The primary purpose of the community employment, CE, programme is to provide long-term unemployed persons with the necessary skills and confidence to take up employment in the open labour market. The average participation rate on CE in 2003 is expected to be in the region of 22,000, with a projected year-end participation rate of 20,000.
An overall appraisal of active labour market programmes is currently under way under the aegis of the PPF Standing Committee on the Labour Market. A key element of this appraisal will be ascertaining the scope for re-orienting such programmes to more effectively target the needs of disadvantaged groups such as the long-term unemployed, lone parents, persons with disabilities and older persons. FÁS is also currently undertaking an internal review of CE and the job initiative programmes and the outcome of this process will feed into the deliberations of the standing committee. The outcome of these initiatives will inform the Government's consideration of appropriate levels of CE for the future.
