Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 September 2021
511. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employers who have requested a position they submitted to the work placement experience programme to be removed from the website; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46520/21]
View answer512. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of positions on the work placement experience programme that have been refused due to the fact that the position did not meet the standards of the scheme or that were removed for the same reason; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46521/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 511 and 512 together.
The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a key policy initiative under the Government's new national employment services strategy; Pathways to Work 2021-2025. WPEP is a funded work placement scheme to provide work experience for 10,000 jobseekers who have been unemployed for more than six months, including time spent on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP). Participation on WPEP is entirely voluntary. All participants are paid €306 per week plus any social welfare increases for qualified adults and children.
All WPEP placements are advertised on the Department’s online recruitment service website; jobsIreland.ie. All host organisations and individual placements are vetted for compliance and quality assurance purposes prior to being listed on jobsireland.ie to ensure that each placement provides quality work experience and training opportunities for jobseekers.
Placements are not removed from jobsireland.ie but may be closed from jobsireland.ie for one of a number of reasons. The primary reason a placement is closed is where a jobseeker has taken up a placement or where a jobseeker has been selected for a placement with a future start date.
Placements can also be closed by or at the request of a host organisation or where the placement has been advertised for 28 days. In many such cases, the organisations may choose re-advertise the placements.
As of 23rd September 2021, 169 WPEP placements that were advertised on jobsireland.ie have closed for one of the reasons cited above.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
