Youth Guarantee conference in Blanchardstown

THE Government was urged last week to expedite the national Youth Guarantee plan to help the estimated 14,000 young Dubliners aged under 25 who are currently unemployed.

The call came from Dublin MEP Emer Costello (Lab) who was speaking at a conference Blanchardstown on the Youth Guarantee, which was also attended by Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton.

Ireland’s rate of youth unemployment currently stands at 25 per cent including around 1,100 in Blanchardstown where the conference took place.

The Youth Guarantee is aimed at providing all of Europe’s unemployed young adults under the age of 25 with either training or employment opportunities.

Ballymun was one of the first areas in the EU to implement a pilot project for the scheme and it’s hoped it’ll be rolled out nationwide later this year.

Ms Costello worked both in Dublin and in the European Parliament on the European Youth Guarantee and says it’s important that the Government follows through on a commitment to the project made last month.

“Our youth unemployment figures are improving but they are still unacceptably high,

? she said.

“The European Youth Guarantee offers us with a unique opportunity to change the architecture through which we support young people into employment.

“It’s vital that we get it right so that the social and economic costs of youth unemployment are never allowed to become so grave again.

“It is incumbent on the Government to fully implement the ambitious National Plan launched last month so that young people in Ireland aren’t left with the lasting scars of unemployment.

“Financial constraints remain a reality in terms of roll-out and I have no doubt that there are challenges ahead but there is no more important work to be done than ensuring that our young people reach their full potential.

?

It’s expected that the Government will offer opportunities to approximately 30,000 young people at the highest risk of long-term unemployment under the Youth Guarantee Scheme this year.

The scheme will build on existing programmes such as Jobs Plus, Tús and Jobsbridge.

Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, said that while the National Plan was ambitious it was important to note that there wasn’t any single or instant solution to youth unemployment.

“It will take time and perseverance, involving on-going investment and the sustained effort of the State, employers, unions and jobseekers alike,

? she continued.

“Ireland is lucky that many of the elements that will make up the Guarantee at EU level are already in place in Ireland through the Pathways to Work and related strategies.

“In implementing the Guarantee, we will build on these elements and continually widen them.

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