John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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397. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of young persons under 26 years of age who have been referred to Seetec under the JobPath initiative since its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34922/16]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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398. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of young persons under 26 years of age who have been referred to Turas Nua under the JobPath initiative since its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34923/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 397 and 398 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment.

Some 6,500 jobseekers under 26 years of age are being supported by the JobPath service and of these c. 3,000 are with Seetec and c. 3,500 are with Turas Nua.

Participants on JobPath receive intensive individual support to help them tackle barriers to employment and to assist them in finding jobs. Each person is assigned to a personal adviser who assesses a person’s skills, experience, challenges and work goals. The personal adviser works with the jobseeker to agree a personal progression plan that includes a schedule of activities, actions and job focused targets. Participants are provided with a range of training and development supports directly and via online modules. These include such things as confidence building, career advice, CV preparation and interview skills. Participants may also be referred to external training providers including Education and Training Boards.

Participants receive the JobPath service for a period of 12 months (which can be extended by up to six months to facilitate the jobseeker completing training programmes) or until such time as they find employment whichever is the sooner. If the jobseeker secures employment during this period they can continue to receive support for at least three months and up to twelve months while in employment.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.