Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Carroll for coming before the committee to share his in-depth knowledge. The area I represent is an inner-city working class or non-working class area. I grew up in an area with manufacturing with Lambs jam, Rowntree Mackintosh and the Fleetwood brush factory. One could leave school at 14 and have a job the next day without any qualifications. Times have changed for many people, but a certain group comes through the school system with a very poor standard of education and JobBridge is very suited to them because it gives them an opportunity. The Chairman said it very well with regard to companies feeling a moral responsibility in communities and I see it in my area. They are very glad to take on young people who do not have huge qualifications or a good leaving certificate which, perhaps, they barely passed. These employers are willing to give them an opportunity and this is where JobBridge is very important.

I heard what the representatives of Ballymun Jobs Centre said with regard to the increase in the numbers of young people since the pilot project was phased out. It is important for us as public representatives to know this. We are supposed to be the eyes and ears of every community but we are not capable of doing so. I am not God, let us face it, and I cannot see everything and anything that goes on without organisations such as Ballymun Jobs Centre feeding me information. Meetings such as this are about getting information, bringing it to a higher level in the political party which is in government and insisting projects such as these have an opportunity to continue their work because they are very valued. Whoever is in government has a responsibility to look after the people in this middle bracket who have not gone to college and do not have good leaving certificate results and get them experience for jobs. These schemes have criteria and if companies are taking on people without giving them an opportunity to learn, understand and progress it is a huge problem and it must be addressed.

I know a man who went into a job which did not require the qualifications he had. He told me he did so because he no longer wanted to lie in bed in the mornings and did not want to be seen as somebody who just did not want to work and receive a payment every week. After a short time, not even nine months, he got a very good job. We cannot forget about these people, who are in their 40s and 50s.

In general I have no problem with people saying negative or inspiring things during this debate. All of those contributions are important. However, if we return to the case of the individual who gets a job and how much it means to him, if we can give more individuals jobs, we will have provided a huge opportunity, be it through JobBridge or Pathways to Work.