Benefit cuts for training refuseniks branded ineffective

The report by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) into a pilot of the plans says cutting benefits "was neither necessary nor effective".

The Job Seeker’s Allowance Skills Conditionality Pilot was launched in April last year and targeted claimants who had been unemployed for at least six months and had a lack of skills.

Those who did lose their benefits said family and friends helped them financially, which "sometimes caused stress and affected family relationships".

Alison Garnham, chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: "These findings are more evidence that the government’s ‘Big Government’ approach, such as forcing parents to attend inappropriate courses as part of temporary pilots can be wasteful, ineffective and may make matters worse.

"Ignoring claimants’ own requests for appropriate skills training is particularly short-sighted and sanctioning claimants for failure to attend sometimes pointless training is penalising common sense."

Researchers found many claimants would have attended training with or without sanctions because they welcomed help. They also felt "a general obligation to agree to their adviser’s recommendations," according to the NIESR.

Many also felt that the policy of sanctions treated all claimants indiscriminately as "workshy".

The training was also criticised for not being appropriate, too focused on CV writing and not offering the skills they felt they needed. Those looking for work in security and construction felt particularly let down by the quality of training. Instead, claimants wanted more individual support tailored to their skills and aspirations.

The NIESR added: "Some claimants complained at being sent on repeated courses in job search [strategies] and CV writing and others felt that their own job search strategies, which included volunteering and training, were not taken into account before they were mandated to attend training."

One claimant said: "The course was basically how to use a computer to set up a CV but I had nothing to put on the CV because I haven’t worked, unless you count being a cleaner in prison... I don’t think a course is going to help me... I need employers that are prepared to take on ex-cons."

A conclusion reached was that training was more effective when those taking part do so freely.