Over 300 People Made Redundant Supported By Two EGF Programmes

More than 300 people made redundant from Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland (LTAI) and PWA International, as well as some 240 young people, have been supported under the last two European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) programmes, according to the Minister for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan.

Minister Halligan was speaking at an event to mark the completion of the programmes at the European Parliament offices in Dublin.

These programmes, co-financed by the EGF, were established by the Department of Education and Skills following the closure of the Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland (LTAI) and PWA International (PWAI) plants in Rathcoole, Dublin in 2014 and 2015 which resulted in a combined loss of some 530 jobs. Both programmes also availed of the option to include a similar number of young people, Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs). 

The Department of Education and Skills sought and received approval for programmes of labour market supports under the EGF on the basis of the sectoral link between these closures and the significant SR Technics job losses in Dublin in 2009/2010 (the subject of an EGF programme 2009-2011).

SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority, manages the EFG programmes on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills, working closely with participants to help them identify their specific needs and how best to address them. 

Operational since 2007, the EGF assists Member States to provide active labour market supports to workers made redundant as a result of changes in global trade patterns or the global financial and economic crisis, where the redundancies have a significant impact on the local, regional or national economy.

Commenting on the outcome of the programmes, Minister Halligan said: "I am pleased that the EGF has assisted more than 540 people to upskill and retrain through an innovative mix of mainstream and tailored supports in the areas of guidance, training, second and third level education and enterprise supports.

"I am also pleased to report that at the end of the programme over 73% of the former LTAI workers were back in employment and that the number of PWAI workers that were re-employed at April 2017 was similar.

"These rates, though in part due to the generally improving economic climate, are also testimony to the endeavour, determination and indeed vision of the workers to better themselves, retrain and upskill with EGF support and re-enter the labour market from a position of strength."

Acknowledging the contribution of the SOLAS EGF Co-ordination Unit to the programmes, the Minister added: "The highly motivated staff of the Unit interact on a daily basis with the EGF beneficiaries. They act as a sounding board and a bridge into the wider world of education, training and employment opportunities which the EGF provides."

(MH/LM)