Written answers
Tuesday, 17 November 2015
Department of Social Protection
Back to Education Allowance
Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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91. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the implications of the Economic and Social Research Institute’s report evaluating the back to education allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40070/15]
Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department of Social Protection has a track record of commissioning independent evaluations of its schemes and programmes (e.g. NEAP, JobBridge) and using them to inform reviews of policy. The evaluation of the Back To Education Allowance (BTEA) has been performed to best international standards and is the first, pathfinder study to use the Department’s Jobseekers Longitudinal Database (JLD). My Department is already acting on recommendations made by the Labour Market Council with respect to its findings.These and the current position are set out in Table 1 below.
| Labour Market Council Recommendation | Current Position |
|---|---|
| 1.Detailed evaluations of all other Labour Market Programmes should be expedited utilising the Department’s new innovative longitudinal database and other evidence. The evaluation of PLC courses by SOLAS is also a priority, as a significant component of the courses undertaken by BTEA recipients. | The Department has developed a detailed evaluation plan in association with the LMC. Evaluations of the Intreo activation process and the JobBridge scheme are about to commence. These will be followed with evaluations of the BTWEA, CE and TÚS.An evaluation of PLC courses by the ESRI is currently underway under commission to SOLAS. |
| 2.Research should be undertaken as a priority to establish the drivers behind the poor employment outcomes of BTEA when account is taken of potential factors such as ‘the lock in effect’ of the programme. Towards this end the DES/DSP should undertake complementary qualitative evaluation(s) to help inform why the BTEA is failing to meet its employment objective and provide guidance on the future of the scheme. In this regard, course completion rates, the quality of the qualifications received, the earnings of those who do progress to employment and the employment outcomes over a longer duration (e.g. at 2016) are all factors that warrant assessment in a more comprehensive analysis. | 1.The Department will commission a qualitative evaluation of the BTEA scheme as recommended. It expects to issue an RFT for such an evaluation before the end of this year. |
| 3.The DSP should consider using existing models and databases to update the BTEA evaluation to establish if there are any changes in reported impacts since the evidence was compiled and whether recent changes to the scheme have led to improved outcomes or not. | This work is currently underway. |
| 4.Data sharing should be implemented between DSP and DES to support improved oversight and monitoring of BTEA participants. In particular this should be done to establish if the course completion rates and the level of educational attainment achieved by participants had an impact on the post-completion employment rates. | Both DSP and SOLAS are in the process of developing new systems which will share data and which will, when completed (end 2016), facilitate tracking of participation and completion. |
| 5.Increased supportive interaction should take place between DSP and participants on BTEA so that participants are clear on what is expected of them; and that the operational guidelines, for example, continued participation dependent on educational achievements, are clearly understood by both sides. At least one mid-term meeting with each participants on BTEA programmes of more than 6 months should be undertaken by case officers to advise participants on the appropriateness for them of continuing with the programme. | Since 2014 DSP case officers review and assess all BTEA applications for labour market relevance. The implementation of a mid-term case review is being considered as part of the drafting of Pathways to Work 2016 – 2020. |
| 6.In the short-term, new approval processes introduced in 2014 should, together with all monitoring and control mechanisms, continue to be applied to ensure labour market relevance of programmes approved for BTEA purposes. In the medium-term, consideration should be given to restricting access to new entrants onto BTEA until there is an understanding of reasons for negative employment impacts (recommendations 2 and 3 above). In the longer-term, consideration should be given to increasing provision on specific programmes for which there is evidence that they enhance job prospects of participants (this action will be informed by the outcome of recommendation 1 above). | This recommendation will be considered in the context of the results of the qualitative evaluation (1. And 2 Above). The current review of the National Skills Strategy by DES will also take account of the findings of the BTEA evaluation. |
I am satisfied that these measures initiated or already in place will address the implications of the BTEA evaluation, in terms of improving effectiveness for employment outcomes as well as its important role in providing second-chance educational opportunities.
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