THERE HAS been understandable cynicism among some commentators to the Government’s new Action Plan, with ambitions to restore 100,000 to the workforce.

A lot of promises have been made and reassurances given since the global economic collapse in 2008. We’ve had strategies, reports and even agreements such as the Croke Park deal, but for all the earnest efforts and fine words, unemployment has remained a monumental problem for the nation while businesses surviving on the shoestrings of cash flow are steadily being forced to close.

Previous plans, such as last year’s “pathways to work” scheme, seemed to fizzle out within weeks of the fanfare. This one, while being criticised by some for containing a rehashing of plans already in train, seems at least to have more momentum.

Sensibly, the report recognises that for all the focus on politicians to solve the unemployment crisis, governments do not create jobs, rather they create the environment and support for entrepreneurs. In doing so, these entrepreneurs need to be ready not only to compete in a local or national arena, but internationally as well. Reducing the unemployment figures with low-end jobs is simply not a long-term solution. We need to be able to reskill the workforce, ensure career development and offer local and international entrepreneurs a pool of talent that equates with international rivals.

We are due a progress report on the plan in a few months, where we will no doubt see the successful introduction of several measures that were well underway or in place when the Action Plan was announced. The true measure of success will come in the following months when we see how far the plan has gone to deal with the newer items on its agenda. The ultimate signal of success or failure of the action plan will be the unemployment figures and the number of new start-ups. It’s an enormous task to create this many jobs and change the culture of our economy, but there has never been a better time to do it.