New Deal scheme improves employability

The Government's New Deal scheme is helping to improve participants' employability in Northern Ireland, according to a new survey.

The survey was commissioned by the Department for Employment and Learning to examine the difference New Deal made to participants employment prospects and followed-up on their experiences after they had completed the programme.

In particular, the survey looked at the impact of New Deal on participants obtaining and remaining in employment.

The key findings in the reports were:

• New Deal helped to develop participants’ skills and enhanced their employability which in turn improved their chances of finding and keeping employment;
• The subsidised job with an employer option proved more effective in getting people into jobs than the other options;
• New Deal tended to work better with more ‘job ready’ participants ie those with higher qualifications and with a recent labour market history.

Under the New Deal scheme, participants receive intensive guidance on how to find employment and then have the opportunity to take up a number of options, including education and training and a subsidised job with an employer.

Results from the initial stage of the survey, together with the preliminary results from this second stage have already been used by the Department to improve the delivery of the programme.

(MB)