West Cork black spot for job services

Spending on services for those trying to find work are unevenly spread, with some regions badly affected, reports Conor Power

WITH the term “unemployment black spot” being heard with increasing frequency, an analysis of the services available to unemployed people in some regions reveal black spots already in the making.

West Cork is an area with a not unsubstantial population of 101,000 people. The unemployment rate is on par with the rest of the country, running at approximately 14%.

A quick look at a Fás graphic shows how the offices of services for the unemployed are dispersed.

There are five levels of such offices:

* ESO (Employment Services Office): Run by Fás, they offer a comprehensive range of services, including job offers, one-to-one mentoring, day courses, evening courses and online courses.

* LES (Local Employment Office): Funded by Fás and usually run by a local partnership company.

* Jobs Club: A community-based employment service

* Training Centre: A centre where Fás provides training courses for job seekers.

* Local Community Development Programme: These are community-based partnerships that offer a wide range of services that include employment services and assistance to local businesses.

In the case of West Cork there is one ESO and one LCDP — the West Cork Development Partnership. Both are located in Bantry and, as the table of nationwide figures illustrates, the LCDP is severely under-funded when compared with other areas.

The spend of €3.54 per head is almost a third of the national average spend of €10.54 and is considerably below that of neighbouring Kerry where the spend is €17 per head of population.

The region is second from bottom of this national list only by virtue of the fact that County Meath has had an unusual set of circumstances which saw two local offices shut down with a view to a re-opening.

If you are amongst the 1,249 people unemployed (according to official figures from September 2010) in the market town of Skibbereen, you find yourself in a town with no office offering services to help you get back into the workplace.

A lot of the people on the live register today find themselves in completely unfamiliar activity and arguably less prepared than previous generations in the basic skills of curriculum vitae preparation, application letter writing and personal preparation.

There is a clinic on the first and third Tuesday of every month that lasts two-and-a-half hours. This is the only place to go for an unemployed Skibbereen person. By any stretch of the imagination, it’s a tall order to expect Fás staff to provide an adequate service in such circumstances.

The situation is replicated in Clonakilty, Dunmanway and Macroom.

If you’re unemployed in Enniscorthy, however, your prospects of getting yourself prepared for and into the jobs market are considerably brighter.

Living in a county that, unlike West Cork, benefits from a spend on local community-based projects of €13.63 per head, you have a partnership company, an ESO and an LES in your town. These offices are open every day for you to pop in, brush up on your skills and see what opportunities on the jobs front or in business are becoming available.

How important are these services to the unemployed?

What use are services such as listing available jobs and preparing a CV if we’re living in an economy where the jobs just aren’t there anyway?

“The key to the whole process is to assist any individual to have a long and hard look at themselves,” says Fergal Conlon, manager of the West Cork LCDP.

“This is tough for many people, especially adults. After this, they need to explore a long-term future career which could suit them. Then, to look at the steps required to get there — when the individual has taken a number of these steps, they will be on the right track. Doing the CV and assisting with actual job-hunting will be one of the easier parts of it.

“What is most frustrating is that this is what happens elsewhere, but not in West Cork.”

West Cork is not the only region, or any part of a county, which appears to be overlooked when it comes to allocating services for the unemployed. But, on the evidence of the statistics, it does appear to be the worst. Is this the case? If so, why do these anomalies exist and, more importantly, whose job is it to ensure that they are corrected and that everyone gets a fair share of the cake?

A spokesperson from the Department of Trade, Enterprise and Innovation informed me that the Government’s recently-announced six-year plan of job creation involved the creation of over 11,000 jobs in Fás, and that all measures the Government is adopting on economic recovery have implications for regional growth, including West Cork.

“This department no longer has a role in the delivery of unemployment services,” the department spokesperson continued, “and so you may contact the Departments of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Education and Skills and the Department of Social Protection, whose remit covers this delivery.”

None of these agencies responded to the questions.

A spokesperson from the Department of Education and Skills responded by outlining the services that Fás provide in West Cork.

The Department of Social Protection referred me to the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs did not respond.