Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2017
665. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to give control back to the local scheme co-ordinators in the sourcing and placing of individual scheme workers on Tús and community employment schemes in view of the fact the local knowledge of the co-ordinators is not being utilised in the current structures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42644/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department provides a range of activation supports catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market. These supports include employment schemes such as Community Employment, CE, and Tús. These schemes provide part-time temporary work in local communities, as a stepping stone back to employment. The objective of these schemes is to break the cycle of unemployment and maintain work readiness, thereby improving a person’s opportunities in returning to the labour market.
Tús provides short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. This initiative is being delivered through the network of local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta, known as Implementing Bodies, IBs.
Participants are selected by a random process conducted by my Department. The selected jobseekers are informed when they have been selected and, if they agree to participate, have their contact details passed to the relevant IB. To further support the recruitment process, those fulfilling the scheme criteria can apply to my Department’s case officers to be nominated for the initiative.
The IBs are responsible for matching the person’s skills to suit work placements available. They also provide a range of other on-the-job and mentoring supports. All of the work undertaken by Tús participants must be beneficial to the local community and be eligible for financial support. Participants are taken from a panel of eligible candidates which is maintained by the IB. When a position becomes available, the participant’s suitability is established by the IB and the community voluntary organisation.
In the case of the CE scheme, the CE Sponsors advertise their vacancies free-of-charge on the Department's JobsIreland website: www.jobsireland.ie. CE schemes can also actively advertise vacancies in their local communities. At a local level, various methods of promoting CE have been arranged between my Department and local CE schemes, including targeting potentially eligible jobseekers to attend a job fair, where details of CE vacancies and employment opportunities are provided. Interested individuals are required to meet with a case officer at their local Intreo office to determine eligibility. My Department then provides a list of referrals to the CE scheme sponsor for interview. I have no plans to change this process.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
