A pilot employment programme for the foreign national parents of Irish-born children could provide a template for local authorities, VECs and others around the State, according to one of the programme's organisers.
Speaking at the launch of the results of the Employment of Parents of Irish-born Children (EPIC) programme in Dublin yesterday, Paddy Richardson said it is hoped that 210 people will be assisted by the scheme next year.
Mr Richardson is programme manager with Business in the Community, which manages the scheme.
He said that the programme could be expanded nationwide, and had helped to identify a number of barriers to progress for its clients, including a lack of work experience in Ireland, childcare issues, and unrecognised qualifications.
By addressing these issues, the scheme could go a long way to ensuring such individuals were helped to enter the workforce and increase their skills.
"To help people to be economically independent is a win-win situation for everybody," he said.
The results for the pilot programme, based in Dublin, found that 70 per cent of participants on the programme went on to start employment or entered further training and education.
EPIC started in September 2006 and has been designed specifically to support parents of Irish-born children, particularly lone parents from non-EU countries, to access quality employment, training and education.
It provides a six-week training module, including an English skills and a life and work skills course which gives participants information and training on a range of topics to orientate them for living in Ireland.
These include employment rights, entrepreneurship, time management and cultural awareness.
Clients then work with dedicated training and employment officers to access further training or enter employment.
During the 15 months of the Dublin pilot phase, 194 people had completed the training and were assigned to a training and employment officer.
Of these, 95 were placed in employment and 40 are currently in further education and training.
Most of the jobs have been secured in retail, healthcare and customer service, with clients primarily coming from African nations such as Nigeria, Congo and Kenya.