Youth jobs policy launched at Dublin Docks

Paul Hogan and Kathryn Reilly launch Sinn Féin's Youth Jobs Policy

TWO of Sinn Féin’s youngest candidates in General Election 2011 launched Sinn Féin’s youth jobs policy at the Jeanie Johnston famine ship on Dublin’s quays on Tuesday to highlight the 100,000 young people who will be forced to emigrate in the next two years.

Sinn Féin’s Kathryn Reilly (Cavan/Monaghan) and Paul Hogan (Longford/Westmeath) said that a comprehensive youth jobs plan must be implemented by any incoming government as a priority.

Sinn Féin’s fully costed and credible proposals have the potential to get 50,000 young people under 25 off the dole immediately and create many more jobs in the years ahead.

Kathryn Reilly said:

As a young person who has seen many of my friends forced to leave their families, their friends and their home country in search of work, I know all too well what a lack of action on youth unemployment can do.

Without a serious youth jobs plan we are in danger of losing a generation of talented young people to emigration. They have been failed by the previous government; they must not be failed by the next.

The absolute priority for any incoming government must be to implement a comprehensive youth jobs plan that works and which will get people back to work or into training.

Our costed and credible proposals have the potential to get 50,000 young people off the dole immediately and create many more jobs in the years ahead.

We need to make youth unemployment a priority and we need to beat emigration. Sinn Féin has the proposals and the political will to make this a reality.

Sinn Féin’s proposals include:-

a) A youth jobs fund to create 20,000 new jobs;

b) An individual plan for the long-term prospects of every person under 25 on the live register;

c) 2,000 places on a ‘One More Language Scheme’ to give the young unemployed a chance to learn an extra foreign language;

d) 5,000 free ECDL places;

e) 10,000 new CE places;

f) 1,000 places on conversion courses at third level to help graduates convert their skills to potential growth sectors;

g) Eight measures to treble the number of under 25s who are self-employed including a national entrepreneurship programme, access to credit and greater support for high-potential start-ups;

h) A publicly-owned green tech firm for Ireland and a major drive to attract FDI in renewable energy;

i) Making Ireland a digital media leader through support for skills, infrastructure and entrepreneurship;

j) A ‘National Development Scheme’ to employ people directly on public works projects employing 2,000 workers;

k) Lifting of the suspension on the early farm retirement scheme to make farming an option for younger people.