• Search
  • You are here:  
  • Home
  • News
  • HGV training and building work to be offered to claimants with LCWRA

News

HGV training and building work to be offered to claimants with LCWRA

Details

 The government has announced that tens of thousands of universal credit (UC) claimants with limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA) are to be offered support from jobcentres, including signposting to HGV driver training and on the job training in construction and hospitality.  Accepting the support is voluntary and your benefits will not be affected if you refuse.

1,000 Jobcentre staff - to be known as Pathways to Work advisers - will offer support to claimants with limited capability for work (LCW) or LCWRA.  They will be based in every jobcentre in England, Wales and Scotland and will aim to engage with 65,000 people by the end of the financial year.

The DWP say that “The offer is voluntary and will be made to LCWRA claimants via their Universal Credit journal with tailored appointments taking place monthly.“

The kind of support on offer includes:

  • being directed to Connect to Work, which provides personalised job-search assistance, employer engagement and on and off the job support, or
  •  WorkWell, which combines medical help with career guidance
  • signposting to work placed training schemes in sectors including construction, hospitality, and manufacturing
  • skills training in programmes such as IT or HGV driving.

We would stress again that there is no obligation to take part in this programme, claimants are free to simply turn the offer down.

There’s more details from the DWP here.

Comments

Write comments...
or post as a guest
People in conversation:
Loading comment... The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Carolyn
    · 11 days ago
    HGV, construction and hospitality are quite possibly the least appropriate things to be attempting to force LCWRA claimants into. I know they say it's voluntary, but you know damn well they're going to be trying to manipulate vulnerable people. If they'd come up with circus skills it wouldn't be a more stupid idea. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Eliza
      · 9 days ago
      @Carolyn Very few people want those jobs these days, that’s why they’re trying to push vulnerable people into training. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Jan Johnson
    · 11 days ago
    Well what bright spark came up with that idea?  I got told I could work as a carer in a care home.  I had retired from 30 years as a hospital nurse 6 months prior to this, as I was exhausted.  If you do a manual job like my husband and I did, it eventually catches up with you.  I would like to see one of these government ministers for a hard physical job when they're in their 60's.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Peter Walker
    · 11 days ago
    Until I was too ill to work, I spent 40 years driving HGV's . It's very hard work, usually between 60 to 70 hrs per week. Starting work at 4am, sleeping in the vehicle, struggling to find a safe place to park and get a shower and hot meal. Working outside in all weather's loading, tipping and roping and sheeting.
    There's a big shortage of HGV drivers, no wonder when people realise what's involved. I can't see this working.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      adrian
      · 11 days ago
      @Peter Walker 35  yrs lgv/ hgv driving 1990 . 40 + yrs transport . Age 62  mobility disabilitys  last 18 mouths  CAUSE  accident & working in transport . HGV  driving no good for folk with  MOBILTY/ SPINE DISABILITYS .    WANT WORK .  WHAT ?????  Govertnment thincking off ?????. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Rob
    · 11 days ago
    How about getting the able body people into employment first spending money on special training etc as it clearly states on your lcwra we have help for you if you want it not trying to guilt trip the disabled etc with personal messages,in journal and says it voluntarily that is until next year when it won't be anyway ?
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Elanor
    · 11 days ago
    This idea is so harmful! For one if we are talking about mental health applicants driving a hgv is surely a dangerous situation for anyone on the road. And for applicants with physical disabilities- how on earth are they going to manage driving long strenuous hours let alone working in construction!!! It just doesn't make any common sense at. All  the government want is to just get more people to do manual labour and to haul more goods across the country- they don't care about helping you "get into" work. Both ideas are diabolical and not suitable for people on lcwra. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Elanor
      · 11 days ago
      @Elanor And to add to the hospitality side it's still extremely physical work. Many moons ago when I was in a remission I went back to hospitality and done permitted work. 8 hours a week - I thought no problem! How wrong was I! I pushed through 6 months and had to fight to have a 15 minute break between the 2 four hours shifts in a week. As they (the company I worked for) usually don't give you a break when you work only four hours in a day. 
      I relapsed bad- this was 2017 and I've not come out of my relapse since. 

      If I had of had help trying to access something better suited for me becuase I was so desperate to work then I may well still have been in remission and possibly working now. But no help was/is given. I'm now too scared to even try any type of work unless its working from home for myself and even now I've asked for support with looking into this and no one has messaged me back on my journal. It's a shambles 

      I also volunteered at a cat shelter, you can't just pick the nice jobs ( I wish I could just be a resident cat cuddler lol but would actually benefit the cats social aspects greatly!) but it comes with all the cleaning and lifting and it's exhausting, so I couldn't carry on. Honestly even for the people that want to work or give things a go the government don't care! They just want to "help" you get into work that most benefits them! 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    David
    · 11 days ago
    Sounds like they are offering free training where there is already funding / Bootcamps in place and not real help and support for those with LCW/LCWRA; meaning its about looks and no really meat to the bone of their 'support'. Id love to see the MPs doing these jobs and the hours and manual labour linked to them without the additional health issues which prevent us doing them.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Cat
    · 11 days ago
    Well someone wasn't thinking things through when they suggested this! 

    All of those jobs you have to be physically fit and able to lift and carry heavy items. 

    I used to work in hospitality many moons ago and I was extremely fit.  I often worked split shifts and more often than not I covered the graveyard shift because they were short on staff who could cover. 
    So often I would end up working all day and getting home closer to 1 am on busy nights. 


    So how on Earth are people who are on LCWRA, People who are disabled? 
    Yet again they are determined to take things out on disabled  people.  I know they say it's voluntary, but seriously????  
    Couldn't they think of something that is more suitable for people who wants to give it a go?
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Carolyn
      · 11 days ago
      @Cat I too worked in hospitality when I was young and fit. An outside catering company, we used to do hospitality tents at showgrounds, racecourses and specialist posh marquee events. It was the most exhausting job I've ever had, and I've worked in a freezer warehouse. We could be doing 20 hour days for four days over the big agricultural shows! You just can't do that for any longer and certainly not when you aren't in your peak. The problem is that most of the people coming up with these ideas have simply never had a job outside of politics. They just have no idea what real jobs entail. HGV driver? Oh that's just sitting down all day..... 🙄. 🤦
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Gazilla
    · 11 days ago
    I'd love to see these MPs of all persuasions do a manual job and work the hours and get the pay that the average manual worker gets , they would last half a day , clueless doesn't even begin to sum these lot up 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Pamela Mitchell
    · 11 days ago
    Are they crazy. LCW means they are not suitable to work in Reconstruction ie building  sites or be trained in HGV training.

    It is cruel to put them through the training pressure. Then even if they do miraculously pass the test and have driving a HGV on the road what are they going to be like under pressure driving a HGV on busy motorways and congested traffic.

    People with any mental health or LCW need jobs that are less pressured. What about picking fruit?

    When people suffer from mental health or Lcw they need to be handled wirh kid gloves and compassion


    I am sure there are many jobs that are less demanding.
    What about park maintenance
    Removing plastic waste from the beaches.
    Clearing ditches and rivers from waste.
    Much safer than driving HGV
    or working on a building sites which is a dangerous occupation.
    ALSO dangerous for other road users to have someone with a me tal health condition or LCW in charge of HGV vehicles on our roads
    There are bound to be accidents , even fatalities.

    Helping to feed farm animals or helping escued animal centres.




    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Tiggy
      · 11 days ago
      @Pamela Mitchell I have Fibromyalgia and struggle to just move around my flat or look after myself. I pay for help at home with my Higher level PIP. I couldn't  do any of the things you mention. I also have terrible brain fog and working-memory problems, along with constant fatigue I'm also 61. If I could work, I'd  do what I was doing before. I'm  neither safe, nor reliable. Even looking after animals at a rescue centre is hard physical work I'd  be unable to undertake, though I so wish I could, as the more cats and dogs the better.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Cat
      · 11 days ago
      @Pamela Mitchell Even helping to  feed farm animals or helping out at a sanctuary feeding animals is hard work. Just caring for a horse etc is hard work. Heavy lifting as feed sacks come in 20kg bags. Plus buckets of water are heavy.  Then you have the animals as well. They can get pushy when food is about.  
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    len tansley
    · 12 days ago
    yes good idear to get hgv licence but companies will not take you on untill you have licence for at least 2years
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Yorry
    · 15 days ago
    It must be a joke or some strange trick! Someone in the LCWRA group either has a physical or psychological illness, how on earth are they going to safely drive a HGV vehicle. If the person on LCWRA has a physical disability there is no way they are climbing into a cab. If the person on LCWRA has a psychological illness they shouldn't be driving a HGV vehicle. Whoever thinks this crap up needs sacking!
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    John
    · 18 days ago
    The government is back to implying mental health conditions are not a reason to not work and get disability benefits. 

    BBC Radio 4’s Today programme asked the prime minister if the government would tell those with anxiety and depression that their conditions are no excuse to stop seeking work.

    Starmer answered
    “I think we need to look again at this issue of mental health and ask ourselves a fundamental question, which is: would we not be better putting our money in the resources and support that is needed for mental health than simply saying, it’s to be provided in benefits?”

    “I’m not saying you shouldn’t have benefits for mental health issues, but I do think we need to examine this quite carefully. I have to say, I am particularly concerned about young people in this regard – there are about a million young people who are on benefits, not all for mental health issues, but quite a number for mental health issues."

    “I think that is wrong, and I don’t just say that because of the spending implications. I say it because if you are on benefits in your twenties, it is going to be extremely difficult to get off benefits for the rest of your life. It is not good, and there’s a million young people in that position. So there’s a moral case for changing that, that I’m perfectly prepared to make.”
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Ross C
    · 18 days ago
    "your benefits will not be affected if you refuse" ... what if you accept? Will they say "if you're well enough to train, then you're well enough to work. So we're stopping your benefits ... which means you've got no income and can't afford to actually DO the training.
    So now you have to go and get a job without training just so you can afford to live"

    And round and round we go .....
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Tiggy
      · 11 days ago
      @Ross C Or they can put it on the list of things you could do to help you get better and claim you aren't trying, even though some health problems you are not expected to get better from.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      adrian
      · 11 days ago
      @Ross C THINCK  if u  choose pathway to work , go on into working . 6  mouths to try job keep ur lcwra .  if u give up  cant cope . u go back on uc / lcwra  no sanctions .  NOT  clear if you stay working after more 26 weeks 6 mouths if lose  (lcwra) 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Jonno
      · 16 days ago
      @Ross C Very succinctly put. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    John
    · 18 days ago
    If it is no big deal because it is voluntary depends on how vulnerable the disabled person is. Any contact by the DWP can be detrimental to some people. The DWP used to have some claimants they were never supposed to contact directly, only via their GP or care worker or family. Those days it seems are long gone. Now the DWP will contact by email, letter and phone claimants to discus opportunities and offers towards working regardless of the nature and severity of the claimant's disability or illness. Despite their benefit awards being the highest and longest possible awards and having no conditionality. I wonder if they even bother to read any DWP safeguarding notes on the claimants before contacting them. I doubt it. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Sam
      · 18 days ago
      @John All of this!! My mental health deteriorates every single time they contact me even for something random like the annual benefit increase, even if I know it's coming and it's not something I need to engage with them about I still seem to spiral and end up doing myself harm! You better believe if they contact me about this offer and they will I will give them a very detailed response of the damage they do! 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Aw
    · 19 days ago
    HGV drivers - mostly Men, Building work - mostly Men. We Women are just doing the washing up then are we?
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Kat
      · 18 days ago
      @Aw It was actually suggested to me, then 59 with arthritis sciatica and degenerative disc disease in my neck, that I attended a construction and engineering jobs fair.... And retrain as a lifeguard, become a kitchen porter, or give up my social housing flat to live on a caravan park and clean toilets from April to September....
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Boo
    · 19 days ago
    Government issues guidance on assessing fitness to drive, handy given they will be encouraging sick & disabled to take training to get a HGV licence!

  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Boo
    · 19 days ago
    Government publishers guidance if you have accessibility needs.

    You may be disappointed as there’s nothing about HGV, construction or hospitality!!! 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      adrian
      · 11 days ago
      @Boo IF  you have mobilty disabilty???  .  stand up right  1 min shuffle with walk stick  20 meteres . CANT self propel whhel chair . THEN 2010 equality act  reasonable adjustnments .=   PHONE , VIDEO , EMAIL , LETTER CONTACT APPOINTMENTS  .  AS  lot jcp jobcentres , assetnment centres  are in centre towns .  PEDESTRIANS  NO vechile car access  more 20 meteres  from car park /// bus stop  YOU  cant get there with mobility issuies TO FAR TRY WALK . 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    keepingitreal
    · 19 days ago
    The stress and fear are rising, just as when the government last had a good idea, remember - the 4 point rule etc? It wont work. It can't happen. Our worst enemy is letting them inside our heads.


    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Helen Galloway
      · 19 days ago
      @keepingitreal Absolutely spot on and they can’t manage the work they’ve got now or it’s so slow. Do not let them take any room is spot on. Another way of dealing with them is calling their bluff . They wouldn’t have a clue how to deal with it. Nobody can say hand on heart that this or that won’t happen but honestly they will be inundated and not prepared to cope.I suppose that it’s easy for me to say this because I have no intention of engaging with them unless it’s for claims after they destroyed my confidence work capacity and nearly me in HMRC . But I might lose my money then I’ll have to cope with it. But please nobody let them in. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      James h
      · 19 days ago
      @keepingitreal @keepingitreal the best comment of the day that very true indeed 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Harry
    · 19 days ago

    Be careful although they say its voluntary and you don't need to respond to the offer on the UC journal
    disabled people are finding that the DWP are still contacting them via phone saying " they want to explain this offer more clearly "

    The good advice is to politely but firmly say No Thank you then terminate the call.
    If needed get the callers first name and where they are based in case you need to make a complaint.

    Reposted as the full comment was not posted
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      adrian
      · 11 days ago
      @Harry BEST  to reply on journal . JUST  say thanck you for offer pathways .  I  dont wish to take up offer OR  parrticipate in pathways .  IAM  for seable future lcwra ,  unfit for to work work realated activity  . THEN  you legal proof on journal  IF THEY  coach bothers , push yoy & latter date . 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Harry
    · 19 days ago
    Be careful although they say its voluntary and you don't need to respond to the offer on the UC journal, 
    disabled people are finding that the DWP are still contacting them via phone saying " they want to explain this offer more clearly " 

    The good advice is to politely but firmly say No Thank 

Free PIP, ESA & UC Updates!

Delivered Fortnightly

Over 110,000 claimants and professionals subscribe to the UK's leading source of benefits news.

 
iContact

Latest news

We use cookies

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.

Ok Decline
More about cookies