JSA & Work Programme

My Client is on JSA and currently on the Work Programme. He has had one employment related course [CV building] and now wishes to go on a second but he is unable to due to below DM Guidance. Does anyone know where I might find any exceptions to this. Have checked everywhere and am able to find an exception but two heads etc are better than one. Many Thanks

Employment related course

94. Claimants who are participating as a full time student in an employment related course can be treated as available and ASE for a maximum of up to 2 weeks and one such course in any period of 12 months. e.g. if claimant attends a course lasting 3 days, they do not have another 11 days banked to use within the 12 months. They can attend one course, up to two weeks within the 12 month period.

95. A week in this case is a period of 7 consecutive days starting on the first day of the course. Attendance on the course must be agreed with an adviser before they start the course.

96. Jobcentre Plus employment or training programmes are not employment related courses.

97. If a claimant wishes to participate full-time in a longer employment-related course, eg 4 weeks, they can only be treated as available and ASE for the first 2 weeks. For the remainder of the course they will be a full-time student and therefore cannot be treated as available for work.

98. An employment related course is a course which will help a claimant acquire or enhance the skills needed for:

·    employment; and/or

·    seeking employment; and/or

·    a particular occupation, for example:

o     deep-sea diving course;

o     large goods vehicle driving course; or

o     a period of trial before employment begins.

99. For a course to be accepted as ‘employment related’ it is not necessary for it to be the type of work that is recorded on the claimant’s JSAg but it must improve their chances of getting a job. A CV writing course would be regarded as employment related if it improved the claimant’s employability.