EU to release training funds of €350m early

THE EU will release funds early for retraining and upskilling Irish people unemployed as a result of the economic crisis, a delegation of training and employment bodies has been told.

Ireland is due to receive e350 million over the next four years from the European Social Fund that was earmarked to reduce the numbers of long-term and youth unemployed in urban areas.

But now this money will be released earlier to help with the growing army of unemployed in the country that reached 9.2% last month compared with 4.9% in January, 2008.

With e901 million in EU structural funding for the same period the total sum available for employment and human resources is e1.36 billion. However, the money must be matched by state funds.

Fianna Fáil MEP Eoin Ryan, who organised the meeting with the EU’s Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla, said that as unemployment rises the Government will have to apply to draw down more EU funding.

“Improving the work skills of the unemployed is vital to our economic recovery. The EU came to Ireland’s assistance before when there was serious pressure on our public finances and supported massive retraining programmes between 1989 and 1999,” said Mr Ryan.

Money from the social fund due to be paid out between now and 2013 could be frontloaded and paid earlier, Mr Spidla told the delegation that included representatives from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Fás; Irish Vocational Education Authority; Fáilte Ireland; Youth Work Ireland; Irish Council for the Unemployed; Capital Human Resource Management and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Since Ireland joined the EU the European Social Fund has invested e6bn in education, training and employment.