Minister Ciarán Cannon launches evaluation report on pilot Skillnets Job-seekers Support Programme (JSSP)
Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 12:53PM “One in five trainees secured employment within 4-8 weeks of completing the Skillnets Job-seekers Support Programme (JSSP)”
An evaluation report launched today by Mr. Ciarán Cannon T.D., Minister for Training and Skills, on a pilot programme run by Skillnets at the end of 2010 for 279 job-seekers, reported that one in five trainee’s secured employment within 4-8 weeks of completing the Job-seekers Support Programme (JSSP). This programme was aimed solely at unemployed people and key features were the provision of skills which are in demand by industry combined with direct access to employers through meaningful work placements.
At the launch of the report today, Minister Cannon said
“The unique advantage Skillnets has is the ability for network companies to group together and source the training actually needed. Skillnets has recognised early on the role they can play in adapting their successful training model to cater for the unemployed as well as the employed. The pilot Job-seekers Support Programme (JSSP) blended training with workplace experience and gave unemployed trainees greater access to potential employers. A core strength of the programme was its ability to draw on the excellent relationships built up over time that network managers have with their member companies and which enables them to organise high quality work placements for the trainees”.
Left to right > Alan Nuzum, CEO Skillnets; Domhnall Mac Domhnaill, Skillnets Chairman; Kirsty McLaughlin, Candidate in Jobseeker programme; Sean Carlin, IBEC Retail Skillnet.Of the other trainees who progressed since completing the programme, 23% moved into further training, 28% secured an interview in a related role and 2% established their own business. In total 4,226 training days were delivered and on average, each trainee benefitted from 15 full days of training. Over half of these trainees were young unemployed (i.e. aged under 35) and were long-term unemployed, having been out of work for over a year. There was a strong emphasis on accredited training in order to boost trainees’ employability and 80% of the training programmes were either certified by industry or accredited by FETAC.
Domhnall Mac Domhnaill, Skillnets Chairman, said “In this pilot programme unemployed people have been included in Skillnets training programmes giving the unemployed “real time” access to training and experience. The benefits that accrue from the use of the Skillnets model to increase the employability of those affected by the downturn is evident with 22% of trainees’ securing employment from the pilot Job-seekers Support programme equating to a cost of approximately €2,795 per job created. This figure compares very favourably with the annual cost to the Exchequer of supporting an unemployed person (circa. €20,000). We received excellent feedback from trainees about the quality of training, and the impact the pilot Job-seekers Support Programme (JSSP) had on connecting unemployed people with employers and the workplace. Companies hosting work placements also endorsed the initiative. 91% of the companies surveyed were satisfied/very satisfied with the quality of placements and the benefits to their company”.
The Department of Education and Skills (DES) has approved the mainstreaming of the Job-seekers Support Programme (JSSP) in 2011. Skillnets networks are currently applying for this stream of funding and delivery of training programmes with work placement will commence from June 2011. In the meantime job-seekers can search for free training courses with Skillnets networks in a variety of regions and sectors on http://www.skillnets.ie/job-seekers/find-course.
Skillnets funds and facilitates training through over 50 networks of private sector companies, in a range of sectors and regions. Each network delivers training that is relevant to specific industry and member company needs.
