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TÚS participants have been helping set up for this weekend’s Mountain Festival. They have been hands on with the building of the exhibition tent and help organisers prepare for this weekend’s activities.

The festival runs March 8th, 9th and 10th in Killarney Town Centre and has lots of free family entertainment.

Full details can be found at:

Hello,

Hope you are all keeping well and looking forward to the year ahead. We have planned a number of interesting events.

Our first outing is on Thursday 7th March when we visit the Killarney area.

In the morning we will visit The Kerry Creamery Experience in Listry which should bring back memories of how creameries were the pivotal point of rural communities during the last century. Tea/Coffee and Scone for everyone.

For lunch we have arranged a 3 Course meal (Main, Dessert and Tea/Coffee) in The Heights Hotel in Killarney at which a member of An Gárda Siochána will speak on home security and safety.

Then we will have a tour of the recently renovated Killarney House and Gardens.

The cost is €50 which covers transport, food and visit to Creamery and Killarney House. Payment can be made in advance to any South Kerry Development Partnership Office or any committee member.

Also if you know of somebody in your locality who might like to come along please let them know.

Looking forward to seeing you on the day.

Sincerely,

Kevin Griffin

Are you interested in taking up employment in the hotel sector in Killarney? Do you have the skills that you feel you can use to develop a career in the hotel industry? Then an upcoming event to be held in the town on Thursday March 7^th might just be for you.

The event, which is organised by South Kerry Development Partnership CLG through the SICAP programme, is aimed at matching potential employees with available jobs in seven of the major Killarney Hotels. A significant number of jobs across all areas of the hotel sectors will be available through the event. SKDP’s Employer Liaison Officer Joanne Griffin explained that it will enable potential employees to meet directly with representatives of the hotels involved where they can discuss the positions available and showcase the skills which they can offer the potential employers. “Through registering the potential employees in advance it makes the event very efficient from everyone’s point of view as potential employees can be matched with employers who have available positions to suit the skillset of those attending.

“Joanne said that potential employees do not need to have specific experience in the hotel sector to attend. “The event will enable people to try out different aspects of hotel work to see which areas they are interested in and it can progress from there” she said.

Positions in areas such as Accommodation, Kitchen, Reception, Food & Beverage as well as Spa Therapists will be available in the hotels involved including The Cahernane House Hotel, The Great Southern Hotel, The Muckross Park Hotel, The Lake Hotel, The Killarney Park Hotel, The Aghadoe Heights Hotel and the McSweeney Arms Hotel. People attending will get to meet with the heads of the relevant departments as well as with the Personnel Manager from the hotel with a view to formalising a job offer where both parties are interested to progress.

SKDP CEO Noel Spillane said that this is the first time the Partnership has organised such an event and he is hopeful it will prove to be successful. “We are very focused in the Partnership in developing economic activity in South Kerry through assisting both jobseekers and employers through a range of training and support initiatives and we hope this event will prove to be another key support we can offer to both” Noel said.

Job seekers interested in attending the event must register in advance and they can do this by contacting Joanne Griffin by e-mail [email protected] or by phone on 066 9761615 before 5pm on Friday, 1^st March.

Mr Noel Spillane, CEO of the South Kerry Development Partnership CLG has welcomed the finding of research commissioned by the Department of Employment Affairs & Social Protection (DEASP) that the not-for-profit Local Employment Service (LES) is successful in achieving full-time employment placement for 28.8% of those referred to them annually.

In addition, whilst working with those with lower qualification levels and most in need of employment supports, the LES has progressed the majority of its remaining caseload to part-time jobs and other pathways to work such as further training and employment schemes.

The research also found that a very high proportion of LES clients who responded to Indecon’s research “indicated that their attendance with a Local Employment Service had been beneficial, with 75% stating that their engagement had motivated them to find work or to undertake further education or training.”

The service also received significant endorsement from the employers who engage with it, with 89% of respondents indicating that their engagement with an LES had helped them to find suitable candidates for available jobs, while 83% of employers stated that the LES provided an efficient recruitment service for their organisation.

Irish Local Development Network (ILDN) represents Ireland’s 49 Local Development Companies, many of whom deliver the Local Employment Service on behalf of DEASP. Chairperson, Marie Price Bolger, described these findings by Indecon International Economic Consultants as a significant demonstration of what is achievable when jobseekers have access to employment supports in community settings,

“The LES approach is serving jobseekers and the state well. At this time of welcome falls in unemployment, there are still many who need significant support to achieve job-readiness and access the labour market. We work intensively with these people

in their local community, helping them to address any barriers to employment including skills needs, mental health issues, self-esteem and personal discipline.”

“Placing almost 30% of referrals into full-time employment is a significant achievement but it must also be recognised that for many of the today’s jobseekers, progression to a part-time job, internship, employment scheme or further training are valid pathways to full-time employment and career development.

“The cost per full-time employment placement is €2,544 and this reduces significantly when part-time positions are taken into account. The savings to the state in welfare payments as well as the transfer to the state in new tax income are considerable. In this context, the figures represent excellent value for money and demonstrate the benefits of collaboration between the state and not-for-profit community organisations.”

At present, the Public Employment Service (PES) is delivered either by the Department’s own Intreo service or by private contractors through Jobpath or by community-based, not-for-profit companies operating the Local Employment Service (LES) and Jobs Clubs.

The Indecon Report heralds a reconfiguration of these services in 2020. Whilst preparing to respond to the upcoming changes, SKDP CEO Noel Spillane cautions on the lessons from other sectors that followed a privatisation route,

“The value of community-based, not-for-profit employment services must be protected in any reconfiguration of Public Employment Services. They give an efficient, accessible service to jobseekers, they give transparency and value-for-money to the taxpayer, they give the greatest level of control and agility to the funder, and their track record is endorsed by employers. Whilst all services need to continually adapt to changing circumstances, these key advantages must be safeguarded in any reconfiguration.”