Taoiseach Launches Pathways To Work 2016-2020

The Taoiseach, the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for Education and Skills, have launched the Pathways to Work 2016-2020, which contains six key strands involving 86 dedicated actions to build on the employment progress to date.

Developed by the Department of Social Protection, the Pathways initiative seeks to enhance employment, education and training services for jobseekers, continue with reforms to make work pay, and increase engagement with employers to provide greater opportunities for those seeking work.

Speaking at the launch, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: "Pathways to Work is an essential part of our long term economic plan to reach full employment and to keep the recovery going.

"The overhaul of our welfare system was absolutely necessary considering the massive unemployment challenge we inherited. My promise is that we are never going back to that passive welfare system that abandoned whole families to the dole queue. I want to see people independent in work, not dependent on welfare. We believe that a job is the best route out of poverty, that work should pay and that people should be actively helped into new jobs. 

"The first Pathways to Work strategy was successful in reducing by almost 40% the numbers of people unemployed since 2012. The next phase of our reform plan will do more to end the plight of jobless households and expand job support services to those traditionally excluded from the labour market. Together, it is the ambition of this Government to keep the recovery going, to make sure that nobody is left behind in that recovery, and that job creation and getting people into those jobs remains the top priority for us all."

Pathways 2016-2020 involves six key strands, which are:

• Enhanced engagement with jobseekers – this will see the Department continue to improve the quality of engagement between the Intreo service and jobseekers, with a particular focus on helping the long-term unemployed into work.

• Increase the employment focus of activation programmes and opportunities – this will ensure targeted, responsive, locally and regionally adapted opportunities such as work placements, education and training.

• Making work pay: incentivise the take-up of opportunities – this will ensure that jobseekers have a financial incentive to work and that the tax, welfare and employment policies of the State act to encourage the take-up of work.

• Incentivise employers to offer jobs and opportunities to unemployed people – the Department continue to incentivise employers to offer good quality and sustainable opportunities for jobseekers and assist them to recruit from the Live Register.

• Continue to build organisation capability to deliver high quality services to unemployed people – this will see the Department build on the fundamental overhaul of employment services instigated since 2012 to further enhance those services for jobseekers and employers alike.

• Building the workforce – this will ensure that strategic reforms under way in the education and training sectors are closely aligned with the needs of employers, workers and jobseekers.

(MH)