Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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JobPath is a new approach to employment activation that will support people who are long-term unemployed and those most distant from the labour market to secure and sustain full-time paid employment. JobPath is one of the range of activation supports, including schemes such as Community Employment, catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers.

Participants on JobPath receive intensive individual support to help them address barriers to employment and to assist them in finding jobs. Each person is assigned to a personal advisor who assesses a person’s skills, experience, challenges and work goals. The “personal progression plan” includes a schedule of activities, actions and job focused targets. Participants are also provided with a range of training and development supports including online modules, career advice, CV preparation and interview skills. They spend a year on JobPath and if they are placed into a job they will continue to receive support for at least three months and up to twelve months while in employment.

In general, and JobPath is not an exception, clients are not allowed to participate in two separate schemes at the same time. Given the need to manage the allocation of places effectively, the Department does not facilitate or encourage jobseekers to leave one scheme early in order to take up a place on another scheme. Participation in other schemes and programmes remains an option once the client’s period on JobPath is completed.

It should be noted that as an exception to the approach outlined above jobseekers can in fact be referred to relevant, employment focused, further education and training opportunities provided by ETBs and others while on JobPath. In such cases the engagement period with JobPath will be adjusted. The Department is currently considering the extension of this approach to Community Employment and other similar schemes.