As part of the restructuring approved by the Government in 1999, future participation in community employment programmes by an individual was capped at three years, effective from April 2000. An individual's participation in a programme prior to this date is not taken into account. This change was introduced to discourage repeat participation in community employment and encourage unemployed persons to avail of training and education options where possible, which are shown to have more successful outcomes with regard to the progression to jobs for the individuals concerned.