Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 162: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide financing to secure the JobFit Programme in an area (details supplied) and prevent the loss of seven jobs [6774/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Labour Market Activation Fund was launched in March 2010, in order to assist in the creation of training and education provision for specific priority groups among the unemployed, namely the low skilled, and those formerly employed in declining sectors - construction, retail and manufacturing sectors -, with particular emphasis on the under 35s and the long-term unemployed.

TBG Learning Ltd was one of those who were successful in the tendering competition and were contracted to provide programmes of 12 weeks duration for the unemployed under the Labour Market Activation Fund. TBG Learning promotes 'JobFit' as a free, new, innovative training programme for unemployed people looking to get a job or to move onto further education and training. Work experience is provided by local employers for periods of up to 4 full weeks, delivered flexibly according to employer and participants needs. The contract with TBG Learning provides for the training of 1,500 participants a total sum of €7.03m for the provision of these programmes in 2010 and up to March 2011.

No budgetary provision was made for a further iteration of the fund in 2011. However I recently decided to re-distribute savings achieved under the Fund to a number of existing funded projects.

In the context of savings achieved under the 2010 Fund, I approved funding for a proposal from TBG Learning to deliver additional 382 places on JobFit programme, at a cost of €500,000, within the parameters of the 2010 Fund. I understand that Blanchardstown is not one of the locations covered by the TBG proposal for extended funding but this was the decision of TBG itself. I do not propose to make any further funding available under the LMAF at this time. A full examination of the Fund is to be undertaken during 2011 and the findings from that exercise will, among other things, inform labour market policy priorities into the future.