two. I thought working part-time might render me ineligible but they say not.

apprehensive about what ?

your paid work should take priority.

if you are valued by your WPP provider then they should be flexible.

If they aren't then thats a judgement call you have to make yourself.

AnnyHallsal · 12-10-2010 5:41pm

gollem_1975 wrote: »

apprehensive about what ?

your paid work should take priority.

if you are valued by your WPP provider then they should be flexible.

If they aren't then thats a judgement call you have to make yourself.

Yes, so I concluded. I'm meeting with them to discuss the flexibility required.

turboo · 14-10-2010 7:33am

katkin wrote: »

Went on the FAS website about ten days ago and nearly every listing was a WPP. However went on it 2 days ago and none, just the usual CE schemes and handful of other jobs so I reckon they moved them to another section of the site. I think its great that graduates can gain experience etc but this scheme is really open to exploitation by employers looking for people to work for nothing.

I have worked on one of these wpp.I did nine months which is the full term.I was messed around big time by the provider/bond auto it was a sales job selling car care, all the provider was interested in was how much i had made in sales it was slave labour.They promised me a job from the start but when it came to giving me the job they said they where pulling out of dublin so all my hard work in getting sales and building up customers went down the drain.I am now back on the dole and i feel it was a big waste of time. i am married with 2 kids and feel now i have no future in this country.Thanks

kkelly77 · 14-10-2010 11:16am

turboo wrote: »

I have worked on one of these wpp.I did nine months which is the full term.I was messed around big time by the provider/bond auto it was a sales job selling car care, all the provider was interested in was how much i had made in sales it was slave labour.They promised me a job from the start but when it came to giving me the job they said they where pulling out of dublin so all my hard work in getting sales and building up customers went down the drain.I am now back on the dole and i feel it was a big waste of time. i am married with 2 kids and feel now i have no future in this country.Thanks

When I first started this thread, experiences like the one Turboo had were what I feared most happen to anyone taking part in these 'schemes'. As many have posted it does seem to be just free labour for companies to exploit. I do feel really sorry for Turboo and all the other people who have been messed and put in 9 months of genuine hard work for no pay only to be told to f**k off at the end.

For any of those in took part in a WPP scheme is there no way you can feed this back to FAS?

K

14-10-2010 11:22am

kkelly77 wrote: »

When I first started this thread, experiences like the one Turboo had were what I feared most happen to anyone taking part in these 'schemes'. As many have posted it does seem to be just free labour for companies to exploit. I do feel really sorry for Turboo and all the other people who have been messed and put in 9 months of genuine hard work for no pay only to be told to f**k off at the end.

For any of those in took part in a WPP scheme is there no way you can feed this back to FAS?

K

Yep. In fact I had two compulsory face-to-face meeting with Fás during my WPP, and a follow-up meeting with a feedback form to be filled out and returned. I don't understand why Turboo and others stayed there for 9 months if they weren't getting anything out of it. If my position had been useless, I would have left after the first month or two. Why stay in a job you're not getting paid for if you're not getting other benefits like experience?

cmlw85 · 29-10-2010 1:33am

ContyHooks wrote: »

Wouldn't people lose money doing this, like travel and other work related expenses? Are people actually paying to work? Or am I missing something here!

I had a review meeting and they were pushing the wpp1 on me. I mensioned thaat i can bearly live on the €196 i receive from dole. And that i would be majorly in debt if i took part in this scheme but then again it is experience and she was forceful on this matter.

I can see the benefit but Its allot hours when your not compensated for travel or expenses incurred!!! :pac:

cmlw85 · 29-10-2010 1:42am

kkelly77 wrote: »

When I first started this thread, experiences like the one Turboo had were what I feared most happen to anyone taking part in these 'schemes'. As many have posted it does seem to be just free labour for companies to exploit. I do feel really sorry for Turboo and all the other people who have been messed and put in 9 months of genuine hard work for no pay only to be told to f**k off at the end.

For any of those in took part in a WPP scheme is there no way you can feed this back to FAS?

K

FAS won't listen 2 feedback from anyone. They just see it as a means of individuals gaining experience in an industry and for employers to get the assistance they need in their company so they don't close or move to a different country.

I think the WPP programmes would be more successful with part-time hours to a max of 20 hours a week, as individuals are still gaining experience in an industry, they still have the other 20 hours to seek PAID employment and this can be done over a max of 3 full working days.:D

But saying this to FAS is like trying to knock their heads 2gether, bearing in mind they are a government organization and all their good for is:

1. scratching their arses.
2. Spending our tax money on waste of time resources and expenses.

cmlw85 · 29-10-2010 1:58am

Hi all me again,

I feel the WPP programs offered are pointless a waste of time as i would be out of pocket and in the red even more each month.

However i did a job club in Letterkenny in September following the completion of a masters and their are other options available to gain experience.

Theres the 1's ye have all probably heard of:

1. CE schemes,
2. Back to work scheme,
3. RSS.

However you may not have heard about this one:

Its called "Begin Again"
Website: beginagain.ie/

The program looks like this:

Expression of Interest and C.V. forwarded to ICBE
Role descriptions forwarded to participants for review
Brief interview with potential host company and/or ICBE representative
Position assigned
Meeting with host company, completion of relevant paperwork
Programme outline:
Week 1: 2 Days Training
- Introduction to Leadership and Learning
- The Resilient Leader, Interpersonal Awareness
Week 2: 2 Days Training
- The Thinking Leader (innovation and innovation tools, lean thinking and improvement tools)
- Leading for Results (planning and managing work, communication and thinking skills)
Week 3: Work Placement
- 5 days on the job
- Mentor visit (number 1)
Week 4: Work Placement
- 5 days on the job
Week 5:
2 Days Training
3 Days Work Placement
- 3 days on the job
Training:
- Coach/Trainer, Leader : presentations and group work
- Enterprise Day: external visits and guest speaker
Week 6: Work Placement
- 5 days on the job
- Mentor visit (number 2)
Week 7: Work Placement
- 5 days on the job
Week 8:
1 Day Training
4 Days Work Placement
- 4 days on the job
Training:
- Principled Leader and Integrated Leader
Week 9: Work Placement
- 5 days on the job
- Mentor visit (number 3)
Week 10: Work Placement
- 5 days on the job
Week 11:
1 Day Training
4 Days Work Placement
- 4 days on the job
Training:
- Project completion workshop and personal development planning
Week 12: Work Placement
- 5 days on the job
- Mentor visit (number 4)
Week 13: Work Placement
- 5 days on the job
Week 14:
2 Days Training
3 Days Work Placement
- 3 days on the job
- Mentor visit (number 5)
- Close out
Training:
- Assessment Day 1: Project/training presentations and personal development planning (interviews)
- Assessment Day 2 - Outdoor management development day
Agreement with host company regarding opportunity for further work/completion of work placement

Upon registration for the programme, candidates acquire "Studying Membership" of the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) with access to a comprehensive on-line learning library.
On successful completion of the training programme, candidates will be assessed and where earned, be awarded the ILM Award in Leadership (formally recognised at NFQ Level 6 by NQAI).
On successful completion of the directed work placement, candidates will achieve a FETAC Work Experience Level 5 Credit.
Candidates who complete all elements including a work-based project will attain the European Learning and Leadership Awards" (ELLA©) Ignite Award which affords Euro-pass transferability.

Hope this gives everyone some hope.

Dostoevsky · 31-10-2010 8:02pm

Raskolnikov wrote: »

It's one thing advertising these sort of jobs to graduates, but it's quite another thing to expect a person with 3 years of software development experience to essentially work for nothing :eek:

It's feckin' obscene!

http://jobbank.fas.ie/servlet/Watis?SESS=18506_7&REQUEST=WWW_JS_VAC_PREVIOUS_NEXT&ROW=NEXT!3

Yes, it is. Still, armed with my PhD and its years of sweat, toil, isolation and impecuniousness I've just applied for one of these positions. I need a focus every day and work has always given me that and kept me healthy. Hopefully in nine months it will stand to me.

mr.interested · 31-10-2010 9:09pm

Dostoevsky wrote: »

Yes, it is. Still, armed with my PhD and its years of sweat, toil, isolation and impecuniousness I've just applied for one of these positions. I need a focus every day and work has always given me that and kept me healthy. Hopefully in nine months it will stand to me.

I'm sorry, but that's a disgrace that having a PhD you're applying for WPP. Why not go for voluntarism in some developing or poor countries instead? Much better for your CV and experience.

Dostoevsky · 31-10-2010 11:20pm

mr.interested wrote: »

I'm sorry, but that's a disgrace that having a PhD you're applying for WPP. Why not go for voluntarism in some developing or poor countries instead? Much better for your CV and experience.

The WPP1 is in a researching position that might suit my existing qualifications and career aims. I don't know if anything more long-term will come out of it, but I know I have to get some "real world" experience in researching this area. I hope something will come out of it.

Volunteering abroad would be great, but not possible due to commitments at home. If I thought it could advance my prospective career here, I'd try and do it. After all, I'm willing to work for nothing for nine months. I could find out that the WPP has no real prospects and if that's the case, I obviously won't go through with it.

At the moment, I have to look seriously at any research job in this area.

gollem_1975 · 01-11-2010 11:51am

mr.interested wrote: »

I'm sorry, but that's a disgrace that having a PhD you're applying for WPP. Why not go for voluntarism in some developing or poor countries instead? Much better for your CV and experience.

Ahem...Ireland needs you too!

mr.interested · 01-11-2010 12:09pm

gollem_1975 wrote: »

Ahem...Ireland needs you too!

Well, PM me if you're aware of a charity or non-for-profit organisation that needs somebody in financial area, and I'd be more than happy to help!

gollem_1975 · 01-11-2010 1:29pm

mr.interested wrote: »

Well, PM me if you're aware of a charity or non-for-profit organisation that needs somebody in financial area, and I'd be more than happy to help!

Fair play to you.

maybe try looking on http://www.volunteer.ie/ ?

Also Keep an eye on the Fas website.

e.g. St.Michaels and the National College For the Blind (both in D9 where I live) were looking for WPP staff on the fas website when I was looking for a position a few months back. In fact if my memory serves me correctly many of the positions in D1 and D9 seemed to be with community support organisations.

good luck

Mrs OBumble · 02-11-2010 3:36pm

Vacancy: JB574671

"Area of activity in which placement is offered: general PA secretarial support to CEO and owner. Participants will gain experience in: general office administration, working with CEO and other management in setting up new businesses, organising time, meetings etc for CEO, attending some meetings - multi tasking. Person specification: energetic, self motivated and a self starter, very interested to learn and grow, committed. "

What makes me think they're in examinership? Well, look at the contact email addreses ... nuff said.

mr.interested · 02-11-2010 6:17pm

Ok, this is fun: Management/Finance Trainee (WPP1), Based in CASTLEBAR (URBAN), Ref. WPP1-543867.

Job Description

Area of Activity: Accounts Office, Business analysis, IT Department, Shop Floor, Business Administration, IT, Accounts Payable and Purchasing, Shop Management, Project Management. Elements of Experience: Good all round experience offered. The 9 month placement will be overseen and supported by our Head Office / Financial Manager. The trainee will receive wide experience in a successful business. Person Specification: May suit Business Graduate looking for experience in Business, IT or Accounting. Self-motivated, team player. An appropriate 3rd level qualification in Business Studies, Accountancy, Business Administration or other relevant areas.

Management/Finance Trainee? Come on, the activity is in every possible department. Ridiculous.

Lux23 · 02-11-2010 7:08pm

I just came across interesting WPP2 role which I sent in an application for. Its in PR which I have experience with in house but not with an agency, im on the dole three months and despite some success with getting interviews the roles weren't overly exciting and the roles I have been really interested in have said I don't have the right experience even for an interview.

Is it worth my while doing this? If I find a full time paid role in the meantime can I leave the placement? Also I am 28 and have over 2 years experience in PR and Marketing, so am I selling myself short taking one of these jobs and taking the opportunity from someone who is straight out of college?

I am just torn, I don't want to sit on my bum for much longer but roles in my field are very limited and I don't want to start something that may screw up my future career prospects.

AJJ2010 · 09-11-2010 9:59am

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.

jimoc · 09-11-2010 10:44am

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?

WPP1 / WPP2

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