£14m earmarked for jobs in deprived areas

Deprived areas in west Belfast and in the north west are set to benefit from a jobs initiative worth £14 million, the Department for Employment and Learning announced today.

The funding allocation, spread over the next three years, is designed to tackle long term unemployment in west Belfast, the greater Shankill, Derry (both Foyle and Waterside) and Strabane.

According to a report by the Taskforce on Employability and Long-Term Unemployment, the government proposes to develop greater partnership between the statutory, voluntary and community sectors and employers to address the barriers to employment being experienced by individuals in areas of low employment and high social deprivation. Fostering more productive co-operation between government departments is also high on the agenda.

Currently, Northern Ireland has a lower share of its working age population (males aged 16-64 and females aged 16-59) in jobs than any other UK region and a high share of ‘workless’ households – 21% compared to a UK average of 16%. If the north's employment rate (68%) were the same level as the UK as a whole (75%) some 75,000 extra people would be in employment.

Announcing the proposals, NIO Minister Jane Kennedy said: "Previously, within government, the strategic approach to employability has been fragmented and has tended to be seen as the sole responsibility of a small number of departments – specifically the Departments for Employment and Learning, Enterprise, Trade and Investment and Education.

"The overall vision is, therefore, to set in place a long-term strategy for employability, building on past experience, using new approaches and taking the issue forward in a holistic, coherent and integrated way. This will be achieved through a partnership between government and the broad range of other agencies and organisations with a deep interest in a fresh set of outcomes."

The Minister said the partnership would include employers, public and private sector, the networks of voluntary and community providers with expertise in employability and, importantly individuals, who she said must take responsibility for seeking employment by developing their skills and attitudes.

The Department for Employment and Learning will lead the implementation of the action plan and an Inter-Departmental Implementation Group will meet to ensure that each of the parties takes responsibility for delivering on their commitments.

(GMcG)