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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 7 Jul 1983

Vol. 344 No. 9

Written Answers. - Youth Employment Agency.

373.

asked the Minister for Labour whether he is satisfied with the reasons the Youth Employment Agency rejected proposals to set up an ESB youth trust in connection with the scheme for the early payment of electricity bills; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I understand that no such proposals were made by the ESB to the Youth Employment Agency, and that an official ESB disclaimer of the Deputy's claim was carried in the news media.

374.

asked the Minister for Labour if any new projects have been undertaken by the Youth Employment Agency; and the numbers employed in each case.

The Youth Employment Agency was established in March 1982. Since its establishment the agency has provided funding to enable a wide range of new projects to be undertaken. A list of these projects up to end May 1983, their duration and average number of places for duration follows. The projects relate to a number of areas of intervention; e.g. temporary employment; training, programmes for disadvantaged; enterprise development; job creation potential; community managed programme; schools-industry links.

Project

Project Duration

Average No. of places for duration

Temporary Employment

1. Udarás na Gaeltachta Services Survey

15 weeks

7

2. Kilkenny Social Services Home Helps

18 months

6

3. Connemara West Ltd.

Workshops

3 years

15

4. Crettyard Development Association

4 months

4

5. Tallaght Welfare Society Pre-Employment Course

26 weeks

20

Training

6. North-Western Health Board Nurse Training

9 months

27

7. AnCO Secretarial Course

3 months

250

8. ACOT Certificate in Farming

4 years

1,500

9. Killary Fish Farmers Co-op Society Ltd. Mariculture Training

2 years

15

10. St. Vincent's Day Centre

Workshop Training

40 weeks

11

11. Candle Community Training Workshop

6 months

6

12. North-West Centre for Learning and Development (Derry)

Donegal Trainees

1 year

2

Programmes for Disadvantaged

13. Youth Development Project, Thurles

1 year

20

14. Dublin Institute for Adult Education Action Research Programme

4 years

48

15. Limerick Youth Services Community Workshop

1 year

25

16. Carrick-on-Shannon Craft Training Scheme for Travellers

20 weeks

6

17. Kilkenny Social Services Council Community Workshop

1 year

42

18. Dublin Committee for Travelling People Work Programmes

1 year

19

Enterprise Development

19. Irish Productivity Centre Youth Enterprise Nursery

2 years

50

20. Youth Enterprises Shannon Co-operative Enterprises

18 months

30

21. Waterford Resource Centre Co-operative Enterprises

Programme being finalised

22. Offices and Secretarial Services Co-op Pearse St.

Programme being finalised

23. Hope Finglas Project

9 months

4

24. Tipperary Town Community Council Wood-wool Enterprise

Programme being finalised

25. Westland Row/City Quay Catering Co-op

1 year

8

26. “Out” Magazine Community and Entertainment Guide

6 months

4

27. City of Dublin VEC Project/Product Development Centre

Programme being finalised

28. Remedial Aids Project

1 year

1

29. Pottery Manufacture Project

1 year

1

30. North Inner City Co-op Furniture, Upholstery, Metalwork

1 year

18

31. Day Nursery Project

1 year

1

32. Bicycle Repairs Project

1 year

1

33. Mullinavat Co-op Fruit, Wood

6 months

7

34. Togher Community Association Manufacturing of Workwear/Gowns

1 year

12

35. Dundalk Agriculture & Industrial Co-op Society Ltd. Craft Goods

6 months

11

36. NBST/IIRS Young Scientists/Technologist Employment Scheme

1 year

80

37. National Co-op Farm Relief Services

1 year

20

39. South City Co-op Cork

1 year

15

40. Horticultural Co-op, All-Hallows

1 year

5

41. Irish Goods Council Employment of Market Personnel

1 year

50

Community Managed Programme

42. Mayfield Community, Cork

1 year

200

Schools-Industry Links

43. Finglas Career Development Programme

10 weeks

100

Apart from individual projects the agency has also grant-aided a number of organisations which may have a spin-off effect for employment at a later stage, as follows:

1. St. Kiernan's Enterprise Centre

Capital Grant

2. Fr. Matthew Youth Club —New Centre

Capital Grant

3. Darndale Community — New Workshop

Capital Grant

4. National Council for Travelling People — Upgrading Centres

Capital Grant

5. St. Michael's House

Capital Grant

In addition, as I indicated in replies to other questions, the agency in 1982 provided funds to local authorities through the Department of the Environment for the full time employment of young persons on environmental improvement works. The agency also provided funds through the temporary youth employment scheme, then administered by the Department of Education, for the full-time employment of young people on community works. The allocation of funds in both these cases were additional to the funds received by the bodies in question direct from the Department of Labour Vote. It is estimated that approximately 1,500 and 500 young persons respectively were employed.

I should emphasise that the Youth Employment Agency does not, as a general rule, directly undertake employment creating projects but supports projects developed by industry, local authorities, voluntary and community bodies and individuals.

The agency is also involved in the development of a number of long-term programmes at national level e.g. the community and youth enterprise programme, a community managed integrated programme and a loan guarantee scheme for young enterpreneurs. It is too early to quantify the effects of these programmes.

The figures which I have given relate only to programmes for youth generated as a result of direct financing by the agency. They do not take account of the expansion in training, work experience and employment programmes for youth financed directly from the Department of Labour Vote.

375.

asked the Minister for Labour the programmes that have been drawn up by the Youth Employment Agency for 1983 using the balance of funds available to them.

Following are the programmes which the Youth Employment Agency are supporting or carrying out or intend, at this stage, supporting or carrying out in 1983. An estimate of expenditure is also given.

Training

ACOT — Certificate in Farming Programme

£1m

Community Workshops — Community Training for Disadvantaged Groups

£0.7m

The question of expenditure on other training programmes is at present under consideration.

Job Creation

Short-term employment creation for the young unemployed (mainly to cover the youth element in the Employment Incentive Scheme for the hotel and catering industry and increased participation in the Work Experience Programme and the Environmental Works (Youth Employment Scheme)

£3.3m

Community and Youth Enterprise Programme — the employment of community enterprise workers by community groups with potentially viable projects to aid in bringing projects to fruition

£1m

Projects and Resource Centres including the provision of back-up resources for young people starting their own enterprises

£3m

Individual job creation — funds to enable young people who have been unemployed for some time to invest a project which would give them full-time employment

£1m

Specialist Personnel

Placement of young technical and engineering personnel in small firms to help bridge the “experience gap”.

£0.7m

Educational Projects

School-Industry Links Scheme.

£0.3m

The above figures do not include a provision for overheads, i.e. the agency's administrative costs.

The agency are at present engaged in a mid-year review of their operations and the outcome may have a bearing on the above estimates.

376.

asked the Minister for Labour the new plans the Youth Employment Agency have for the creation of employment and training programmes for young people for 1983 and future years.

In my reply to the Deputy's Question No. 375, I indicated the programmes which the Youth Employment Agency are implementing or, at this stage, envisage implementing in 1983 in the area of employment and training, together with the proposed expenditure in respect of each programme.

Under Article 70 of their Articles of Association, the Agency are required, before the commencement of each year, to submit their proposed programme of operations for that year for the approval of the Minister for Labour. As the proposed activities of the agency are, therefore, approved on a yearly basis, the Deputy will appreciate that the information he seeks for years subsequent to 1983 is not available.

I should, however, like to draw the Deputy's attention to the policy statement entitled "A Policy Framework for the Eighties" which has been published by the agency. This document contains some of the main features of the context within which the agency will be working over this decade, together with the main policy directions which the agency will follow in the light of those considerations.

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