Written answers

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

Department of Social Protection

JobPath Initiative

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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129. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the targets for providing employment opportunities to jobseekers through the new JobPath programme in 2015 and 2016; and if she will provide an update on the privatisation of part of this programme. [41660/14]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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JobPath is the Government’s new labour market activation service aimed specifically at long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market, with the primary objective of assisting such persons to gain sustained employment. JobPath will augment and complement both the Department’s own employment services as well as the services contracted under existing arrangements with private registered companies that already provide the Local Employment Service (LES) and Job Clubs on behalf of the Department. Following the completion of a public procurement process, conducted in accordance with EU and national procurement rules, two preferred tenderers were selected. The two preferred tenderers are Turas Nua Ltd. and Seetec Business Technology Centre Ltd.

Turas Nua is a new business and is a joint venture between FRS Recruitment (a co-operative recruitment company based in Roscrea) and Working Links (a UK-based well-established provider of employment services to long-term unemployed people). Turas Nua Limited will operate in the southern half of the country including towns and cities such as Cork, Limerick, and Waterford.

Seetec is a private company delivering a wide range of employability and skills programmes across both urban and rural areas of England. Seetec will operate in the northern half of the country including towns and cities such as Dublin, Galway, Sligo and Dundalk.

Subject to successful finalisation of contracts, it is anticipated that JobPath will commence in mid-2015. Contracts will be awarded for four years with an additional two year ‘work-out’ period to cater for jobseekers who are referred at the end of the programme.

On the basis of the performance commitments made by the preferred bidders, JobPath will assist an estimated 115,000 long-term unemployed jobseekers return to work over its entire duration. The exact performance measures for JobPath will be agreed as part of the process of finalising contracts and will have regard to the commencement and roll-out arrangements.

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