Results 5,121-5,140 of 5,918 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: The Leader should not blame the teachers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the witnesses for their attendance. My questions are addressed in the main to Mr. Carroll and Mr. Corcoran. I had some serious difficulties with the JobBridge scheme. The plan itself was good and offered potential to people to experience work for which they may have just upskilled or whatever. However, in some cases at least, I believe it was grossly abused. I am referring to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: With all due respect to the Senator, I mentioned the education sector, in which people were employed as teachers, special needs assistants and porters.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: In fairness-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: -----there is no point in the Senator and I arguing about it. Mr. Carroll knows exactly what I am talking about.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: As we go through this each time I come here - it is good of Senator O'Donnell to be here today - we should hear from Mr. Carroll.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: It now has been a year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I accept fully what Mr. Carroll has said and reiterate a great job has been done in some places under JobBridge. There is little or no doubt that in parts of the public service the moratorium on recruitment meant that job vacancies went unfilled. Some of them were filled through the JobBridge scheme. I accept that people took these jobs voluntarily, but there were no prospects when they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: The Chairman is taking up my point incorrectly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I owe the further education system my entire career. I am one of those who has come through it and was supported well by it. I have no difficulty whatsoever with the back to education allowance and the vocational training opportunities scheme, VTOS. They are tremendous schemes and I have no doubt about it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: My point is if a caretaker is required a community employment scheme is there to bring one in if one cannot be got some other way.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I do not believe JobBridge was designed for this type of work. It was designed to assist people to get experience.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Organisations have had to withdraw jobs advertised on JobBridge because the Department stated they were not JobBridge jobs. Is this correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Do not tell me you want apprentice doctors working on JobBridge.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: The Chairman is taking up my point wrong.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I am not having a row over it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: With all due respect, part of my role here is to point out some of what I see that is wrong.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: We need to dig down into the 43% who had some difficulty with their experience and find out where it is going wrong. I actually believe the Department does a fantastic job in supporting people, but I can go to the principal of a local national or secondary school who sees a chance to fill a hole in the staff by using JobBridge. Unfortunately, the fact some organisations had to withdraw the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I will interrupt Mr. Corcoran very briefly. I thank him for his contribution. He has a fairly good idea of where I am coming from on this issue. The big thing that causes me a problem with the back to education allowance, which runs across the PLC and further education sector - guidance counsellors in Ballymun will be aware of this issue - is that some of the courses young people are doing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: JobBridge and the Youth Guarantee: National Youth Council, Ballymun Jobs Centre and Department of Social Protection (4 Nov 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I apologise to Senator O'Donnell.