Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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552. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the case of a person (details supplied) in County Sligo will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3822/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The primary purpose of the activation services provided by my Department, including the JobPath service, is to assist and support jobseekers to look for and sustain full time employment.

My Department refers long-term job seeking customers to the JobPath service to receive one-to-one intensive and regular engagement with a personal adviser who will assess their skills, experience, challenges and work goals and agree a “personal progression plan” that includes a schedule of activities, including relevant training and educational programmes to assist them in finding full-time sustainable employment. There are no barriers to any participants pursuing training, including further education and training courses, providing they are relevant to the agreed personal progression plan.

The JobPath providers arrange for the delivery of a broad range of education and training courses with a particular and strong focus on upskilling the long term unemployed. In addition, JobPath participants may also apply for the Back to Education Allowance Scheme in order to pursue second and third level courses.

Both Seetec and Turas Nua have their own discretionary funds available to pay for training courses and the decision to approve or reject any request for funding is solely at the discretion of the JobPath provider.

An Officer of my Department contacted Seetec regarding this customer. They confirmed that the training requested was a QQI Module course with a private training company. Seetec advised the customer that this module is offered by the local Education & Training Board (ETB) as part of a 2 module part time fully funded course. The customer was advised to enrol with the ETB, to which she was in agreement.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.