Minister Tames Wildcats In New York

Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, began a seven day trip to North America with a fact finding mission in North Carolina.

On the final day of his three city US trip, Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, visited a 'welfare to work' centre in Harlem.

Sir Reg, whose department is responsible for welfare to work issues in Northern Ireland, met with organisers and clients of the Wildcat Service Corporation, to discuss the success of the Service and explore the employment and training programmes they offer.

The Service is a not-for-profit organisation which began as an experiment to test the effectiveness of the Supported Work Concept in 1972. It provides chronically unemployed individuals with work habits training and more than 75,000 New York City residents have enrolled in the agency's programmes.

Speaking at the visit the Minister said: "This is an amazing place which has touched the lives of so many New Yorkers desperately in need. I am humbled by the experiences of the people I have met today, and I applaud the dedication of the advisers.

"It has long been acknowledged that the best route out of poverty and social exclusion is through work. In Northern Ireland we have been operating welfare to work schemes for a number of years and have seen unemployment reduce significantly.

"We are also targeting support at economically inactive groups such as lone parents and people with significant barriers to work, including ill-health. In fact, I recently announced the roll out across Northern Ireland of an initiative, Pathways to Work, which provides support to many who have manageable health conditions and disabilities to move into suitable work and away from welfare dependency. I believe that this has wider benefits for society and the economy as a whole."

The Wildcat Service's clients include ex-offenders, single mothers receiving welfare and disadvantaged and at-risk youths for whom the cycle of welfare dependency can be broken.

Sir Reg concluded: "The Wildcat Service Corporation is an inspiration to us all. I firmly believe that we can learn from the US experience in helping the most vulnerable in our society back to work, and indeed we can also exchange with the US our experiences in developing and implementing policies and strategies which have helped to address our own Welfare Reform agenda."

(CD)