With the UK unemployment rate
reaching a 14-year high at 2.5 million and over
1.5 million people claiming Jobseekers Allowance, more candidates than ever are
relying on government initiatives such as the Jobcentre Plus to help them find
work.

The economic situation, for recruiters,
candidates and employers has never looked so bleak. Queues at Jobcentre Plus
offices around the country have never been so long. However, according to its
website, the Jobcentre Plus service offers 11,500 new job vacancies each
working day. So why is the number of unemployed growing?

The inability of the Jobcentre Plus scheme to accurately skills test the
growing number of job applicants could greatly hinder recovery from the
recession.

Recent research from the Federation of Small Businesses stated that one
in three companies find the Jobcentre Plus system ineffective. However,
candidates are also feeling the brunt.

Jobcentre Plus is the biggest and most accessible medium
across the country for job seekers. However the placements through this medium
are being hindered due to a lack of trust and faith by businesses and
organisations. Sustained complaints such as, ‘submitted candidates skills are
not aligned to the job specifications’ and ‘candidates employed are unable to
perform the tasks for which they are employed’ are undermining confidence. In
this climate business and organisations will not use ineffective means to
employ, and adopt other methods and so the cycle continues. This, when
it is the best placed organisation in the country and should be coming into its
own, is frustrating for all concerned.

Breaking that cycle can be done and would play a pivotal role in helping
many jobseekers back to work. For example, identifying if a candidate has the
specific skills required for the role before they apply, gives both the
candidate and employer confidence. Additionally, applications are often chosen
by the candidate. Many candidates are often limited or limit themselves to
certain jobs. This may be down to lack of experience in a particular area or
industry, however they could well harbour the key skills needed and find their
true vocation. Assessments can be used to uncover hidden skills and open opportunities
not previously considered.

HR departments of major corporate organisations and recruitment agencies
have been using skills tests to successfully match candidates with vacancies
for decades. Applicants using the Jobcentre Plus system are lucky if they get
assistance from staff with their requirements, let alone a professional and
efficient job matching service.

A large applicant pool does not always deliver the best candidates for
the role.  Effective measurement of
basic skills and potential to train to fit the ethos of the business is
vital.  There are various ways to
identify the right person for the role and benchmarking the most effective and
successful employees can be used as guidance. With the right assessment of
skills, potential can be readily identified to deliver the right individual for
the induction process. 

With Yvette Cooper, Work and Pensions Secretary recently announcing the
government’s commitment to helping younger people, particularly
supporting graduate employment and apprenticeships for 16-18 year olds, help is
on its way.

However, the rest of the country needs urgent help now.
The number of unemployed white collar workers is on the increase, as recently
outlined by a BBC documentary investigating the government’s £40million scheme
to help the estimated 350,000 jobless in the middle-classes. The programme
explored the trials and tribulations of five unemployed people, ranging from a
business graduate to a HR manager. Within five months, none of them had found
work through the Jobcentre Plus. One candidate, a senior marketing director,
had even invested in privately-funded coaching sessions to help him find work.

In an economic climate of inevitable tax-rises and
service cuts, tax payers’ money needs to be put to the best possible use. If the
Jobcentre Plus wants to truly succeed in its aims, it needs to adopt
technologies that will bring confidence back to its “customers”, can speed up
the system and help place applicants in the right job, first time in a
cost-effective way. Currently, the system is failing both businesses and
candidates by its inability to supply industry with the right skills set.

There is growing frustration amongst the skills assessment industry,
over the Jobcentre Plus offering. It is an unfortunate reality that specialist
skills testing and training companies do offer the technology to help solve
some of the unemployment problems posed by the recession but, from our
experience, the Jobcentre Plus is not willing to consider it. Our concern is
that without new technologies such as online skills testing, and a new way of
approaching the job market as a whole, the Jobcentre Plus scheme will hinder
more job applicants than it will help.