Workability Calls for Proposals issued

Workability:  Inclusive Pathways to Employment Programme. Calls for Proposals issued.

As part of the Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training Programme (EIST) 2021-2027, the Department of Social Protection (DSP) are inviting applications to the WorkAbility Programme; Inclusive Pathways to Employment. Applications are invited from community, voluntary, and non-profit organisations who wish to support and improve the employment opportunities (incl. elf-employment opportunities) for people with disabilities. This programme is co-financed by the DSP and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).

Under the EIST Programme, the WorkAbility Programme sits under Priority 1: Employment, Specific Objective A:

‘Improving access to employment and activation measures for all jobseekers, in particular young people, especially through the implementation of the Youth Guarantee, for long term unemployed and disadvantaged groups on the labour market, and for inactive people, as well as through the promotion of self-employment and the social economy.’

DSP has appointed Pobal to administer this grant programme on their behalf. The aim of the fund is to ensure people with disabilities are fully supported to find and maintain employment and organisations who employ programme participants are supported to ensure that their employment is successful.

The WorkAbility Programme has an overall budget of up to €36.29 million from 2024 to 2028.  The programme will provide funding to local, regional, and national projects in Ireland that focus on achieving improved employment outcomes for people with disabilities through a range of support measures. It is a five-year programme with a maximum grant available of €200,000 per year i.e. €1,000,000 over 5 years. The amount of funding awarded will depend on the quality of the application and the number of applications awarded. The amount of funding awarded may vary from the amount of funding applied for

The primary purpose of the programme is to support people with disabilities to access employment, including self-employment or education and training to improve their employment outcomes.

Eligibility Criteria

To participate and receive supports from the WorkAbility Programme individuals must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Identify as having a disability/being disabled (as per the definition below)
• Aged 16 years or older at the time of registration with no upper age limit.

Organisations must meet the following criteria:

• Community and Voluntary Groups and not-for profit Organisations providing support for people with disabilities as part of their organisations’ objectives.
• Community and Voluntary Groups and not-for profit organisations providing training, pre-employment and employment supports as part of their organisations ‘objectives.
• Non-Statutory bodies with a not-for-profit legal structure funded under Sections 28 and 39 of the Health Act 2004.
• Employer networks with a not-for-profit legal structure.
• Networks of non-statutory bodies with a not-for-profit legal structure

Application Timeframe

The call for applications will open on 10^th August and the application portal will close at 3pm on Thursday 7^th September 2023.

Please consult the following documents to guide you in writing your application form:

Preparing to apply for funding:

https://www.pobal.ie/app/uploads/2019/04/Pobal-Brochure-1-Planning-an-Application-web.pdf

Writing an application: https://www.pobal.ie/app/uploads/2019/04/Pobal-Brochure-2-Writing-an-Application-web.pdf

For more information on the Workability programme please visit:  WorkAbility: Inclusive Pathways to Employment Programme – Pobal