Ms Eileen O'Brien:

We have considerable difficulty. We seek what we tend to call sympathetic employers, but they are very few and far between. Our lads will always be at the end of the list in terms of qualifications and readiness for work. They also have gaps in their careers. It is hard for a person who has been inside for three or four years to account for that in a CV.

As Mr. O'Donnell mentioned, we opened the garden café in response to the lack of opportunities in employment for our lads as they were leaving. Especially during the downturn there was no hope of placements or getting work. As we had to respond in some way, we created our own opportunities for employment. We sometimes get together with other community employment schemes. We might take a placement from another scheme and that service would take a placement from us. Some placements are worked through networking and whom one knows. However, getting jobs is difficult. We have a few lads who are driving and delivering pizzas, but it is really difficult. That is why we want to progress the social enterprise.

We have a very good skills base. We have an excellent workshop that was funded through the Probation Service. We are making really good furniture and we have some good ideas about doing some work with the Department of Social Protection so that instead of a lad going back on the dole, with some seed capital and some conversations we might be able to set up a more work-orientated workshop where they could be employed and generate income.

A core part of progression and integration into mainstream life is for these men to actually work. Men need to work. It brings an additional set of feel-good factors to be able to provide for one's family. I am not saying it is not important for women too, but for the man in the house it is really important to have regained his ground in the house and be able to work. It has a big impact on the children and the whole family. We struggle equally with trying to find employment.

As Mr. O'Donnell mentioned we would really like to see something happening with apprenticeships. Coming from the lower levels of the academic system, many of these lads would have learned woodwork and mechanical drawing. In their own families they are good with their hands and they do not struggle as much in those sorts of settings. We hope to set something up with the Construction Industry Federation to try to help them in that way.