Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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89. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of education, training and work experience places delivered on the various schemes and programmes under the European Union Youth Guarantee in 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5936/16]

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.The Government recognises that as the recovery takes hold, there is a need for additional measures to ensure that as many as possible of the jobs created are taken up by jobseekers and young jobseekers in particular. This is the rationale behind the Government’s Pathways to Work strategy and the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan.Within this framework, the Youth Guarantee sets a medium-term objective of ensuring that young people receive an offer of employment, education or training within four months of becoming unemployed. The main plank of the guarantee is assistance to young people in finding and securing sustainable jobs. There is monthly engagement with all young jobseekers. 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, young people took up just over 19,000 Youth Guarantee-related programme places in 2015.

The table details the original expected full year intake on relevant programmes for 2015 as well the actual number of starters up to the most recent date for which data are available.

These data exclude an estimated 24,000 places provided for young people through PLC courses and apprenticeships. Although not reserved for unemployed jobseekers, these PLC and apprenticeship places, together with the wide range of vocational third-level courses provided for the young, nevertheless contribute to the spirit of the guarantee.

Programme take-up on Youth Guarantee-related programmes.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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90. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons under 25 years of age who have been offered and completed a personal progression plan under the European Union Youth Guarantee in 2014 and 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5937/16]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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As part of Ireland’s implementation plan in response to the EU Recommendation on the youth guarantee, young people who become unemployed and register for a jobseekers payment are referred initially to a group engagement session. Those who attend for group engagement, if they remain unemployed, receive an appointment for a one-to-one interview with a case officer. A PPP will normally be agreed between the case officer and the unemployed individual at this first interview or, if not, at an early subsequent interview. The number of PPPs agreed with unemployed people aged under 25 years of age was 36,000 in 2014, and 32,000 in 2015.