Significant parts of a €10 billion Employment and Human Resources Development Programme, funded under the National Development Plan, have been criticised by a Government-commissioned evaluation report.
The report, which studied the adequacy and appropriateness of training-for-employment schemes, found low take-up levels, inaccuracies in the original programme forecasts and delays in start-ups.
The report is one of a number currently being produced as the State nears next year's mid-term review of the National Development Plan, 2000-2006.
It was presented yesterday to a monitoring committee of members of local and regional authorities, whose job it is to oversee the implementation of the employment and human resources element of the National Development Plan.
The committee noted that the report covered measures which involve planned expenditure of €10 million under the employment and human resources and regional programmes in the National Development Plan.
The report makes a number of recommendations, including reducing the provision for labour-market entrants, unemployed and entry school-leavers, the unemployed and long-term unemployed and agreement on new forecasts for the socially excluded.
