Advisors also agreed that it would be helpful to hear from a delegation of recipients and people who have participated in the programs.

The ESF funds activities aimed at helping key target groups such as the long-term unemployed, economically inactive people, people not in education, employment or training and people with disabilities to develop their employability and their skills and ultimately find employment/self-employment . The projects that will benefit from council matching funding are: Conservation Volunteers (£30,000), Bytes (£10,595), Job Directions (£28,811.12), Now Group (£25,000), USEL (£30,000 ) and RAPID (£3,145).

Chief Business Officer Kevin O’Connor said: “Following the scoring of the applications, the DfE (Department for Economy) informed the council that all 11 projects have passed their application process and that they will fund five of these projects. among the following organisations: Triax – Skills North West, Women’s Centre, 21 Training Ltd, Job Directions and Include Youth This leaves a balance of six organizations that require matching funding and they total a total of £127,551.12.

Welcoming the report, Sinn Féin Councilor Patricia Logue said: “It is great that new groups have received this funding. I know that having served on the board of Triax has been really, really successful in helping a lot of people gain skills and work in our region and beyond. I hope that after the elections, the Ministry of Economy will keep its commitment and fund the other projects that are waiting to be funded.

SDLP Councilor Rory Farrell added: ‘I think it’s good that these schemes are being maintained and some good new schemes are being introduced and our fare spend has risen from £198,000 last year to £127,000 this year, so it’s more profitable for public finance. What I would like to see is people who have gone through these programs come to tell us what they got out of it, what they did and did it result in employment, I think that would be helpful.

Committee chair Councilor Conor Heaney added: “It would be helpful for members to hear the work in progress that this advice is matching funding. I know from my own experience that this is really important work.

Mr. O’Connor confirmed to the members that it would be possible to organize a presentation at a future meeting.