New work experience programme to be launched this month

The Department of Social Protection has described as “premature” criticism of the Government’s proposed new work experience scheme which is to expected to be launched this month.

The Work Placement Experience Programme, aimed at people who have been out of work for at least six months, will encourage businesses to provide jobseekers with workplace skills to help them find employment. The programme will receive a portion of the €181 million investment, which includes EU funds, that has been earmarked for reskilling and training workers as part of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan.*

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said the programme aims to support 10,000 participants by the end of 2022 and will be one of a number of measures intended to tackle unemployment.

Although few details have been announced, the nature of the scheme has prompted the People Before Profit/Solidarity party to draw parallels with JobBridge, which ended in 2016.

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The controversial JobBridge scheme, established in 2011 during the economic crisis, saw people who were unemployed placed on internships, with €52 added to their weekly social welfare payments.

More than 200 companies were investigated by the Department of Social Protection following complaints from participants, while an independent review of JobBridge found just over half of participants found employment after their placement.

A small cohort of People Before Profit members gathered outside the Department of Social Protection on Store Street in Dublin on Monday to protest the anticipated scheme. The group of eight pointed to the perceived failings of the previous JobBridge scheme, which they claimed was an “exploitation scam”.

Leading the group was People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, who fears the new programme could be “basically JobBridge, slightly modified”. He argued the previous scheme led to wage suppression and the manipulation of unemployment data, as participants were recorded as employed in official figures.

His party does not have a problem with apprenticeship schemes, but the 2011 scheme led to “huge amounts of exploitation and had very little impact in terms of people ending up with jobs,” he said.

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Social Protection Claire Kerrane noted that she had “little information” about the programme, but she would be “concerned” if it were to mirror the defunct JobBridge. Ms Kerrane said she hopes the Government will build upon successful employment programmes, such as the Local Employment Services.

A spokesman for the Department of Social Protection said the new programme is “entirely separate” to the discontinued JobBridge.

“This programme has yet to be launched, so it is premature for anybody to criticise it before all the details are available,” he said.

In response to parliamentary questions last week, Minister Humphreys said the new scheme will be open to all age groups, but it should be “particularly attractive to and beneficial for young people requiring work experience”, she said.

It will be particularly aimed at people whose jobs have been affected by Covid-19 to help them “pivot into new employment in new sectors through additional learning with new and relevant work experience”, she said.

“Where younger cohorts do become long-term unemployed, every assistance will be given, including access to the most appropriate training to address their needs,” she added.

The latest monthly unemployment figures from the Central Statistics Office, show 7.6 per cent were out of work, although this rose to 18.3 per cent when adjusted to include claimants of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). The young were hit harder, with 16.7 per cent unemployed, excluding PUP recipients. Prior to the pandemic, in December 2019, youth unemployment stood at 12 per cent.

*This article was amended on August 11th, 2021