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Additional Supports

Community Employment Programme

The Community Employment (CE) programme is designed to help people who are long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged people to get back to work by offering part-time and temporary placements in jobs based within local communities. Participants can take up other part-time work during their placement. After the placement, participants are encouraged to seek permanent part-time and full-time jobs elsewhere based on the experience and new skills they have gained while in a Community Employment scheme.

The main requirement is that the applicant is in receipt of a welfare payment and long term unemployed.

Ability Programme

The Ability Programme provides funding to 27 local, regional and national projects in the Republic of Ireland that focus on bringing young people with disabilities between the ages of 15 and 29 closer to the labour market.

The programme targets young people who are not currently work ready using a range of person-centred supports. This type of work assists young people to identify and follow progression routes based on both their potential and their needs. As a result, the programme promotes positive pathways into education, training and employment for participants.

Job Interview Interpreter Grant

If you are a jobseeker who is deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment and you are attending job interviews with private sector employers, you may apply for funding to have:

  • a sign language interpreter
  • a lip speaker or
  • another interpreter attend the interviews with you

You can apply for funding to employ an interpreter for each job interview you attend.

You can also get funding to cover the costs of employing an interpreter to help you when you start work (during your induction) with a private sector employer.

More information on the Job Interview Interpreter Grant

Personal Reader Grant

If you are blind or visually impaired and you need help with job-related reading, you may be entitled to a grant to allow you to employ a personal reader. This grant is only paid if you are employed in the private sector.

The government will pay an hourly fee, in line with the current minimum wage . It will be paid for an agreed period up to 640 hours a year.

More information on the Personal Reader Grant.

Partial Capacity Grant

The Partial Capacity Grant is a social welfare scheme which allows employees to return to work or self-employment (if they have reduced capacity to work) and continue to receive a payment from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

If you have been getting Illness Benefit (for a minimum of 6 months) or Invalidity Pension and wish to return to work, you may qualify for Partial Capacity Benefit if your capacity for work is reduced by your medical condition.

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