Jobbridge vital for those in an employment cul de sac

JobBridge is a vital tool in helping people in an unemployment “cul de sac” find work, according to a local official in the Department Of Social Protection.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner in the run-up to Jobs Week, a week-long series of events for job seekers and employers in Westmeath from September 29 to October 3, official Eamon Guilfoyle said that studies show that the longer someone is unemployed, the harder it is for them to get a job, so from the moment they sign on now they receive support to help in getting back to work.

“The focus is on the job rather than just providing the supports,” said Mr Guilfoyle. “There is a process of case management with job seekers where they meet a case officer and are profiled and job matched. It’s immediate: once you come in to make your claim you will see a case officer. You will be directed towards training courses. Our website jobsireland is a free service to employers to advertise jobs but also used by case managers who will attempt to match job seekers who are in our system,” he said.

While the JobBridge internship scheme has had its critics, Mr Guilfoyle says that it has been successful in helping participants find employment.

“If you are one of those people who have left school early, you have nothing on your CV and no one will let you in the door. The real plus in that is getting in a job. People can find themselves in a complete cul de sac. They have lost the confidence to re-train and now they can go and do something that will help them make an inroad.

“JobBridge also has other dimensions now. There is a pilot post graduate certificate in professional practice where JobBridge is targeting people who have a degree for on the job training with an employer. What they end up with is a tailored employment specific qualification,” Mr Guilfoyle said.

“JobBridge is not just about the job seeker – it is also about the employer. It gives them the opportunity to see if there is scope for business growth. That’s critical too.”

Some 55% of the people on the Live Register have been on the dole for more than 12 months. While this has fallen from more than 60% two years ago, Mr Guilfoyle says that the department wants to provide people with the tools to gain employment – whether retraining or brushing up on interview skills.

“We give them CV training and interview skills. During Jobs Week we will have CV clinics to assist people. It is sadly one of the consequences of long-term unemployment that when you get beyond the two-year period, your confidence slips. It is for that reason that our engagement with the job seeker is increasing.”

Help for employers too

The Department of Social Protection is there to help employers as well as job seekers, Mr Guilfoyle says, and JobsPlus is one of the support programmes for employers who want to expand their businesses.

“It’s a grant aid to employers to help them employ someone who is unemployed for more than 12 months. There are two rates, if a job seeker has been on the unemployment register for greater than 12 months, the employer can avail of a €7,500 grant over two years. If the person has been on the Live Register for greater than two years they can avail of a €10k grant, paid over two years.

“It’s paid monthly in arrears. There is no commitment on the part of the employers in that if someone doesn’t work out, if the employment terminates, our arrangement terminates and the money stops.

“There is no clawback of the money either. It is paid over two years. To date it has been seen as a natural progression from JobBridge, where someone has taken an intern in and they have proven to be of value to that company,” Mr Guilfoyle says.

While the number of local businesses that have signed up for JobsPlus “is not as high as we’d like”, Mr Guilfoyle says that one of the aims of Jobs Week is to raise awareness of the supports available to employers.

“We want to get employers to cross the threshold and begin to talk to us. Once they do that we can highlight what we do that can be of assistance. We don’t create jobs, we assist employers in job creation or job retention,” Mr Guilfoyle says.

• The department will have a stand at the Here to Help Small Business Events run by the Local Enterprise Office tomorrow, Tuesday September 30, in the Radisson Hotel, Athlone (10am-1.30pm).