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An alternative plan to tackle Ireland’s youth unemployment has been launched by three trade unions at Dublin Institute of Technology today.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu), the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the Irish Second Level Students' Union (ISSU) have collectively called for an end to the 'lock-out' of young people from the workforce.
They are also seeking immediate Government action to address the “youth job crisis” and are suggesting a range of measures to improve access to the labour market and enhance employment skills.
The proposals, outlined in the joint publication Locked Out? Investing in a Future for Youth, include a major investment in the youth guarantee, a legal framework for work placements and creating a new national skills map.
The national student and trade union bodies, who collectively represent more than one million people, are also seeking joint meetings with “all relevant government ministers and departments” on foot of the proposals.
Mark Caffrey, ISSU president, said "We need to end this 21st Century Lockout of young people from work and opportunity" while USI president, Joe O'Connor, added that around 35,000 young people left Ireland in the last year "as a direct result of policies that didn't offer them genuine opportunities".
Mr O’Connor also said that a further 65,000 remain unemployed here.
“Many are highly-qualified graduates who benefited from huge state investment through their education and would prefer to stay and contribute to our national recovery,” he said. “But the opportunities just aren’t there. That has to change”.
Speaking on behalf of the Congress Youth Committee, Lorraine Mulligan added that "we cannot afford to lose a generation to precarious work, joblessness or emigration".
“We need a clear strategy to tackle the problems facing young people, including investment in a Youth Guarantee, offering employment or training opportunities and ensuring decent pay and working conditions for those in the labour force.”