These Schemes are employment support measures for long-term unemployed people and other people in receipt of long-term payments from the Department of Social Protection. This announcement by the Department for Social Protection has been welcomed by Deputy Michael Lowry.
The schemes employ participants to deliver a range of services to local communities throughout the country.
These include local amenities management, environmental projects, arts and culture, sports, childcare, Tidy Towns, health-related services, Meals-on-Wheels and Drug Rehabilitation Schemes.
As well as contributing to the delivery of local services, the participants develop a range of occupational skills and work experience that help to improve their own prospects of securing full-time employment.
The allocation of the additional places stems from a key commitment in Pathways to Work for the provision of 3,000 additional places nationally on the CE and Tús Employment Support Schemes for people who are unemployed for twelve months or more, including time spent on the Pandemic unemployment payment (PUP).
This is the first step in allocating these additional places.
In early summer, the Department invited CE sponsoring authorities and Tús implementing bodies to submit expressions of interest that would provide employment support opportunities for such placements.
Following the initial ‘expression of interest’ process, the Department invited applications for the additional placements which, in partnership with Pobal, were assessed with those meeting key criteria approved for additional places.
