John Colamatheo, 57, from Wrexham was mistakenly placed on a DWP-linked Movement to Work recruitment pathway intended for people aged 16 to 30.
He completed his first week of training and started a second before being told he did not meet the programme’s age criteria. DWP has acknowledged the error, apologised and said it is helping him explore other employment opportunities.
| Detail | What Happened |
| Claimant | John Colamatheo |
| Age | 57 |
| Location | Wrexham |
| Previous Work | Construction |
| Programme | Movement to Work |
| Published Age Range | 16 to 30 |
| Error Discovered | During his second week |
| DWP Response | Apology and discussion of alternative support |
Last Updated: 11.09.2026
Why John Colamatheo Wanted to Return to Work?
Mr Colamatheo had been out of employment for around a year after an ankle injury prevented him from continuing in construction.
He was receiving Universal Credit while trying to find a suitable route back into work. Returning to employment was important to him for reasons beyond simply earning an income.
Speaking about his situation, he said:
“I needed it, not for the money, for my mental health.”
He also missed the social side of employment and the camaraderie that came with working alongside other people.
The possibility of working as a Universal Credit Agent therefore appeared particularly relevant.
Having experienced disability, unemployment and the benefits system himself, Mr Colamatheo believed that experience could help him understand and support people dealing with similar circumstances.
He prepared seriously for the opportunity. He bought new clothes so he could look presentable during the training, despite saying the expense was difficult to afford at the time.
His expectation was that he would eventually recover that cost if the opportunity resulted in paid employment.
That made the sudden end to the training particularly disappointing.
Universal Credit claimants who face costs when applying for or starting work can, in some circumstances, receive help with expenses.
Current GOV.UK guidance on help with job expenses says support may be available for costs such as interview clothing, uniforms, equipment, travel to an interview and childcare before receiving a first wage.
Claimants normally need to speak to their work coach or Universal Credit contact about eligibility.
There is no indication that Mr Colamatheo has been reimbursed for the clothing he bought, but the available support is relevant to other claimants who may face similar upfront employment costs.
How a 57-Year-Old Was Placed on a Youth Employment Scheme?
The unusual part of the Wrexham case is not simply that Mr Colamatheo failed an eligibility requirement. He had already been accepted onto the programme and started participating before the mistake was identified.
He said there was nothing in the job advertisement he saw that indicated the opportunity was restricted to people aged 30 or under.
After completing approximately a week of training, he returned for his second week expecting to continue. He was then taken aside and told that an error had been made because he was too old for the particular programme.
Mr Colamatheo questioned why the problem had not been identified earlier and said the experience had “destroyed my confidence”.
DWP subsequently confirmed that he had mistakenly been placed on the Movement to Work programme.
The information publicly available does not explain exactly where the checking process failed. It would therefore be inappropriate to attribute the error to a particular employee or administrative system without further evidence.
What is clear is that Mr Colamatheo progressed far enough to spend time and money preparing for the opportunity before the published age requirement was applied.
What Is the Movement to Work Programme?
Movement to Work is designed to help younger people who face barriers to entering employment gain workplace experience and improve their chances of securing a job.
The Civil Service operates a Movement to Work recruitment pathway as part of its Going Forward into Employment routes.
According to the official Civil Service Movement to Work pathway information, DWP was a founding member of Movement to Work in 2013.
The Civil Service pathway involves a two-week work experience placement that can potentially lead to a temporary fixed-term appointment lasting up to 24 months, with the possibility of permanent employment later.
Published eligibility conditions include:
- Being Aged 16 To 30
- Not Being In Education, Employment Or Training
- Having The Right To Work In The Civil Service Under Nationality Rules
Potential candidates can be sourced through Jobcentres, including people receiving Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance.
The official guidance advises interested claimants to speak to their work coach, who can check whether appropriate placements are available locally.
The employment outcome is also important to understand.
Completing the work experience does not automatically guarantee somebody a Civil Service job. The pathway says it can potentially lead to a temporary appointment.
That explains why Mr Colamatheo could reasonably have viewed the training as an opportunity to return to employment without a job being formally guaranteed at that stage.
Was the Universal Credit Agent Role Actually Age Restricted?
One of the most important distinctions in the case is between the job itself and the recruitment pathway through which the opportunity was offered.
The published 16-to-30 restriction applies to the Movement to Work pathway.
It should not be interpreted as evidence that every Universal Credit Agent vacancy or every comparable DWP position is restricted to applicants under the age of 31.
Civil Service departments recruit through several different routes, and vacancies can have different eligibility requirements depending on the role and recruitment programme involved.
In Mr Colamatheo’s case, DWP’s acknowledged error was placing him onto a youth-focused pathway whose published criteria excluded someone of his age.
This distinction also helps explain why he questioned the restriction. The duties of a desk-based benefits role may not obviously appear age-specific to an applicant, while the programme being used as the route into that role can still have a defined age range.
Age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, but an age-based programme is not automatically unlawful.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guidance on age discrimination explains that different treatment because of age can sometimes be lawful where it can be objectively justified.
Positive action can also be used in certain circumstances to help groups experiencing disadvantage or low participation.
There has been no finding in the information available that the Movement to Work age limit was unlawful. The issue acknowledged by DWP is that Mr Colamatheo was incorrectly placed on a programme for which he did not meet the published age criteria.
What Support Is Available to Jobseekers Over 30?
Being too old for Movement to Work does not mean someone is too old to receive employment support from Jobcentre Plus or to apply for Civil Service jobs.
Universal Credit claimants may have access to different forms of support depending on their circumstances, skills, health, local opportunities and claimant commitment.
Options can include:
- Training To Develop Work-Related Skills
- Work Experience Opportunities
- Work Trials With Employers
- Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes
- Help With Certain Costs That Create A Barrier To Work
- Support From A Work Coach To Identify Suitable Vacancies
The most appropriate route will vary between individuals.
This is particularly relevant in Mr Colamatheo’s case because his previous construction experience may no longer suit his physical circumstances following his ankle injury.
A move into an administrative or claimant-support role could therefore offer a different kind of employment opportunity.
His personal experience of Universal Credit could also provide useful insight in work involving members of the public, although recruitment would still depend on the normal requirements of any vacancy.
DWP Apologises and Discusses Other Employment Options
DWP has accepted that Mr Colamatheo should not have been placed on the Movement to Work programme.
A department spokesperson said:
“We sincerely apologise for this error and are in contact with Mr Colamatheo to discuss other job support available, as we help him to explore further employment opportunities.”
The response confirms that DWP is considering alternative employment support rather than simply ending contact after the incorrect placement was discovered.
However, no confirmed outcome has yet been publicly announced.
There is currently no indication that Mr Colamatheo has been offered another DWP job, a replacement training placement or compensation for the expenses he incurred while preparing for the original opportunity.
The case therefore remains significant not because a youth programme has an age limit, but because an applicant well outside that limit was allowed to begin the process before the eligibility problem was identified.
Conclusion
The DWP training programme error in Wrexham highlights what can happen when eligibility checks are not completed before a claimant commits time and money to an employment opportunity.
John Colamatheo, 57, wanted to return to work after an injury ended his construction career and believed training connected with a Universal Credit Agent opportunity could provide a new direction.
Instead, he completed his first week and began a second before discovering that the Movement to Work pathway was restricted to people aged between 16 and 30.
The restriction applies to the youth-focused recruitment pathway rather than automatically applying to every Universal Credit Agent or Civil Service job.
DWP has apologised and says it is helping Mr Colamatheo explore other employment options. What has not yet been confirmed is whether that support will result in another training opportunity or a job.
