Representatives of unemployed add to criticism of services

REPRESENTATIVES for the unemployed have added to criticisms of job training courses and welfare services that were made in an alarming report on unemployment.

Government plans to overhaul programmes for jobseekers and access to welfare schemes needed adequate resources and support, they warned.

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) yesterday echoed concerns raised about grievances and challenges faced by the jobless in the new report.

The University College Report research, scheduled to be released today, found welfare offices were “chaotic” and a “nightmare” and that training courses were a waste of time for participants.

INOU coordinator John Stewart said the group were not surprised by the report, which interviewed those out of work during 2010.

“It was absolutely clear that the services were not able to cope with the huge influx of additional people seeking access to social welfare services.

“And that impacted mostly on the unemployed person themselves who lost their jobs, lost their livelihoods. They found that their incomes had been decimated and that social welfare benefits only replaced a portion of what they had been earning.

“It’s very important that staff providing those key frontline services are properly resourced to do that.”

Anger over ministerial salaries, problems with health and family rows were also issues highlighted by the jobless men and women in the report.

Unemployed people in the study were also particularly critical of jobs agency Fás, with no one reporting that their courses had resulted in getting a job. The quality of courses and their success was questioned by participants.

Mr Stewart told Waterford Local Radio yesterday:

“Fás did get a hammering there and that feedback reflects the feedback that we got as an organisation over the last number of years and again it’s around the frustration that people have found when they go along to Fás, that Fás unfortunately have not been able to provide the type of training services that people really needed and wanted to access.”

The jobs agency last night questioned the decision to only question those without jobs in the study, who had therefor not left unemployment after engaging with state services.

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has promised to provide a one-stop service for people accessing welfare, looking for work and getting training advice. The Government will also abolish FÁS and replace it with Solas, a new body to oversee education and training.