Written answers

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Department of Education and Science

Job Initiatives

10:00 am

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 611: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills his views on the introduction here of a youth job guarantee for young persons to address the high levels of youth unemployment along the lines of the scheme introduced in the Netherlands in recent years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29456/10]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to tackling unemployment, including youth unemployment. In successive budgets, we have allocated substantial additional resources to provide increased training, education and work experience places for the unemployed. As a result, my Department will provide almost 190,000 training, education and work experience places this year specifically for the unemployed.

For early school leavers, the main specific provision continues to be training at Community Training Centres and VECs under the Youthreach Programme. There are currently 6,000 places available nationwide under the Youthreach umbrella. The programme is directed at unemployed young early school leavers aged 15-20. The programme provides basic skills and work experience and facilitates early school leavers with opportunities to acquire certification and progress to further training or employment.

Another initiative, which is a way of preparing the unemployed for future job opportunities, is the Work Placement Programme. This Programme is aimed at providing up to nine-month work experience placements to the unemployed. The programme consists of two streams each consisting of 1,000 places. The first stream is for graduates and the second stream is for all others with 250 places ring-fenced for those under 35 years of age. To date a total of 1,286 individuals have participated in the Programme and there are currently in excess of 1,300 additional placements currently available.

Under the Dutch Guaranteed Youth Employment Scheme, young people who have been unemployed for a period are offered training and/or work experience. The work experience concerned mainly consists of guaranteed places with the government and in the subsidized sector. The scheme embodies an explicit sanctions policy: those young people who repeatedly refuse to accept either training or work experience lose their entitlement to a social security benefit.

In Ireland, the Government have adopted a more incentive based approach to encourage those under 25 who are unemployed to participate in activation measures. For those under 23, unemployment benefit is reduced to €100 per week and for those 23 and 24 years of age, unemployment benefit is reduced to €150 per week. However, should these individuals participate in any of the full-time education, training or work experience programmes (including the Work Placement Programme), then they will receive the full normal weekly allowance of €196.

Between the Work Placement Programme, the increased number of training and education places for the unemployed and the incentive based approach to social benefits for those under 25 years of age, Ireland has in place a range of measures designed to activate young people who are unemployed and maintain their linkages with the labour market.

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