City Hall has a “golden opportunity” to create employment and see work carried out that will benefit communities across the city if it supports plans for new community employment schemes.
A proposal is currently before the Galway City Council to introduce two such schemes in the west and the east of the city in conjunction with the council’s Parks Section.
The proposed schemes could provide employment for between 15 and 40 people and would involve participants working on the enhancement of both council and private housing estates but would not interfere with the day to day work of the council.
Labour councillor Billy Cameron is calling on the acting city manager Joe O’Neill to engage with FÁS to ensure the schemes get up and running.
“Community employment schemes help long term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce,” he said. “This is a golden opportunity and a win-win situation with the communities benefiting and the long term unemployed being given the opportunity to improve their chances of being integrated back into employment.”
