€32m fund giving free training to job-seekers - is your community benefitting?

GEAROID FITZGIBBON REPORTS IN THE NEXT ISSUE

OF 'CHANGING IRELAND':

While the effectiveness and cohesion of national economic policies are questioned, there are in fact a raft of minor initiatives aimed at boosting the economy.

Community and voluntary groups including Local Development Companies have yet to take full advantage of these initiatives.

Many of them are funded under the €32m Labour Market Activation Fund which is “to stimulate innovation in the provision of training and activation measures for jobseekers seeking to upskill and get back into work.”

It was launched in June.

Of 350 tenders received, 25 were selected, from both private and public bodies. These offer everything from free college places, to short term training in specific skills, eg multimedia, tourism, green economy. For further information on these, see the Department of Education and Skills' website, where a full list of the initiatives can be downloaded.

For more information, look out for our magazine published next week, in print and online at: www.changingireland.ie

CAPTION: The posters here are a selection from around the country offering free training for unemployed people, in these cases in Carlow, Meath and Tipperary.