Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I would be grateful if the Deputy passed on information to employers in his constituency, Galway West. We welcome contact from employers who are seeking employees. We now have an employer service, which comprises a series of staff dedicated specifically to contacting employers when they are recruiting. We want to ensure that people who are unemployed have a chance to pitch for those jobs and, it is to be hoped, get them. There are many different examples of that.

If an employer comes to us or we make contact with an employer, we will, for instance, consider the kind of candidate it wants, taking into account age, background and other information. We will consider, in particular, educational qualifications and whether a candidate has any previous work experience. If a new employer coming to an area wants to employ ten or 20 people, we will undertake, together with local education and training boards, the training of potential staff. The employer can then offer such people employment.

We launched the new Intreo Pathways programme today. Employers, such as those based at the airport, are now using Intreo services to recruit in areas such as Sligo, where JenaValve Technology worked with St. Angela's College and the Sligo Intreo office to develop a particular course in technology relating to medical devices. Subsequently, all of the people from the course were successfully employed.

I certainly welcome the initiatives on engagement with employers. The Intreo offices have a great role in client profiling and one-to-one consultation with case officers. What is the role of the IDA, Enterprise Ireland or Údarás na Gaeltachta with regard to the Intreo offices, profiling the jobs they have or engaging with interested participants?

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