Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 November 2018
218. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the new youth employment support scheme does not provide for employer payment top-up; and the breakdown of national and EU funding in this regard. [47654/18]
View answerThe Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS) was introduced on Monday 1st October 2018 and has been open to applications since that date.
YESS is a new work experience placement programme which is specifically targeted at jobseekers aged 18-24 years who are long-term unemployed or who face barriers to employment. YESS will aim to provide jobseekers with the opportunity to learn basic work and social skills in a supportive environment while on a three-month placement, which may be extended to six months if certain conditions are met. During the placement, participants will be paid a weekly YESS allowance by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. The total weekly YESS personal rate of payment will be €229.20 per week. Participants whose underlying entitlement is in excess of that amount will continue to receive their current entitlement plus a top-up allowance of €22.50 per week
Participants on the YESS may engage in education and training provided by the placement host, or part-time education and training courses, irrespective of length and provided that it does not have an adverse impact on the placement.
Participants on the YESS will be eligible to avail of the Training Support Grant (TSG) of up to €500 on two occasions during a 12 month period where deemed necessary. This will also apply to jobseekers who are engaged with JobPath and who go on to pursue a YESS placement.
The scheme will provide a supportive structure for participants, including case officer support for both placement hosts and jobseekers. A Learning and Development Plan will be agreed between the placement host and the participant at the outset of the placement. The Plan will include a range of personal development skills as well as any specific ‘work’ skills that will be acquired during the placement and which are based on the advertised vacancy. The placement host will complete a reference for the participant at the end of the placement.
A DEASP case officer will be the key liaison person for both the placement host and the participant. The case officer will be available for support throughout the placement and will regularly review the progress of same. This will include a formal review meeting after 2 months, which will also facilitate the case officer in deciding whether to approve a request for an extension of the placement duration to 6 months, if an extension has been requested. The case officer will also provide post-programme supports to the participant for up to six months after the placement ends.
The option of an employer contribution was examined by my department; however, an employer contribution would result in the contract between the placement host and the participant becoming one of employment rather than a placement, which is not the purpose of the scheme.
YESS is co-funded by the Irish Government, the European Social Fund and the Youth Employment Initiative as part of the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020. Exchequer funding for YEI-supported activities is matched by separate YEI and ESF contributions. Therefore the total allocation of €16m for YESS is made up of approximately €5.333m in Exchequer funding, with matching allocations from ESF and YEI funding. As with all ESF-supported activities in Ireland, YESS is fully funded upfront by the Exchequer and applications for reimbursement of relevant expenditure are submitted to the European Commission in arrears.
