Dáil debates
Thursday, 30 June 2016
Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions
JobPath Implementation
4:55 pm
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source
As the Deputy has pointed out, nearly 40,000 people have been referred to JobPath, of whom thousands have managed to get employment. I do not doubt that there are individuals who have had bad experiences. In some cases, this is because the engagement is a tense one. When people have been on the carousel of CE schemes, training and more CE schemes, getting one-to-one attention is a significant change. However, it is largely to the benefit of most.
If the Deputy wants to give me the details of the Safe Pass case, I will have them examined. Someone should not be required to pay for a Safe Pass, in particular if he or she is on a social welfare payment. Payment of €120 is a considerable amount of money for someone who is on a little more than €180 per week.
We want people to get jobs. If someone can get one through JobPath, it is better than being on a CE scheme or JobBridge placement. A small number of people may prefer to be on either of the latter or Tús than being in a real job, but that is not something we should encourage.
David Dunne
Posted on 2 May 2017 7:32 pm (Report this comment)
There is no intense engagement. One hour a week on Indeed jobs where it shows up to 500 people have applied for one position. It's never encouraging. Their "IT facilities" is Internet Explorer that crashes constantly and I can never log into my email account to send my CV to potential employers. It's a problem with the server she always says.
A review is small talk with an advisor who gives dates for next appointments. That's what a review is. They use a lot of adjectives on their site to romanticise themselves, it's all part of the deception. 'Formal Review', I want to laugh, but it's gone beyond the point of laughter.
The personal progression plan is not actually a plan. It's a rating of numeracy etc, answers to two questions and a brief statement, all of which no one reads. PPP equals on an unworkable computer and trying to do the same thing that has been keeping us out of work in the first place. Trying, as I said, the computer rarely works. It's much better at home, I've got a better computer with google chrome. It doesn't feel as bad at home facing the stark realisation that as an unemployed person, I am in really big trouble. The fact I have been categorised/screened and in turn discarded by a group money orientated crooks, just adds insult to injury.
Being the indignant person I am, the day I hear Seetec no longer have any contracts in Ireland, is going to be one of the happiest days of my life.