Welfare and Education

I am a strong advocate for education, and was thinking about the Open University. It also overlapped with some thoughts about our growing welfare bill.

I think that in general we should regard welfare as a temporary support to help people who have had employment misfortunes to get back on their feet.

All welfare payments should be reviewed every three months. They should be accompanied, from day one, with a training and education package to help them find work.

Where possible we should narrow the welfare definitions – for example we cannot afford ‘stress and anxiety’ to be grounds for long term ‘non working’. People are entitled to try to find ‘appropriate work’ matching skills and experience – but after three months they should have to accept any job, or have benefits stopped. Clearly people with disabilities need extra support to find suitable work, and appropriate training. A small number can be relieved of the work responsibility, most terminallyill people forexample.

The issue links to education and training. I would make the Open University free of charge, and remove requirements for ‘preliminary qualifications’. We should encourage peope to get started, whilst recognising that some will need a kind of foundation year to get them up to speed.

I’d also make all of the college element of apprentice and other vocational training ‘open access’ and free of charge.

At the least, everyone should be able to read, write and do basic maths. I think almost everyone can handle social media on a phone: so the education pathway could commence with basic skills taught online….

Howeve, I would link this to a requirement that all of those claiming benefits but not in work or education have to access education courses for 40 hours a week. This should help create a more skilled workforce.

Equally it maintains the discipline of regular ‘work’ and working hours. A life of benefits should not be a long term empty life, short on stimulation, and with no future…..

Some might decide that if the alternative is study, a local job might be easier and more congenial. Payment of benefits would be tied to the course engagement.