Ms Joanna Corcoran:

On the issue of bringing Travellers into the workforce, we need to provide them with a safe workspace. One of the recommendations to achieve that was to have a positive action programme in the public sector that targets Travellers in public sector recruitment. If Travellers feel there is a safe space to go into, they will apply for jobs. One way to provide that is to address the issue of hate speech and hate speech legislation and to get that issue sorted in order to ensure Travellers are covered under that. Along with that, actions should be taken to challenge employers.

If the challenge is put to the employers on addressing inequalities when it comes to employing ethnic minorities, for example, then we will definitely see change. On the way in which a lot of jobs are advertised, we are seeing some unnecessary entry requirements. I know there are plenty of Travellers who would be able to take on roles but part of getting an interview is having a leaving certificate. Life skills and life experiences are not taken into account, as was gone into a little bit earlier. In a room full of Travellers who have not done their leaving certificate, none of them can apply for that job or will not apply for it because that in itself will put them off. It is one of the recommendations that employers avoid having unnecessary requirements just to apply for a job.