To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the Employment Service Support Programme; and whether it will be extended beyond March 2015.

The Employment Service Support (ESS) was introduced on 2 June 2014, to support the continued delivery of Executive funded initiatives and facilitate the continuity of provision leading to the introduction of a new adult return to work programme, Steps 2 Success (S2S).

ESS initially comprised the following six strands of provision:

ESS Into Work Skills;

ESS Short Accredited Training Courses;

ESS YES Work Experience Strand;

ESS YES Skills Development Strand;

ESS First Start; and

ESS Step Ahead 50+.

The programme was expanded in October 2014 to accommodate the introduction of an additional strand - ESS Self Employment Test Trading.

S2S was successfully launched as my Department’s new adult return to work programme on 20 October 2014.

While validated statistical information is not yet available on ESS, management information collected on the various strands indicates that, at 20 February 2015, over 4,600 clients have accessed this provision in order to assist them to return to work. These initial statistics are very encouraging, however, it will not be possible for an accurate assessment of the performance of ESS until statistics become available on the numbers finding employment following completion of their ESS provision.

Whilst it is not possible for ESS to continue in its existing format beyond March 2015, the Employment Service is committed to offering a quality all age service to help jobseekers overcome barriers to work and to move towards, and into, work at the earliest opportunity.