With levels of unemployment soaring in Co. Wexford it’s imperative that the Government restructures training programmes to respond quicker to offer retraining to those who find themselves without jobs.  So says Fine Gael Deputy Michael D’Arcy whose party has tabled a private members’ motion on the matter for the Dail this week.

“861 people under the age of 26 were signing on the unemployment register in Co. Wexford in September/October – a 23% increase” Deputy D’Arcy pointed out.
“With the number on the live register increasing by nearly 50% nationally over the past twelve months and a projected 8% unemployment rate for 2009 the Government cannot stand idly by and let these people languish on the dole.  They need to put in place, without delay, a range of training programmes so give those who’ve lost their jobs the best possible chance of obtaining other work,” he said.

“Training programmes need to be restructured to be more responsive to a rapidly changing labour market and economy,” Deputy D’Arcy added.

The private members’ motion, which is due to be discussed and voted upon in the Dail on Wednesday, also calls on the Government to consider the needs of small and medium-sized businesses when developing training services.

Fine Gael is also demanding a change in the eligibility criteria for the back to education allowance to open up access to further education for the unemployed.  “We should be doing all we can to help people who’ve lost their jobs to get back into the labour market,” Deputy D’Arcy said.