Community Employment Schemes

What is a Community Employment (CE) Scheme? The Community Employment (CE) programme is designed to help people who are long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged people to get back to work by offering part-time and temporary placements in jobs based within local communities. Participants can take up other part-time work during their placement. After the placement, participants are encouraged to seek permanent part-time and full-time jobs elsewhere based on the experience and new skills they have gained while in a Community Employment scheme. The main requirement is that the applicant is in receipt of a welfare payment and long term unemployed.

How long can I participate on a CE scheme? There are maximum time limits (depending on how long you have been in receipt of a qualifying payment) for Community Employment participation 3 years for people aged under 55 or 6 years for people aged over 55.

How many hours will I work? The average number of working hours for placements is 39 hours per fortnight (19.5 hours per week at Gateway). You are paid weekly by your sponsor and have certain statutory employment rights including annual leave, public holidays, maternity leave and a written statement of your terms and conditions of employment. Tax may be deducted from your pay if applicable but your CE pay is exempt from the Universal Social Charge. Check with the Department of Social Protection head office of your specific payment to see how this and secondary benefits might be affected while for a list of offices see http://www.longfordcic.ie/organisations.php?action=1&cat_id=44&id=174

Where are vacancies advertised? All Community Employment participant vacancies must be registered with the National Call Centre. Following receipt of the CE Vacancy Form by the National Call Centre the vacancy will be displayed on: - Jobs Ireland www.jobsireland.ie - Touch Screen Kiosks in DSP Offices - Notice boards in DSP Employment Offices and Local Employment Services Offices

What is the eligibility criteria? You are eligible if:

- You are aged 25 years or older and: - Unemployed and getting any combination of the following payments for at least 12 months: - Jobseeker's Benefit (JB), - Jobseeker's Allowance (JA), - One-Parent Family Payment (OFP), - Deserted Wifes Benefit, - Widows, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension, - Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Non-Contributory Pension - Farm Assist

OR You are aged 18 years and over and:

- A member of the Traveller community, unemployed and getting Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance for any period or One-Parent Family Payment for at least 1 year. Travellers aged 16 and 17 who have spent 12 months in a Traveller Training Centre are also eligible.

- Getting Disability Allowance, Blind Person's Pension or Invalidity Pension - Getting Illness Benefit for at least 6 months - A refugee authenticated by the Department of Justice and Equality (Garda Registration Certificate with

Stamp 4) and getting a social welfare payment - An ex-offender who has been referred by the Probation Service or other designated service, or an ex-

offender not referred by a designated service who has been getting JA or JB for 12 months - Referred following an appropriate assessment according to the National Drugs Rehabilitation Framework

protocols - Living on one of the offshore islands

How do I apply? Details on How to Apply will be given on the Jobs Ireland website. Use the job reference code when applying. Interested candidates will be requested to contact INTREO/ Employment Services Office to arrange a meeting (if no contact with ES Officer during previous three months) regarding the position prior to being put forward for referral to the CE Scheme Sponsor. See http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Intreo---Contact-Information.aspx for list of offices