Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. One could not really argue with anything in this evening's motion because, to be fair, the Springboard programme has been a good one and has facilitated participation among young people to gain educational advantage which leads to job opportunities. No argument could be made on the merits or otherwise of Springboard. It is an excellent programme that has been working. Senator Jim D’Arcy indicated that there are 242 places in Dundalk IT and there are other ITs throughout the country. It is great that it is spread around the country.

Youth unemployment is not just a major issue in this country, it is also an issue across Europe. This week the Nevin Economic Research Institute highlighted the need to address youth unemployment in this country. It referred in particular to the JobBridge programme and the abuse of it. The programme, which pays €50 on top of the dole, is being abused by employers. It is not a means to an end for many individuals who are on the programme because they are dumped off it without any job security. Dr. Tom Healy from the Nevin institute suggested the Government’s policy on youth unemployment was more about trying to bring about corrective action rather than prevention of youth unemployment and a long-term strategy. While there is a stopgap approach in place, the Government’s public policy is not a preventative one nor is it strategic in a long-term sense. I agree with some of what Dr. Healy had to say. The Government has taken positive steps to address the issue.

Currently, a total of 21,000 students are participating in the Springboard programme, which is to be welcomed. The difficulty with the programme as a Government labour activation policy is that not enough emphasis is being placed on further education and training, apprenticeship schemes and the facilitation of individuals who might not wish to proceed to third and fourth levels. We must examine the issue from a public policy point of view. Young people are leaving school early and they deserve a chance as well. Perhaps we could consider the opportunities available to young people in a country such as Germany, for example. The German economy has been developed and transformed generation after generation through apprenticeship programmes. Before FÁS was renamed, even though the country was going down the tubes and building work was gone, it was offering plastering courses. SOLAS is the new agency and it is more progressive but we must devise a 20-year strategy in terms of the future of the country and where we want people to play a role.

A total of 1.9 million people were in employment up to the end of 2014 and it is slightly more than that now. A total of 110,000 people were working in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 236,000 worked in industry and manufacturing, and 106,000 worked in construction. It dipped to approximately 99,000 in 2012, but it is still a big industry. Approximately 450,000 people work in those three sectors and then approximately 1.4 million work in services, including the public sector, the Civil Service, finance, insurance, real estate and other sectors. While much of the focus in Springboard is on the 1.4 million, approximately 500,000 work in what are traditionally jobs that could be obtained through apprenticeship programmes and through further education and training. There is a need to develop that area. I welcome the decrease in unemployment.

Approximately one in five people aged between 18 years and 25 years, which is approximately 20%, totalling approximately 110,000 young people, cannot find a job at the moment. We must be able to give them an opportunity. While the State cannot intervene and provide jobs, public policy must focus on the provision of opportunities for those people. The decision to withdraw career guidance teachers in second level schools was a very negative policy decision by the Minister for Education and Skills because at a time when the economy is improving and young people in second level education want to consider the opportunities available to them, they do not have the necessary career guidance. That is a retrograde step.

There are many other points I could make. In general, Springboard is good but more needs to be done. I appeal to the Minister of State to reach out. We must put the politics to one side while we consider the approach to take as a country. We have large-scale youth unemployment and we must create opportunities for those who are unemployed in order that they can get a job. JobBridge is not working. It is being exploited left, right and centre and it is wrong that young people are exploited in that way. I know many young people who have taken part in the JobBridge programme. They were promised a job and got an extra €50 a week but there was nothing at the end of the process. They are now on social welfare.

Unemployment benefit is approximately 33% of the total budget of the Department of Social Protection. Approximately €20.5 billion is spent on social welfare. Employment initiatives account for approximately €6.5 billion of that. By reducing the expenditure in that area the Minister will help the country, but the only way to do it is by getting people into work. Young people are the future of the country and they need a chance. They need a leg up and public policy will help them to achieve that.