As per successive census’s in 2006, 2011 and 2016 Southill remains a socially disadvantaged area and continues to be defined as an unemployment blackspot. In order to address this social exclusion and facilitate the involvement and development of community members Southill Hub spearheads a number of initiatives. To compliment active labour market policies, one of these programmes is the Targeted Youth Employability Initiative (TYEI). This multifaceted programme targets young people identified as not in education and training (NEETs), early school leavers and those at risk of early school leaving. Barriers to accessing employment are identified in the pre- development phase of the TYEI role – this however requires expanding to provide additional support in developing soft skills for those engaging in the TYEI programme. This programme has a proven success pathway that has led participants to long term sustainable employment. While funding is secured for a second year of the initiative, the long-term sustainability of the programme is uncertain. Currently, the TYEI is the only programme of its kind in the Limerick area delivering a proven effective framework within which to work, that addresses one of the contributing factors to unemployment blackspots in Limerick. The TYEI is a framework that could be replicated across the city and county of Limerick.
Further investment and expansion
The programmes has proven to be effective and looks to address contributing factors of unemployment blackspots.