Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The 2015 Defence White Paper committed the Government to introducing a new employment support scheme with the direct involvement of the Defence Forces. The Department of Defence has responsibility for the scheme.

Initial discussions with officials from my Department focused on clarifying the objectives of the scheme. The scheme is targeted at young jobseekers experiencing barriers to gaining employment and aims to help them to develop a pathway to economic independence.

More detailed discussions took place with the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board to agree the programme content. The focus is to equip participants with life and employability skills, with five weeks of training delivered by the Defence Forces and five by the ETB.

The main role of my Department is to raise awareness of the programme and identify potentially suitable candidates. Information on selected participants is exchanged with the Defence Forces and the ETB only where necessary and in compliance with all data protection requirements. Candidates supply information directly to the Department of Defence, for example, in relation to Garda vetting and security clearance.

A successful pilot with 25 participants was held in Gormanston Camp last year. A full evaluation of the pilot was conducted and a comprehensive report is available on the Department of Defence website. Following this, it was agreed to deliver two programmes per year, in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The first started in Limerick in May, with 16 participants. Two hundred and sixty young people attended information sessions delivered jointly by officials from my Department and the Defence Forces. It is important to note that participation on this programme is entirely voluntary.

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