MORE THAN 50,000 unemployed young people aged between 18 and 25 will receive a letter from the Department of Social and Family Affairs over the coming weeks setting out the options available to them for returning to education or training.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin said it was important that young unemployed people who opted out of education when high wages were on offer during the boom were more likely to remain unemployed if they did not improve their skills or education.
“Returning to education and training in order to improve your skills will be the key to availing of the up-turn in the economy which will inevitably come,” Ms Hanafin said.
“Young people should not see signing on the live register as their future – they should look to see what supports and opportunities are available for them throughout the country.”
The letters will advise young people to look at the options available to them for returning to education or taking part in training schemes.
Fás and the department are extending the job search/national employment action plan to cater for 12,250 cases each month, almost twice as many as were available last year.
In addition, the Government says it is providing a total of 128,000 training and activation places for unemployed people this year through Fás, while there are about 147,000 places available in further education programmes this year.
“This shows the scale of activity being supported by this Government to ensure that people are best positioned to get back to employment” said Ms Hanafin.
She said that the recent decision to halve the jobseekers’ allowance for the under-20s would provide an incentive for young jobseekers to avail of education and training opportunities
“This measure was specifically introduced from this month to help young people gain skills which will give them a route into employment and so help them avoid becoming welfare dependent from a young age,” she said.
The letter tells recipients that anyone over the age of 21 may qualify for the back-to-eduction allowance, while anyone under that age who opted out of formal education for a least two years may also qualify.
This allowance essentially replaces a person’s existing social welfare income, in addition to an annual €500 “cost of education allowance”.
For more detailed information on the back-to-education options, visit the department’s website www.welfare.ie or contact your local social welfare office.
