Written answers

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

Department of Social Protection

Employment Support Services

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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6. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which it is expected that the skills available among those persons on the live register can be matched to the skill requirements of the workplace, in respect of both the indigenous and the foreign direct Investment sectors, over the course of the next three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7727/16]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Pathways to Work 2016-2020 sets a comprehensive programme aimed at helping jobseekers to return to work. Together with the national and regional Action Plans for Jobs, Enterprise 2015, the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities, the Further Education and Training Strategy, the National Skills Strategy and the Review of Apprenticeships, it is designed to ensure that Ireland’s workforce is equipped to respond flexibly to the demands of a growing economy and that unemployed jobseekers are positioned and supported to take up employment opportunities in the economy.

In framing and implementing these strategies the Government has consulted widely with stakeholders including employers, trade unions, and representatives of unemployed jobseekers. In addition the State has a number of institutional arrangements in place that operate on an ongoing basis to inform the development and implementation of strategies. In the case of the Pathways to Work strategy this includes the Labour Market Council, an independent group of industry leaders, advocates for unemployed jobseekers, trade unions and labour market experts.

The Department has also established a dedicated Employer Relations Division and Employer Engagement Teams in every Division who encourage, support and incentivise employers to recruit unemployed people on the Live Register. As part of this role they work to match employer job specifications with people on the Live Register. To support this activity a new online system will be implemented later this year that will, among other things, enable employers to readily identify candidates who meet their skills requirements and enable the Department’s case officers to further support jobseekers. Data from the new system will provide real-time information on the skills and competencies being sought by employers and on any skills gaps. This will be very useful to the relevant Government Departments and agencies seeking to address such gaps.

In a manner similar to the co-operation between the Department of Social Protection and the Labour Market Council, the planning and provision of education and training programmes by the Department of Education and Skills and its agencies is informed by the work of the Expert Group of Future Skills Needs which produces annual reports projecting the future skills needs of Irish industry.

The Department of Social Protection also works closely with the Department of Education and Skills, SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards to ensure that the strategic reforms underway in the education and training sectors, such as the establishment of Regional Skills Fora, are informed by the skills and competencies profile of unemployed jobseekers.

In this regard training programmes such as MOMENTUM are specifically designed to provide education and training to long term unemployed people to help them gain skills and to access work opportunities in identified growth sectors. It is delivered in partnership with both public and private education and training providers who have developed linkages with employers. Participants receive training in areas with recognised skill shortages where existing vacancies have been identified.

The Department also collaborates with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to co-ordinate efforts to respond to the needs of employers and jobseekers. A Steering Group of senior officials monitors implementation of a “Protocol for Cooperation” between the agencies.

As an example of the kind of close inter-agency partnership taking place to ensure that jobseekers are equipped with the skills necessary to meet industry needs, the Departments of Social Protection, Department of Education and Skills and Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation are co-hosting an event focussed specifically on “Effective Collaboration” to take place on 17 May 2017. The event will be attended by representatives from all relevant agencies who will hear best practice exemplars and discuss ways to improve effectiveness.

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