Not one graduate of €39m Fás scheme employed

A FÁS back-to-work programme cost the state almost €900,000 per person but did not result in any participant getting a job, it has emerged.

The Job Training Initiative had a budget of €39m in 2008 when 46 people completed the programme.

State advisory board Forfás has called for the programme to be ended as soon as possible as it cannot be sure if anyone has been benefiting from it.

The course was aimed at getting people who have been unemployed for five years or more back to work.

A Sunday paper reported yesterday that the programme has not recruited any participants in recent years.

Forfás said there was a lack of information to measure the efficiency and effective of labour market programmes.

Fás said there were no records for certification available for Job Training Initiative and that it was not operating as a labour market tool. It pointed out that the course was costing €889,000 per participant during 2008.

Forfás has recommended streamlining the various jobs programmes that now fall under three Government departments.

In particular, it has recommended changes to the community employment scheme, one of the largest jobs programmes with an annual budget of €392m.

The scheme offers long termed unemployed and disadvantaged people temporary job placements in their community.

According to Forfás 7,736 people completed the scheme in 2008 and the cost per person was €126,938.

Of the people who completed the course, 44% obtained a job or went onto further education.

It said consideration should be given to determining whether community employment is primarily a labour market activation programme or one providing social and community benefits.

A spokesperson for Enterprise Minister Batt O’Keeffe, said places on community employment schemes would be increased to 23,300 this year.

And, he said employment interventions are being targeted at young people, low skilled workers and workers in vulnerable sectors, such as construction, manufacturing and retail.

He said the department’s budget allocation for expenditure that mainly covers labour market activation measures and schemes is up 8% to more than €1.1 billion this year.