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Community Employment Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 November 2021

Tuesday, 30 November 2021

Ceisteanna (410)

Robert Troy

Ceist:

410. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department is reviewing the manner in which employment scheme referrals are currently provided to the various bodies operating within this sector; if referrals currently must got to SEETEC and TURAS NUA and back to an INTREO case officer before being eventually referred to community employment; her views on whether this is a major contributing factor to the difficulty currently being experienced by community employment sponsors in filling vacancies. [59037/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Community Employment (CE) Scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis to improve their prospect of returning to employment.

Where vacancies occur on CE schemes, eligible candidates are identified by my Department’s Intreo activation services and are referred to fill placements on schemes. Jobseekers can also register their interest through www.jobsireland.ie, the Department’s online job advertising and recruitment service website or by contacting a case officer in their local Intreo Centre. CE candidates are then referred to the CE scheme once their eligibility has been confirmed and CE is considered to be a suitable activation measure for that jobseeker.

Under the Pathways to Work strategy, my Department appointed almost 100 additional dedicated Job Coaches nationwide to assist jobseekers in their efforts to return to full time employment. The role of the Job Coaches includes the referral of eligible jobseekers to CE sponsoring authorities; if participation on this employment support would be of benefit to them.

It should be noted that all long-term jobseekers who are currently engaged with the JobPath service continue to have opportunities to avail of placements on CE, while continuing to engage with the JobPath service. This will enable people with the JobPath service to continue to receive the personalised employment counselling and job search support provided by JobPath personal advisors but also to avail of a CE placement which will provide valuable occupational activity, training and work experience.

Where a jobseeker is already engaged with JobPath and wishes to participate on a CE scheme, they inform their JobPath personal advisor of their interest and the personal advisor follows up with the Department Intreo Service. A member of the Department’s Intreo activation team will then contact the jobseeker and refer them onto a CE scheme. This ensures that there is single point of contact with CE schemes for referrals to fill vacancies. I am not aware of any evidence, to date, that indicates that this is contributing to some recent issues experienced on recruitment onto CE schemes, which are largely COVID related. My priority and the priority of the Department is to ensure that the rate of referrals to CE schemes continues to increase and vacancies are filled, while continuing to comply with remaining public health restrictions.

During COVID, a number of contingency measures were introduced to support CE schemes, including on-gong extensions to existing CE participant contracts. These support CE schemes and participants during COVID, while also reducing the number of vacancies on schemes.

I am fully committed to the future of CE and will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the CE participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

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