Long-term unemployed jobseekers on JobPath will be allowed to participate in community employment schemes from June.
JobPath is an employment-stimulation measure for people on the live register for a year or more, who receive mentoring from an employment adviser for up to 18 months.
Currently, people on the JobPath scheme are prevented from taking up places on other community and work schemes.
From June, they will be allowed to participate in a community employment scheme, the rural social scheme or the tús scheme, rather than a JobPath placement.
JobPath operates on a “payments by results” model while community employment scheme or the tús scheme do not.
Two firms are contracted to provide advice and receive bonuses if participants secure a permanent job. The advisers are provided by two private contractors, Turas Nua which operates mainly across the south of the country, and English firm Seetec, which oversees the scheme in Dublin and northern regions.
The most recently available figures show that 18 per cent of participants acquired a permanent job from the initiative. Up to the end of last year, 141,000 jobseekers had engaged with JobPath, more than half of whom had been unemployed for more than three years.
Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty said people who are currently engaged with the JobPath service and those who may be referred in future will have the option of applying for Community Employment schemes while on JobPath.
“By facilitating jobseekers who are on JobPath to also avail of a community placements, we can ensure that they can benefit from the jobseeking support of JobPath while also availing of a part-time work placement provided by , or a quality training and development opportunity provided by a tús or CE scheme. In essence we will treat jobseekers in a similar way to the way we deal with part-time workers who are referred to JobPath,”said Ms Doherty.
Fianna Fail spokesman on employment affairs and social protection Willie O’Dea “ cautiously welcomed” the changes announced.
“I and my colleagues in Fianna Fail have been inundated with complaints from people who felt that they were being unfairly coerced into Jobpath but would have preferred a place on a CE or tús scheme which in many instances was more appropriate and suitable to their needs,” said Mr O’Dea.
“ I am glad that Minister Doherty has finally seen sense and has gone some way towards making the changes that we were seeking. However, it is unfortunate that it took Minister Doherty so long to listen to not only our views but also the views of participants and those who supervise and manage CE and tús schemes,” he said.