22,000 removed from long-term unemployment

More than 22,000 people who were trapped in the cycle of longterm unemployment have been able to return to work because of the…

More than 22,000 people who were trapped in the cycle of longterm unemployment have been able to return to work because of the success of the Back-to-Work Allowance Scheme, which was introduced in 1993, the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern, announced yesterday. He said that the scheme was now the flagship of his Department's employment support services. It had grown rapidly from an initial 5,000 to the present total of 22,000, who would otherwise be unemployed.

The Minister was speaking at a function to mark the publication of a report entitled "Developing Welfare Policy - An Evaluation of the Back to Work Allowance Scheme". The evaluation, which was carried out by WRC Social and Economic Consultants, re flects positively on the scheme and the significant role it has played in motivating large numbers of the long-term unemployed to make the transition back into the workforce.

Mr Ahern said that the lessons learned from the Back to Work Allowance Scheme would be extended into other sectors, particularly into the area of secondchance education and training.

A new Back-to-Education programme is to be introduced to enable unemployed people and lone parents to acquire the qualifications and skills now in demand. This will build on the existing Second Level and Third Level Allowances and will offer a broader career choice to people who feel excluded on the basis of their original educational qualifications.

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A new pilot programme is to be introduced specifically to assist those aged 18 and 19 to obtain work.