Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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9. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection what amounts to a progression plan under the new Intreo system for applicants for jobseeker's allowance. [1211/16]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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My question concerns what is contained, or should be contained, within the progression plans that are being offered to jobseeker's allowance applicants by Intreo offices.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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A personal progression plan is, as its name suggests, a document setting out the actions a jobseeker should take to enhance his or her prospects of finding employment. The plan is agreed between the jobseeker and an Intreo case officer as part of the activation service offered in Intreo centres. Similar plans are developed and agreed between jobseekers and local employment service providers or JobPath providers in cases where jobseekers are referred to those services.

A plan will typically include details on the jobseeker's employment experience and educational qualifications, work skills, employment preferences and any identified barriers to employment, such as literacy or numeracy difficulties. The plan will also include any actions agreed between the case officer and the jobseeker and these are, in most cases, divided into two types. First are those that are developmental in nature, such as undertaking a training course. Second are those that are employment-related, such employing for a specific job, considering a community employment or Tús placement, or uploading a CV onto a jobs website. In most cases, the personal progression plan is agreed at the first meeting between a case officer and the unemployed person and forms the basis for discussion at any follow-up meetings. Depending on progress against the agreed actions or any changes in the jobseeker's circumstances, the plan may be revised at any of those meetings. In other words, it is a living document that is updated as required.

The benefit of developing a structured personal progression plan is that it focuses the discussion between the case officer and the jobseeker on actions that are appropriate to the jobseeker's circumstances. In doing so, it helps jobseekers to identify the options and actions that are available and most appropriate to them. It also sets a timeframe within which those options and actions should be exercised and, importantly, engages the public employment service , which is Intreo, in helping the jobseeker to take advantage of those options.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Tánaiste and I are often at loggerheads on social welfare issues but moving towards an integrated service is one of the logical steps her Department has taken which should have been done many years ago. There are problems, however, with some of the progression plans being given to jobseekers. In some cases, for instance, they are unhelpful or unrealistic for the applicants for whom they are devised. Is any assessment undertaken with jobseekers who have gone through the process to see whether the system needs to be tweaked to ensure people get the fullest benefit from the positive changes that have been made? We have moved from a system of dole offices to one comprising offices that offer a good deal of other services. The idea was sold that this would involve a one-step process, with people moving directly into education or employment. However, some jobseekers seem to be stuck in the middle and are not moving forward because of the barriers the Tánaiste mentioned, which are apparently not being taken fully on board by some case workers.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of this initiative is to bring the case officer and the unemployed person together and based on the latter's knowledge of what he or she would like to do, previous experience, educational levels and so on, find the best path to work or training for that individual. If there are particular problems, such as poor numeracy or literacy skills, the employment officer will seek to address them in co-operation with the jobseeker. It is very important to ask people the simple question of what they would like to do. Some jobseekers, particularly younger people, might never have worked before. It is about suggesting that they try this or that, based on their interests, skills and experience.

I have just come from a meeting at Diageo Ireland. Three years ago, in collaboration with Guinness, we set up a scheme whereby young people seeking to work in the hospitality sector could partake of a dedicated education course offering a FETAC qualification, after which they would participate in a similar period of work experience. I met those young people at the outset and the transformation in them since they completed the programme is remarkable. That scheme, which started in St. James's Gate, has since been rolled out to Dundalk, with the first participants there graduating last year, and to Belfast. We intend to roll it out countrywide, including to Derry.

All I can say is that if done well and with support, particularly from employers and likely employers, it has the potential to give people a lot of additional opportunities to get back to work.