According to the Department of Social Protection the aim of CE is to enhance the  employability and mobility of disadvantaged and unemployed persons by providing work  experience and training opportunities for them within their communities.

In addition, it helps  long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience  of unemployment through a return-to-work routine. CE projects are typically sponsored by  groups wishing to benefit the local community, namely voluntary and community  organisations and, to a lesser extent, public bodies involved in not for-profit activities.

Such  projects provide a valuable service to local communities while at the same time providing  training and educational opportunities to jobseekers. The Departments priority in supporting  CE is having access to schemes that can provide job seekers and other vulnerable groups with  good quality work experience and training qualifications to support their progression into  open labour market employment.