Opportunity through partnership - Building for the future
A major commercial development in the area afforded opportunities for training and employment of local people - opportunities seized by a cross-agency partnership made possible by funding provided through the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Union's primary financial instrument for improving employment opportunities.
The Mahon Point Training and Employment Project came about as a result of the construction of Mahon Point Shopping Centre, a major retail and leisure development in the area featuring high-street stores, restaurants, cafes, a 13-screen cinema and additional leisure facilities.
Part-funded by the EU, this job training initiative brought together the Irish Training and Employment Authority (FĂS), the Mahon Community Association, some of the key retailers locating in the new development and the commercial developer of the Mahon Point centre.
The property developer constructed offices and training facilities in the local Mahon Community Centre and FĂS provided a range of full and part-time courses targeted at long-term unemployed people in the area.
Of the over 1,200 people who participated in a guidance and counselling process, some progressed directly to employment, while 456 participated in training programmes. Some 310 of these were residents of the Mahon district, and 78% of those who participated in training programmes obtained employment.
"From an employment training perspective, this was a win-win situation for the local community and the project. It was also a good example of how a State agency, a business and a local community can work together to achieve common goals," said the director of the Mahon Community Association.
This project demonstrated not only how opportunities for unemployed people could be successfully integrated with local commercial development to the mutual benefit of both sides, but also how funding provided by the EU for jobs and training initiatives in Ireland can translate into improving the employment situation for an entire area.
The ESF is the European Union's primary financial instrument for provision of employment and training opportunities across the 27-member bloc. Its mission is to help prevent and fight unemployment, to make Europe's workforce and companies better equipped to face new challenges and to prevent people losing touch with the labour market.
Since Ireland joined the EU, we have already received over âŹ6bn in investment from the fund, while in the period 2007-2013 some âŹ375m will be invested in training courses, higher education and employment creation projects such as that undertaken in Mahon.
In Ireland the fund is overseen by The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which channels the finance to support a range of courses, schemes and projects across the country, provided by agencies including FĂS as well as local and regional authorities.
Vincent Landers, Principal Officer of the Department's ESF Policy and Operations Unit, explains the two main priorities that determine the distribution of ESF funding.
"The first priority for ESF financing is upskilling the workforce," he says, underlining the need for Irish workers to be equipped to compete in the future economy.
The ESF co-finances a number of employment and training initiatives administered by FĂS, including 'Skills Training for the Unemployed' and 'Job Seekers' programmes, as well as in-company training for those already in employment, such as the 'Strategic Alliances' and 'Competency Development' programmes.
ESF funding also co-finances Department of Education programmes including the 'Back to Education' initiative, for people who may have fallen behind in formal education, and the 'Undergraduate Skills' programme - to provide support for third-level courses regarded as "high priority", such as in the ICT and engineering sectors.
For those training, ESF funds may mean new courses provided, additional places on courses, and no fees or indeed grant assistance for students or trainees.
Meanwhile, the second priority of the ESF in Ireland is to support increased participation in the workforce by currently marginalised groups who face barriers to employment, progression and participation.
Everyone agrees that the best way to react to global challenges is to shift towards more specialised jobs, better education, innovation and a move into new areas of comparative advantage for Europe.
This involves a focus on "high added-value" employment - creating a skilled workforce educated to a superior level as opposed to attempting to compete directly with low-cost production locations.
In practical terms, Irish jobseekers and those wishing to engage in training can avail of specific EU initiatives by availing of ESF co-funded training programmes offered by FĂS and other partners, as well as the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme, administered by LĂ©argas, the national exchange agency, which enables individuals to avail of learning opportunities at all stages of their lives.
In light of current economic challenges, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is currently undergoing an interim review of how ESF funding is being spent in order to ensure not only that priorities reflect the changing circumstances, but that where possible, ESF money can have a direct and immediate impact.
"In the current economic climate there is a necessity to get money into the economy as soon as possible in order to stimulate economic activity in 2009 and 2010," according to Landers.
With this in mind, officials are actively seeking to prioritise projects that can draw down ESF money more quickly.
"While we still need to do the right things in terms of how the money is spent, and make sure it goes to the right areas, it is imperative now that we spend more quickly so that it has more of an immediate and direct impact," according to Landers.
"We also need to be even more directly focused in order to face the current challenges, and the ESF is making a significant contribution to this effort."
Mahon Point Training and Employment Project
ESF in Ireland
ESF overview
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Department of Education
FĂS - the national training and employment authority
LĂ©argas - the national exchange agency
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