Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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60. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of education, training and work experience places delivered under the Youth Guarantee in 2015 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45599/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Government's primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth and the availability of productive employment for young people.

Within this strategy, the Youth Guarantee sets a medium-term objective of ensuring that young people receive an offer of employment within four months of becoming unemployed. The main plank of the guarantee is assistance to young people in finding and securing sustainable jobs. For those who do not find employment, additional offers are provided for. Most such offers (over 70%) are in further education or training. Others are in community-based employment programmes such as CE, Gateway and Tus, or through the JobsPlus employment subsidy for private employment.

Overall, the Youth Guarantee provided nearly 25,000 places for young people in 2014. This figure excludes some 24,000 places provided for young people through PLC courses and apprenticeships. (These PLC and apprenticeship places, together with the wide range of vocational third-level courses provided for the young, although not reserved for unemployed jobseekers, nevertheless contribute to the spirit of the guarantee.)

The following table details the expected full year intake for 2015 as well the actual number of starters up to the most recent date for which data are available. (Apprenticeship and PLC places are, again, excluded).

Youth Guarantee Progress - 2015 Starters