Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 October 2021
61. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes she is considering to the work schemes under the Pathways to Work initiative given the abuses of same by employers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48663/21]
View answerI assume the Deputy is referring to the new Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP). WPEP is a key policy initiative under the Government's new national employment services strategy; Pathways to Work 2021-2025. It 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. The intention is to provide quality and valuable work experience to unemployed persons. Work placements are recognised internationally as being effective in assisting jobseekers find new jobs. The Labour Market Advisory Council also recommended the inclusion of a new work placement programme as one of the active labour market measures to be included in the Pathways to Work Strategy.
All host organisations and individual placements are checked for compliance and quality assurance purposes prior to being advertised on the Department’s recruitment website; jobsIreland.ie. A placement is not approved or published if the placement does not meet the stringent criteria set for the new programme.
During the programme host organisations must complete monthly compliance checklists for all placements and return the completed checklists to my Department. My Department will also undertake two monitoring meetings to ensure that the terms and conditions of the programme are being fulfilled. Any complaints received relating to participation on the WPEP will be investigated in full by the Department’s case officer as part of the ongoing monitoring of the programme and the individual placement.
Since the programme was launched in the middle of July these arrangements have been working very well for the benefit of unemployed persons gaining valuable work experience which have been demonstrated to improve their long term employment prospects. These will be kept under review.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
