merrion street

Minister for Training, Skills and Innovation, John Halligan, T.D. today (24 January 2017) noted the publication of the final report on the Andersen Ireland EGF programme on www.egf.ie, following its submission by the EGF Managing Authority in the Department of Education and Skills to the European Commission.

Andersen Ireland Ltd was a cosmetic jewellery manufacturing plant in Rathkeale, Co. Limerick with a predominantly female 171 strong workforce, which closed in late 2013. Ireland sought and received approval for a programme of labour market supports under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) on the basis of the serious impact the loss of the jobs would have on the employment and the local economy. As well as targeting 138 of the redundant workers, the programme also targeted an equivalent number of young people under the age of 25 years in the same region, who were not currently in education, training or employment (NEETs). The estimated expenditure under the approved programme was €2.5m, assuming full take-up of all funding, with the EU co-financing 60% (€1.5m) of the expenditure.

Commenting on the programme’s outcomes, Minister Halligan said
“I am pleased that the EGF has assisted over 270 people to upskill and retrain through an innovative mix of mainstream and tailored supports in the areas of guidance, training, second and third level education and enterprise supports. I am even more delighted to report that at the end of the programme, some 76% of the Andersen Ireland workforce were back in employment. I am also pleased to note that 35% of the young people have gained employment”.

The Minister said “A total of 136 NEET persons availed of EGF supports, which at 99% of that target group, in their first such inclusion in an Irish EGF programme, is a very positive participation rate result. These young people in this significantly socio-economically deprived area of West Limerick received considerable additional support and interaction from service providers and the SOLAS National EGF Coordination Unit.”

Andersen Ireland is the 8th finalised EGF programme of 10 approved programmes managed by the Department. At the time of its application, it was the smallest programme, however a smaller programme in support of 108 workers at the PWA International aircraft maintenance facility and a similar number of NEET persons was subsequently commenced in June 2015, running until June 2017. The EGF programme Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland is in the final reporting stage, having closed in September 2016.

Commenting on expenditure under the programme, the Minster stated “The final eligible expenditure under the Programme is €1.816m representing a utilisation rate of 73% of the approved allocation. This rate exceeds the average EU utilisation rate of some 55% and the average 60% utilisation rate across the seven previously completed Irish programmes.”