5 September 2001

FARREN LAUNCHES EMPLOYERS’ GUIDE TO RECRUIT UNEMPLOYED

A major new guide and toolkit aimed at assisting employers to recruit the unemployed was today launched by the Minister for Employment and Learning, Dr Sean Farren.

Congratulating Business in the Community, who developed the initiative, the Minister also urged employers to sign up to the measures it offers to the unemployed saying: "This initiative recognises that not all unemployed people, particularly if they are long-term unemployed, are job ready and they may require extra help before they can return to the workforce.

"Initiatives such as this will provide the extra assistance some people may require and can make the difference between employment and unemployment."

The guide sets out a range of measures which companies can offer such as job-shadowing, work experience and mock interviews and provides examples, in the form of case studies, of Northern Ireland companies which have made a special effort to assist the unemployed.

Dr Farren described the publication as very timely and said that it fitted in with the work of the recently established Taskforce on Employability and Long-Term Unemployment and with a new initiative for unemployed people being developed by his Department.

The Minister continued by saying: "I am taking this opportunity to announce new provision for unemployed people which will commence in October of this year. Entitled Focus for Work, it will combine existing programmes with a new range of provision including Employment Review Interviews with JobCentre staff, an extended JobClub network and a new vocational training programme called Training for Work to be delivered by Enterprise Ulster."

The Minister commended Business in the Community for their employer’s guide and toolkit, which he felt, would complement the proposed new provision available from October.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Taskforce on Employability and Long Term Unemployment is a cross Departmental group, established by the Executive to address the issue of long term unemployment. The group is chaired by Dr Sean Farren and is currently engaged in a wide-ranging consultation exercise.

Business in the Community (BITC) is an organisation of companies across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, committed to continually improving their positive impact on society. BITC Northern Ireland was launched in 1990 and today has over 200 member companies with 40 staff, working on campaigns focussing on economic development, education, the environment, equal opportunities and employee involvement.

Media enquiries to Kevin Mulhern, Press Office, telephone 028 9025 7790 or mobile 07799 711523.

Further enquiries to: Bob Northey, Business in the Community, telephone 028 9041 0410.