UP to
?¬50 million of the
?¬150 million expected to be ring-fenced for the Youth Guarantee in Ireland should be poured into communities around Dublin where youth unemployment is worst.
Labour Party MEP for Dublin, Emer Costello, made the call at a seminar on youth unemployment at Liberty Hall last Friday (July 11).
“One-third of young Irish people now out of work live in Dublin,
? she said.
“There are 17,400 young people on the live register, not to mention young people who have fallen through the cracks and are not in education, employment or training.
“This prevents them from playing an active role in society and indeed it alienates them.
“That is why I am calling for
?¬40 to
?¬50 million of the funding ring-fenced for Ireland’s Youth Guarantee programme to be targeted at communities across Dublin which have been identified as having the most pronounced youth unemployment problems.
?
The Youth Guarantee is aimed at ensuring that a young unemployed person is offered high-quality employment, continued education, a traineeship, or an apprenticeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.
Ms Costello said that since she has become an MEP for Dublin, she has
“championed
? the European Youth Guarantee and welcomed the agreement reached to provide e8 billion for youth employment initiatives.
“The next six months will be crucial for the design and implementation of the Guarantee in Ireland,
? she added.
“The purpose of the seminar is to investigate how we can roll-out the Youth Guarantee to communities such as the inner city, Balbriggan, Tallaght and Ballyfermot once the pilot project is completed in Ballymun.
?