The new Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS) is specifically targeted at young jobseekers aged 18-24 years who are long-term unemployed or who face barriers to employment. Participation on the YESS is wholly voluntary and participants will receive a weekly payment of €229.20 for 24 hours work per week.

Who is YESS for?

The YESS is available to job seekers and other eligible applicants who are:

• aged between 18 and 24
• have been out of work and in receipt of a qualifying payment for at least 12 months, or
• if unemployed for less than 12 months, to be considered by a case officer to face a significant barrier to work.

What would it involve?

The YESS is a programme specifically designed to provide workplace experience opportunities to young jobseekers while on a work placement. Participants on the YESS will be required to work 24 hours per week, and placements will be for 3 months initially, with an option to extend this further to six months.

Requirement for employers’ participation in YESS

The YESS is open to employers in the private, community or voluntary sectors only. Public Service Bodies, including schools and colleges are excluded from participation on the YESS. To host a placement, employers need to meet legal requirements as expected of an entity.

Responsibilities of employers (placement hosts)

To provide a valuable experience for the participants, employers are expected to assign a mentor with relevant expertise and experience to each participant. The role of the mentor should include the following:

• to provide on-going support to the participant
• be a workplace point of contact for the participant and the DEASP case officer
• the mentor should provide an induction session to the participant when the placement commences The mentor should ensure that the Learning and Development Plan for the participant is put in place and is being acted upon as agreed
• the mentor should ensure that the opportunity to learn/apply skills in the workplace is provided to the participant
• in organisations where a formal mentoring system exists, YESS participants should be included in this process

Download the YESS practical guidelines below