The Jobs Initiative Programme - Funded by FAS
The Job Initiative is a programme providing full-time employment for people who are 35 years of age or over, unemployed for 5 years or more, and in receipt of social welfare payments over that period.
Following changes introduced to the Job Initiative scheme by the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment in late 2004, there is currently no recruitment onto the scheme while existing participants will have their contracts renewed.
The main purpose of the programme is to assist long-term unemployed people to prepare for work opportunities. The programme achieves this by providing participants with work experience, training and development opportunities. The programme is sponsored by groups wishing to benefit the local community, namely voluntary organisations, public bodies and those involved in not-for-profit activities.
FÁS gives financial support to assist with the Job Initiative programme, for example, participant wages. Also, while on the programme participants can keep entitlements such as medical cards or child dependent allowance, and be eligible for others such as revenue job assist.
Jobs Initiative Eligibility Criteria
- Individuals must be 35 years of age or over
- Individuals
must be on the Live Register, in receipt of UA/UB or Lone Parents
Allowance for 5 years or more
- Periods of
Community Employment or recognised Training Courses can contribute
to the qualifying period
- Individuals
can transfer from a CE Scheme to the Jobs Initiative. If the
CE scheme is operating for longer than 6 months the position
vacated on the CE Scheme cannot be filled
- All adult
dependents of eligible persons on the Live Register will be
allowed to swap their entitlements for participation in the
programme
- A cumulative
period of employment of up to 25 weeks in the last five years
will be allowed as contributing towards the qualifying period.
After the three year work placement it is hoped that
- the sponsor
group will be in a position to offer their worker full-time
employment with the group;
- the experience
and training clients received on the JI programme will enable
them to secure full-time private sector employment;
- the experience and training clients received on the JI programme will enable them to set-up their own business.
For Further Information Please contact:
Kathleen Campbell, Jobs Initiative Co-ordinator on 07491 27056.
