Coalition strategies to tackle jobs crisis ‘lack vision’
Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) head of policy Bríd O’Brien has launched a stinging attack on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s approach to tackling unemployment, especially in the 18 to 25-year-old bracket.
And ESRI head of social research Phillip O’Connell has also warned that unemployment “is one of the most important dimensions of our current economic crisis” and yet is being largely ignored by policy makers. However, Ms O’Brien has said the Government’s attempts to increase further education and training are “lacking in joined up thinking” and that “when it comes to training for future jobs, outside the smart economy, we’re not at the races”.
The INOU also said the Government’s much-vaunted work placement programme for graduates has been a failure as less than 300 employers have come on board due to the restrictive conditions attached to the scheme.
The programme, launched last May, promised 2,000 internships but only 91 are on placements.
Employers’ groups have said the terms of the scheme were too restrictive with applicants having to be out of work for six months first. The scheme also stipulated that firms could not have made people redundant in the previous year and also needed to have a minimum number of employees.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment also spearheaded a plan to ensure 3,800 redundant apprentices finish their training courses. However, the INOU say they have found it very difficult to get a sufficient number of construction companies who could provide the necessary work experience to the apprentices due to the lack of activity in the sector.
The INOU accused Fás of not putting thought into training and that some people were being put on random courses “as an exercise to get them off the Live Register”.
“We must avoid a situation where people are doing a plethora of courses that bear no relation to one another. FÁS, the VEC’s and the institutes of technology must start providing a realistic future for the unemployed with good career counselling,” said Ms O’Brien.
The INOU also said FÁS is fragmented with the regional organisations enjoying high levels of autonomy from the national body. This means that different regions don’t work together as well as they should when offering courses and options to the unemployed. Clients aren’t told about courses that might be relevant to them but are available in a nearby county.
It said the Fás website was difficult to navigate and did not make it easy for someone to find relevant courses in their area.
They also said Fás data collection is not “robust” and there are many people who were on the live register, who suddenly disappear yet have not appeared on a Fás or other training programmes.
The Government has strongly defended its record in tackling youth unemployment, with the Department of Public Enterprise saying “it determined to provide those who are unemployed with the necessary support, services and training to enable them get back into employment as soon as possible”.
