work for the dole
I have been working on a new project. With the advent of our new facilites a number of new possibilities are opening for us as a Church. One of these is being a provider for work for the dole placements. Today, Roger and I interviewed a canditate who will start next week on a two day per week position at our Church. Her responsibilities will include one day per week in the op shop (which opens this friday), and one day per week in our office working on our weekly Church newsletter. I am quite excited about our ability to assist Emma in providing her with experiences that may help her find employment. In return our Church benefits from her work with us. A nice win-win.
Has anyone else had experience with work for the dole programs? I would be interested in your comments as we are potentially going to have three or four other work for the dole participants with us in the short term. In the longer term we are planning a business incubater with our rear warehouse that would be operated by 2 teams of 15 work for the dole participants each working two days per week.
I am excited about the project but also a little nervous - any experience out there?
June 11th, 2004 at 1:39 am
it can be potluck. sometimes you will end up with real gems and a good experience and sometimes not.
June 11th, 2004 at 9:45 am
As someone who in recent history placed work for the dole candidates, I highly recommend you have a go. My experience is that with relatively new requirements on newstart participants, there are some high calibur people who find themselves needing to undertake work for the dole activities purely through circumstance. Many of these people would add significant value to your ministry.
June 12th, 2004 at 12:06 am
I was a WFTD participant placed at my local Salvos op shop. Loathsome. The worst six weeks of my life. I got transferred after that, as did everyone on my program; we all got lumbered with the Salvos (the people running the program, Sydney City Mission, were particularly unimaginative in how they disposed of us) and someone must’ve complained about it, as I got a call six weeks in offering me something else (office work at Waverley Cemetery). Someone else from the same program wound up there too.
Personally I take a fairly dim view of the WFTD idea. Nothing inherently wrong with it in theory, but in application it frequently seems to be disastrous. I suspect, too, that a lot of the work providers are in it for the free labour, frankly. Certainly Waverley Council must’ve been delighted to get two part-time workers for three months without having to pay either of them wages.
June 29th, 2004 at 1:47 pm
It is true we opened our doors to a number of applicants from WFTD mkII.
Of the six that turned up for duties, three were worth our time and expense. A not unreasonable result.
I believe two of the three were offered on-going employment (of some constructive kind) after leaving us. The third was employed full time a little while after. One took up training in a new field he was introduced to whist here and achieved a qualification.
I know all participants left us with a greater knowledge of work applications and gained valuable work experience. This was reflected in their changed attitudes as their time with us went on.
If any of them choose to apply this, then good, if not,… “they are the masters of their own destiny”.
August 22nd, 2004 at 2:10 pm
Im also working for the dole and have the same comments as James Russell.
Except im shifting furniture for the salvo’s no safty gear, no training, and im working with community service guys ( Criminals in more polite words)
Last week we cleaned out a house that was a drug users house where she died … top job used Syringes, table spoons of used herioin you name it… worst bit was the kids toys i had to clean up and take down the pics of there dead mother nursing the kids.
And your gunna tell me im learning something from this?
I stand corrected i have learnt a lot about people….none of it good.
Just another day of getting used and abused !
October 4th, 2005 at 11:26 am
I am currently in a work for the dole situation and I’m just thankful that I didn’t get stuck with the salvos. As it so turns out I am stuck in a television studio “making” television shows for channel 31 in Melbourne. This WFD is really a bad idea. It was motivated by the greed of multi-millionaire executives who can’t handle paying 47 cents in the dollar income tax. As for it’s results, unemployed people are expected to work in unsafe, unsanitary environments for no economic incentive. WFD attacks the core market-based economics. You can’t expect somebody to do something for nothing. That is why in the vast majority of projects you see the alienated railing off against the U.S.A. e.t.c. whilst just sitting there bored. I suppose you could just breach everybody but that will just lead to an increase in violence & crime on the streets.
October 4th, 2005 at 2:35 pm
Thanks for your comment Simon. I am sorry this has been your experience at your work for the dole placement. This has certainly not been ours. In fact, many people when they have finished their six month placement - continue to volunteer two days per week as they enjoy the environment so much.
I don’t agree that the unemployed people don’t get any economic incentive as they get their unemployment benefits while they are contributing to the non-profit sector. I don’t understand your comment about multi-millionaire exectutives as these people do not benefit from the wfd scheme. You cannot run a wfd project at a “for profit” company.
As for your comment about people railing against the USA - I think that is happening in the lunch rooms and next to the water coolers of paid employees as well as wfd participants.