RESTRICTED TRAINING and educational opportunities were contributing to high unemployment levels, Labour’s spokesperson on social and family affairs Roisin Shortall told the Dáil.

She said that the back-to-education and back-to-work enterprise allowances were failing to deliver to their fullest extent.

“We need to reform these allowances to ensure that jobseekers can avail of the supports within three or four months of losing their job, rather than having to languish on dole queues for months on end.” She also suggested an “earn and learn” scheme whereby people could acquire new skills and better qualifications on days they were not working. Such schemes, she added, had been very successful in several other European countries.

Speaking in a debate on a Labour private members’ motion, calling for a Government plan for jobs, Ms Shortall said there should be a greater promotion of career breaks and and flexible work options, particularly in the private sector.

Such schemes should provide legal protection for workers in areas such as social insurance credits and re-employment.

Ms Shortall said that the cap of 5,000 places on vocational training opportunities scheme should be lifted and greater use made of spare capacity and vacant places in universities and colleges.

The number of community employment places should be increased and the eligibility rules reformed, she added.

Fine Gael spokesman Leo Varadkar claimed that the Government intended imposing cutbacks on upskilling programmes in next month’s budget.

“Skillnets provides high-quality funding for people in employment so that their skills are kept up to date, improving their chances of retaining work or of finding better employment.

“There is near universal agreement that upskilling is vital in order to retain existing jobs and generate new ones.” Sinn Féin spokesman Arthur Morgan said that the Government had failed to listen to Sinn Féin when it warned that the economy was disproportionately reliant on the property market.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan outlined a wide range of Government measures to create jobs, adding that next month’s budget would provide for investment in research, training and infrastructure to drive employment growth.

Ms Coughlan said that over the past number of years, economic growth had been driven by domestic demand and not by international competitiveness.

“As domestic demand has weakened, we must look to exports for a sustained economic recovery.

“Indigenous exporters are and will continue to be critical in the achievement of future economic stability and job maintenance and growth in the Irish market.”