JobPath creating thousands of new careers for people in Cork

More than 3,600 people in Cork have been placed in jobs through Turas Nua under the JobPath programme.

As well as the number of people placed in employment, Turas Nua has also delivered over 16,000 training courses in Cork, aimed at helping people to upskill and ensure they are better prepared for the jobs’ market.

Nationally, Turas Nua is helping 1,000 people a month to find employment.

The figures came to light as part of a discussion on the JobPath programme held by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

In their submission to the Committee, Turas Nua, the organisation responsible for delivering JobPath in the southern part of the country, provided details about the impact of their service in Cork.

Turas Nua are currently helping more than 4,000 people in the county in their efforts to find work and are also working with over 3,100 employers across the south region, which covers Cork and Waterford.

The most popular job starts delivered under JobPath in the region have come in the contact centre industry (32%), followed by construction (20%) and hospitality (17%).

Turas Nua maintains ten offices in Cork, located in Cork City, Bandon, Bantry, Clonakilty, Fermoy, Kinsale, Macroom, Mallow, Midleton and Skibbereen, which employ 64 people.

During the meeting with the Oireachtas Committee, Colin Donnery, Director with Turas Nua outlined their commitment to helping people find work, “Since Turas Nua began operations in 2015, our entire focus has been about helping people. Helping people find work. Helping people prepare for the difficulties presented by the jobs’ market. Helping people to increase their knowledge and to improve their skills and helping people to find jobs they can sustain, giving them and their families greater financial security and stability.

“Our service focuses around the needs of each person we work with. They are at the centre of everything we do. Every person is different and every person requires a service built around their own needs. That is what our team provides to everyone who comes into one of our offices via the JobPath programme.

“That service is making a difference. 34 percent of the people who have completed JobPath with Turas Nua have attained a job. To date, 70 percent of the people who progress beyond 13 weeks in employment sustain in employment over a full year.

“Our experience has shown us just how important the JobPath service is. Its impact is being felt at the most local level possible - reaching individuals, their families, their employers and their communities.