Enhances the employability and mobility of disadvantaged and unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities.

It helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return-to-work routine.

Schemes 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.

Current CE participants can avail of 3rd level Springboard programmes at zero cost.

CE is open to individuals on several different social welfare payments, including but not limited to Jobseekers allowance, Jobseekers benefit, Disability allowance, Illness benefit, One parent Family payment, and many more. DSP will issue current information regarding eligible payments.

Participants are required to work 19.5 hours per week, and we can allow a degree of flexibility in certain cases.

Participants will not lose any benefits they currently receive on their social welfare payment, such as medical card or fuel allowance..

Participants on a CE scheme are paid €27.50 extra from what they receive weekly on their current social welfare payment. The same rules apply to participants in relation to changes in personal circumstances whilst on a CE scheme.

As with all forms of employment the participant is protected by employment law and is entitled to paid sick leave (in certain circumstances) and paid holidays, up to 81 hours per year i.e. 4 weeks holiday. You will be paid for bank holidays or accrue time off in lieu.

Whilst on CE you can work up to 19.5 hours in paid employment and not lose entitlement to benefits, although in some cases your income may be liable to taxation.