Robert Troy
Question:88. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the contribution her Department will make to tackling youth unemployment in 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56681/12]
View answerTuesday, 18 December 2012
Questions (88)
Written answers
The Government is committed to tackling unemployment and is working to create the environment for a strong economic recovery and jobs growth. Youth unemployment is a particular concern because of the prospects it holds for individual young people, their families and the economic and social life of the country.
The Government’s action plans contain a range of measures across departments and agencies to support young people to get a foothold in the jobs market. These include the Youthreach programme for early school leavers, measure to support apprenticeships and training, jobsearch and work experience programmes.
My Department has a specific role in supporting the provision of youth services and programmes for young people aged primarily between 10 and 24 years. In 2013, €53.173m has been provided to my Department for these services. Some 477 youth projects and services receive support under 5 funding schemes. There are 1,400 paid staff and some 40,000 volunteers in local communities involved in the provision of services and activities for young people.
The benefits of participation in youth work for young people are well documented. As a non-formal learning practice, youth work offers educational, developmental and recreational experiences which complement formal education and training. It provides young people with opportunities to acquire life skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, creativity, and innovation. These are essential skills for educational, training and career readiness. Recent policy developments, particularly at EU level, suggest that youth work opportunities have a special relevance and potential for those young people who are not in education, employments or training –the so called NEETS.
My Department will be working closely with the Departments of Education, Social Protection, Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to identify, in what ways, the youth sector can contribute to shared policy objectives to enhance support for this particularly vulnerable cohort of young people.
In addition, the contribution of quality youth work to young people’s development, well-being and social inclusion and its contribution to attaining the goals of Europe 2020, in particular the youth employment challenge are priority themes for the Irish Presidency of the Youth Council over the next 6 months. As part of my Presidency plans, I will host an expert round table on the issue in June, 2013.
My Department works closely with the Department of Social Protection on the Government’s activation programme. Funding provided under the community childcare subvention programmes supports the provision of some 25,000 childcare places. These target low income families, including unemployed young parents and young people who have left school early, as part of a whole of Government approach to address unemployment and to support young people to get access to the labour market.