Written answers
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Work Placement Programme
12:00 pm
Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 188: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding a course (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5057/10]
Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Work Placement Programme is a joint labour market activation initiative between my Department and the Department of Social and Family Affairs. It provides the unemployed with the opportunity to secure work experience for up to nine months. Participation on the programme is voluntary and unpaid. Unemployed individuals participating on the programme are being kept close to the labour market and have the opportunity to gain on-the-job training and work experience. This Programme is designed to address an identified gap in policy provision for those unemployed people who need more experience to make them more attractive to employers. This will assist them in securing paid employment in the future.
While each placement is unpaid, participants who are in receipt of social welfare payments could retain these while on the programme, subject to the normal social welfare rules applying. However, as any payment to an individual on the programme is subject to the normal social welfare rules, individuals not in receipt of social welfare payments will therefore not be eligible for any payment. FAS highlight this possibility to potential participants and as the programme is voluntary it is entirely up to the individual whether they wish to participate.
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