Written answers
Wednesday, 19 October 2005
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Employment Action Plan
9:00 pm
Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 217: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will examine the Pathways projects currently funded by FÃS and operating in Counties Kerry, Waterford and Kildare with a view to providing the resources for them to be available more widely; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29606/05]
Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Pathways programme is a two week group guidance programme available to clients, where appropriate, who are referred to FÃS by the Department of Social and Family Affairs under the national employment plan preventative strategy. The aim of the programme is to identify the most appropriate development pathway for each client to assist them to enter or re-enter the labour market. The programme is delivered on a group basis to encourage a dynamic in which clients can support and learn from each other.
The programme was launched as a pilot in a number of locations towards the latter part of 2003. FÃS conducted a preliminary evaluation of the pilot in the first quarter of 2004. This helped inform further development and improvement of the programme materials. The programme was further rolled out in 2004 and approximately 1,000 clients attended 70 Pathways programmes nationally. An external evaluation was undertaken by "Profiles at Work" in late 2004/early 2005. The report endorses the Pathways programme as an effective tool in helping address the vocational guidance needs of its client target group and makes a number of recommendations on its future delivery. FÃS has recently developed an action plan to support the implementation of these recommendations.
Pathways is available through FÃS where sufficient demand exists to merit running a programme. It is important to emphasise the demand led aspect of the programme.
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