Irish Government Announces New Programs For The Unemployed

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, T.D., together with the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mary Hanafin, T.D., last week announced details of the Work Placement Program and a pilot Short Time Working Training Program.

Both of these programs, which are aimed at assisting the unemployed and those on a reduced working week, were contained in last month's Supplementary Budget.

Speaking at the launch the Tánaiste said, "With the increasing numbers of people who are unemployed this Government is continuing to develop and put in place new programs that will enhance the work experience and training opportunities for these individuals.

Today we are announcing the details of two such initiatives, ... both of which demonstrate our commitment in Government to assisting and activating the unemployed and those individuals who are on a reduced working week."

Minister Hanafin said, "this is an exciting and innovative way of using social welfare payments to provide young people with the valuable experience needed to benefit fully from an economic upturn.

"These placements will encourage our graduates and young people to use their skills and to give them the hope and optimism which they need in these current difficult times.

"Traditionally social welfare payments for jobseekers were conditional on the recipient actively seeking work. These new schemes waive that requirement and see us move from welfare for unemployment to welfare to work."

The Work Placement Program is a six-month work experience programme for an initial 2,000 individuals who are currently unemployed.

Under this program there will be two streams each consisting of an initial 1,000 places. The first stream is for graduates who before this year have attained a full award at level 7 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications and who have been receiving Job Seeker's Allowance for the last six months.

The second stream will be open to all other individuals who have been receiving Job Seeker's Allowance for the last six months. Under this stream 250 places are being ring fenced for those under 25 years of age.

Participants on both streams of the Work Placement Program will continue to receive their existing social welfare entitlements from the Department of Social and Family Affairs for their duration on the program.

The pilot Short Time Working Training Program will provide two days training a week for 277 workers over a 52-week period.

Under this scheme, workers who are on systematic short time working for 3-days a week and receiving social welfare payments for the two days they are not working will receive training for these two days. Participants on this program will also continue to receive their existing social welfare entitlements from the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

Concluding, the Tánaiste and Minister Hanafin said that the programs, together with those already in place demonstrate a substantive commitment on the part of the Government to create and implement initiatives that support and assist those finding themselves without work, and that the Government was committed to developing these and other schemes that help address our current unemployment problem.