Pathways to Work: Minister Humphreys and Minister O’Brien announce over 2,600 additional places on Community Employment and Tús schemes

CE and Tús schemes across the country to benefit as part of Government’s plan to tackle unemployment
Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, and Minister of State, Joe O’Brien TD, have announced over 2,600 additional places on Community Employment (CE) and Tús schemes nationwide.

The approval for an additional 1,475 places on CE schemes and 1,164 places on Tús schemes reflects a key commitment in Pathways to Work – the Government’s ambitious new employment services strategy.

Making the announcement, Minister Humphreys said:“At present, there are over 19,000 people participating in CE schemes and over 4,000 on Tús schemes. In 2020, the Department of Social Protection invested €425 million in these schemes – demonstrating their importance to communities right across the country.

“So many of our towns and villages have been negatively impacted by Covid-19.
“But as we emerge from this Pandemic, we are determined to support our citizens who find themselves out of work in every way possible.  “Along with Minister O’Brien, I am really pleased to provide these additional 2,639 places, which I know will be of huge benefit to so many people and their communities.

Minister O’Brien said:
“From the onset of the Covid-19 emergency in March 2020 and the subsequent restrictions, the Department of Social Protection continued to support CE and Tús schemes while also introducing other contingency measures, to safeguard existing placements and services provided by CE and Tús schemes, including the extension of CE participant contracts.
“This Government is committed to supporting the CE sponsoring authorities in the valuable services that they deliver across communities through these particularly challenging times and today’s announcement of the additional placements is a further testament to that.
“My Department will now work closely with these schemes to ensure that these new placements, which provide opportunities for the long term unemployed, are filled as soon as possible and that CE and Tús schemes use this expanded capacity to the benefit of communities to which they provide vital local services.”