Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

11. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans for reskilling the long-term unemployed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44713/14]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, the Government’s primary strategy to tackle long-term unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth.

However, the Government also recognises the need for additional measures in the interim while the economy recovers. This is the rationale behind the Government’s Pathways to Work Strategy. Pathways to Work 2015 prioritises the allocation of available resources to the long-term unemployed. While many long-term unemployed return to occupations that required little or no reskilling, the Government recognises that in some cases certain skills may not be in strong demand at a particular point in time or that a de-skilling effect may take place when someone remains out of work for a long-period of time. The ambition in Strand 3 of Pathways to Work 2015 is: “To provide unemployed people, in particular people who are long-term unemployed and young unemployed people, with opportunities to enhance their job prospects through value-adding work experience, education and training activities.”

Hence, the Department in conjunction with other Departments and agencies (most notably the Department of Education & Skills and Solas) has put in place a range of options for reskilling as part of the wider whole of government approach contained in the Pathways to Work Strategy. A range of SOLAS, ETB Further Education and Training and Higher Education Programmes are available to meet the needs of the long term unemployed. Fifty seven thousand places are targeted for the long term unemployed in 2014, and subject to demand a further 57,000 will be made available in 2015.

The places targeted for the long-term unemployed in 2014 include 8,700 places on Solas (formerly FÁS) training courses for unemployed people, 6,200 on Momentum, 4,300 on Springboard, 4,000 on PLC courses, 3,200 on VTOS, and 29,000 opportunities on other further education programmes.

The former FAS training provision is being progressively transferred to the new regional Education and Training Boards (ETBs) up to mid-2014. The main FAS/Solas programmes of relevance to the long term unemployed are Specific Skills Training, Traineeships, Local Training Initiatives, and training for people with disabilities through Specialist Training Providers.

MOMENTUM, a scheme for education and training interventions, which is part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs initiative, was rolled out by the Department of Education in 2013. MOMENTUM supports the provision of free education and training projects to allow up to 6,500 long term jobseekers to gain skills and to access work opportunities in identified growing sectors.

Long-term unemployed people undertaking re-training on a full-time basis generally qualify either for a Solas training allowance or for support from the Department of Social Protection’s Back to Education Allowance scheme. Where the training is part-time or of shorter duration, support may be provided under the Part-time Education Option (PTEO) and Education Training and Development Option (ET&D). The PTEO allows participants to attend part-time day/evening or weekend courses of education or training and retain their jobseeker’s payment while an entitlement exists provided that they continue to satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking employment on an on-going basis. Payment is made at the same rate as the primary payment and no maximisation of payments occurs. The ET&D allows participants to attend certain courses of education, training or development of short duration and retain their jobseeker’s payment while an entitlement exists. Participants are exempt from engaging in job search but must be available for employment should an opportunity arise.

In conjuction with these programmes, there is also ongoing engagement between Intreo Offices and Education and Training Boards (ETBs) to ensure that training programmes are relevant to the needs of the unemployed.

More generally, substantial reform is being undertaken in the education and training sector to ensure programmes are relevant to the needs of learners and employers.

When taken together these reforms and initiatives constitute a comprehensive approach to the reskilling of the long-term unemployed.