Fact Sheet

New Deal for young people: Work in the Environment Task Force

Information for Jobseekers

What is New Deal for young people?

New Deal offers exciting opportunities. It will focus on individual needs - your needs - to help you find work. If you are aged between 18-24 and have been out of work for some time New Deal will give you the work skills and training you need to find a job and keep it.

You will join New Deal if you have been unemployed and claimed Jobseeker's Allowance for at least six months. But in some special cases you may be able to join New Deal straight away. Your local Jobcentre will give you details.

Once you join New Deal you will get up to four months of special help, advice, and activity in finding a job. This is called the 'Gateway'. During the Gateway you will be given support from a Personal Advisor who will continue to help you throughout your time on New Deal. This way, they will get to know you and be able to offer you advice based on your needs. They will also be able to help you decide which New Deal option would be most suitable to you. You will also have the opportunity to get independent careers advice, ifGreenYellowGreenYellow you would like this.

Together with your Personal Advisor, you will complete a New Deal Action Plan which will work out your training and employment needs, and set goals for your progress and development.

At some point in the Gateway, if you have been unable to get a job already, you personal advisor will ask you to choose one of the four New Deal options. The Environment Task Force is one of these.

What are the four options?

• a subsidised job with an employer
• work with the Environment Task Force
• work in voluntary sector
• Full-time Education and Training to obtain a recognised qualification.

What kind of work would I be doing on the Environment Task Force?

Work with the Environment Task Force will give you the chance to demonstrate the work skills and experience you need to get a job. The aim of ETF is to help you, and to help improve the environment.

The types of work you could be doing include:

• restoring and renovating buildings and facilities for use by local people
• protecting and enhancing the environment. For instance, landscaping a local housing estate in a town or city, working on a nature reserve or national cycle route
• conserving energy and water
• monitoring waste produced by local businesses and transport, so that action can be taken to reduce pollution
• setting up and running recycling schemes

How much money will I get?

While working on the Environmental Task Force you get an allowance equal to your Jobseeker's Allowance plus an extra £400 paid in equal weekly instalments by the Jobcentre. You will also receive other benefits which you had been getting previously, like Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. Or you may be able to choose to receive a wage paid by the organisation you work for.

If you receive a wage you will have to meet your own transport cost. However, if you receive an allowance, any travel costs over the first £4 will be paid for you.

How long will my work with the Environmental Task Force last?

It will usually last for up to six months and for at least 30 hours per week. Not all your time will be spent working. You will also spend equal to one day a week on training or education and be given further help with finding a job.

What training will I get?

The training you will receive depends on you - it will depend on any qualifications you might already hold, what sort of future employment you might want and what sort of training would help you achieve that.

The training which will enable you to work towards an approved qualification - for example, a Scottish or National Vocational Qualification (S/NVQ). This training can be provided on the placement, or for example, at a local college or other training provider.

You can choose to work towards an environmental qualification if you wish to find an environmental qualification if you wish to find an environmental job. Or you can work towards one covering transferable skills which will help you find other types of jobs. For example, you could do a course in communication skills, business studies, computing, building skills and/or literacy and numeracy.

Your Personal Advisor will help you decide what type of training would best suit your needs. You will then complete a Training Plan with your provider when you start work on the Environment Task Force.

How is New Deal different from previous schemes?

The main difference between New Deal and previous programmes is the emphasis is on you, the individual. We will give you the personal help and support throughout your time on New Deal. And there will be flexibility to choose what option you do and the type of work within an option. We cannot guarantee your choice, but your Personal Advisor will do his or her best to get a place that really suits you. Whatever it is, you will receive proper training which will help improve your skills.

The aim of New Deal is to help you find work. That means giving you and all other New Deal participants the chance to undertake meaningful work which will be valued by future employers. The work you do and the training you will receive will give you a better chance of finding a job at the end of your time on New Deal.

As well as the support given to you during the Gateway your Personal Advisor will also be there to help you during your time on the Environment Task Force. They will visit you and your Environment Task Force provider during your placement. This is to make sure that you are being provided with the opportunities you need to achieve the goals agreed in your New Deal Action Plan.

Upon completing your time on the Environment Task Force you will be awarded a certificate and work reference in recognition of your achievements and progress, which you can show to future employers.

When does New Deal begin?

New Deal for young people began in 12 pathfinder areas in January 1998. These are Tayside; Swansea and West Wales; Sheffield and Rotheram; Eastbourne; Lambeth; Harlow and Stevenage; Cumbria; Wirral; South Derbyshire; Black Country; Newcastle; Gateshead and south Tynesdie; and Cornwall.

It will be introduced nationally from April 1998.