Reply - M5 Action Plan for Jobs

COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, March 11, 2013

MOTION NO. 5

MOTION: Councillor E. Tuffy

That this Council notes the provision in Budget 2013 of funding for the creation of 3000 new Local Authority Social Employment Scheme Placements, supports initiatives and actions by South Dublin County Council to provide, and/or collaborate in the provision of, relevant training for job seekers specific to growing industries in the County and supportive of the Council's involvement in efficient energy use and other projects, including projects supporting disadvantaged communities and sports and recreation projects, and requests the Manager to make a statement on the matter.

REPORT:

The Action Plan for Jobs sets out the Government's enhanced labour market activation strategy which sets out to maximise the number of positions that can be filled by those who are currently unemployed. The scheme recognises the limited public resources at our disposal but notes that activation measures are targeted at those groups who are most at risk of long-term unemployment as well as those who would benefit most from interventions.

The scheme recognises that the pathway back to work will vary for individuals depending on their skills set and qualifications, on developments in the economy and on the extent to which people remain attached to the labour market through activation, education and training as appropriate.

This Council plays a key role in a wide range of activities which result in a job dividend for the County. The Council is committed to the delivery of a host of projects which aim to benefit local businesses and communities in the County. The marketing of our county as a great place to develop a business, combined with the significant level of capital investment in the arts, tourism, sports, recreation, community facilities and transport infrastructure has a very positive impact on employment supports and economic recovery.

Activites supporting enterprise include:

The Business Development and Sustainability Project which was delivered in conjunction with South Dublin Chamber
Support for enterprise agencies and business networking events
Provision of enterprise infrastructure such as serviced sites and planning support
Provision of new arts / concert venues, sporting facilities and tourism products, relating to a broad range of recreation and amenity facilities
The Connect with Energy Initiative which promotes the growth of the green economy and aims to improve business competitiveness by advising businesses on how to reduce energy costs in the workplace.

Last year also saw the development of an Economic Strategy for the Council. This strategy is geared towards maintaining the county's position as an economic driver within the wider region and as a destination for indigenous business and direct foreign investment. It highlights the County's character areas where economic development can be nurtured and firmly positions the protection of existing jobs and the creation of new jobs as a key priority of the Council.

In response to previous initiatives, the Council is commencing the Local Training Initiative (LTI) for young travellers which will involve the temporary employment of a Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator to run the programme and the placement of up to 20 participants for 9 months.

Further Jobbridge posts are also being pursued in the following areas:

· Online Community Assistant & Web Editor: joint project undertaken by Arts Office with partners Dublin City Council, the National Youth Council and Temple Bar Cultural Trust in relation to a new initiative YAM. (Your Arts Map) 1 post for 9 months.

· Project Assistant: supporting a new cultural diversity initiative promoting the practice of artists of immigrant and culturally diverse backgrounds and building diverse audiences, supported by SDCC, Dublin City Council and the New Communities Partnership 1 post for 9 months.

· Development & Energy Management Officer: determine the level of Energy usage of SDCC and to further map this energy usage to determine the carbon baseline for the County 2 posts for 9 months each.

Total of additional 26 posts for 9 months.

The Council also looks forward to the introduction of the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Initiative in the current year (2013). The Council's existing Economic Development unit will continue their valuable contribution and the Council continues to host the County Enterprise Board in County Hall. However the LEO will preside over the expansion of this service as it will integrate the working of both offices and lead to a stronger and more streamlined service to business in the County.

In Budget 2013 the Government announced that it was providing an additional €11 million in 2013 and €26 million in a full year, to allow the Department of Social Protection to increase by 10,000 the number of placements available across the labour market activation schemes offered by the Department. They confirmed that these measures will improve employability and work readiness outcomes for participants by giving them opportunities to put their work skills into practice and learn new ones.

The Minister for Social Protection confirmed that these include 2,500 JobBridge places, 2,500 places on the Tús scheme, an additional 2,000 community employment scheme places, as well as 3,000 places in local authority social employment schemes. The Minister indicated that the positions with local authorities are expected to focus on construction and engineering type positions. It has been initially suggested that the scheme will be rolled out on a phased basis over the coming year where proposals will be developed which would be complementary to the core work carried out but which would not replace it. Work is well advanced on the development of the new programme between local authorities and government departments. The areas referred to in the motion will also be considered as the proposals are developed further.