14 vacancies to be filled on Kilrush FÁS scheme

IN response to an article in last week’s Clare Champion, regarding the possible loss of 15 people from 23 on the FÁS Community Employment Scheme based at Kilrush Youth Centre, the Department of Social Protection has said 14 vacancies have to be filled on the new scheme.

That scheme is due to start on January 28. There are two options under which vacancies for community employment are filled. The first is the Part Time Integration (PTI) option, where participants are eligible for one year on community employment. This option is available for people who are over 25 years of age and in receipt of a qualifying payment (or combination of qualifying payments) for 12 months or more.

The Part Time Job (PTJ ) option is available to people aged over 35 years, who have been in receipt of a qualifying payment (or combination of qualifying payments) for three years or more.

The maximum single contract period of work for any community employment participant is 52 weeks. After 52 weeks, participation on a Community Employment Scheme for people engaged under the PTI option must cease, whereas people employed under the PTJ option may be re-employed on the next scheme.

“The main objective of community employment is to enable long-term unemployed people to re-enter the labour market through the provision of training and work experience on a fixed term basis. The Department of Social Protection liaises with sponsors to fill vacancies on community employment schemes on an ongoing basis,” the department statement read.

Last week, Gerry O’Malley, who is one of scheme sponsors, along with Fr Michael Sheedy and Aisling Corcoran, told The Clare Champion that numbers on the scheme may reduce permanently if those now rendered ineligible cannot be replaced by new participants. Those who take part in the scheme receive just €20 on top of their normal social welfare allowance for 19 hours work weekly.

It has also emerged that people who have been signing on for social welfare and qualify for schemes similar to the one in Kilrush may not continue to receive social welfare when they finish. Based in Kilrush Youth Centre, some scheme participants work as assistants in Kilrush Community Hospital or help to maintain parish buildings and with the upkeep of four local graveyards.