Action Plan for Jobs:

The first Action Plan for Jobs (2012) sets out over 250 actions that will be taken across Government to help promote jobs. It includes:
• Scheme to help 3,000 new business start-ups
• Training, work experience, and job placements for people out of work 6 months
• Help for almost 5,000 businesses to export for the first time or introduce innovations to their business in 2012
Each action will have clear milestones and timelines. Performance will be monitored. Every year a similar action plan will be put in place. Our aim is to have 100,000 more people at work during the life of this Government.

Pathways to Work

High level target:

• 75,000 of those long term unemployed in February 2012 will be in employment by 2015 – this is more than double the current rate
• Average time a person who becomes unemployed will spend on the live register will fall from 21 months in February 2012 to 12 months by end 2015

Key Actions:

• Introduce profiling of all new claimants by end 2012 (50% by May), including signing a contract to participate in a in a progression plan
• Engage with those still on the live register after 3 months in a group setting
• Interview 130,000 unemployed during 2012 giving advice and guidance
• Provide 73,000 placements in 2012 in back to education, work experience and community employment
• Support 12,000 to get Back to Work (Enterprise) Allowance
• Provide 110,000 Solas, Skillnets, labour market activation and Springboard places
• Expand local authority training placements to 2,000 by the middle of next year
• Support 12,000 in local and community development programme