Operational Guidelines: Work Placement Experience Programme

Description

The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a work experience and training programme for jobseekers in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment and who have been unemployed for between four months (if under 30 years of age) and 6 months (aged 30 years, or older) and in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. It aims to provide jobseekers who have never had a job or who have lost employment with an opportunity to gain meaningful work experience. Placements will provide Participants with training, upskilling and work experience in a new work role where they have had no prior experience in the past 18 months that will further enhance their potential for progression and to re-engage with the job market. The programme seeks to equip participants with relevant work and personal development skills in a supportive environment while on a work placement, with a view to increasing their employment prospects.

Participation on the WPEP is entirely voluntary. There will be no financial penalty on social welfare payments for non-participation or where the placement needs to be ended by the Host Organisation or the Department of Social Protection (DSP).

Objectives

The key objectives of the WPEP are:

• Keep jobseekers close to the labour market.
• Provide jobseekers who have never had a job with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience and training to assist them to gain employment.
• Provide jobseekers who wish to change careers with the opportunity to gain quality work experience in a new employment role.
• Facilitate employers to contribute to the national activation agenda by providing work placement opportunities to jobseekers.

WPEP Payment

Participants will receive a standard WPEP payment of €359 per week regardless of other income or means. This rate includes an uplift to their primary social welfare payment of €115 which accounts for the training element of the programme. In addition, Participants will continue to receive any underlying entitlements for qualified adults and children and any underlying secondary welfare benefits they had an entitlement to prior to commencing a WPEP placement. Payment will be made by the Department of Social Protection (DSP). Participants will retain their medical card during WPEP and their rent payment to their local authority will not increase.

Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) who are residing in a Designated Accommodation Centre and receiving a weekly payment who commence WPEP will be paid the standard WPEP payment. Participants will continue to receive any underlying entitlements for qualified adults and children and any underlying secondary welfare benefits they had an entitlement to prior to commencing on a WPEP placement. Once the WPEP placement ends, the Participant will return to their weekly BOTP payment unless they have found employment.

Participant Eligibility Criteria

To participate on the WPEP, an individual must be:

• aged between 18 and 65 years of age, and
• in receipt of a qualifying DSP payment for a minimum period of 156 days (6 months) in previous 12 months prior to WPEP application; if the applicant is aged 30 years, or older.
• in receipt of a qualifying DSP payment for a minimum period of 104 days (4 months) in previous 12 months prior to WPEP application, if the applicant is under 30 years.

The qualifying payments are:

• Jobseeker's Allowance
• Jobseeker's Benefit
• Jobseeker's Transitional Payment
• One-Parent Family Payment
• Disability Allowance
• Blind Pension
• Beneficiary of Temporary Protection Weekly Payment
• Farm Assist and Fish Assist
• Jobseeker's Benefit for the Self-Employed
• Jobseekers Pay Related Benefit

Customers in receipt of One-Parent Family, Disability Allowance and Blind Pension will automatically qualify for WPEP without the required 104-156 days qualifying timeframe.

Customers in receipt of Jobseekers Pay Related Benefit (JPRB) will be eligible for WPEP, subject to the relevant number of qualifying days. Customers on JPRB who are eligible to participate in WPEP will receive their individualised JPRB payment or the standard WPEP payment, whichever is higher. Entitlement to JPRB will not exhaust, where an eligible WPEP participant remains on their placement and continues to meet the WPEP eligibility criteria.

Other ways to qualify

Time spent on the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA), Community Employment Scheme (CE), TÚS and Rural Social Scheme (RSS) will count towards eligibility. However, the person must be eligible for and transfer to a jobseeker's payment before taking up a placement.

Time spent in prison may count towards the qualifying time (104 to 156 days depending on age) once entitlement to a qualifying social welfare payment is established. An application for a jobseeker’s payment must be made on-line by selecting Out of Work Payments on MyWelfare. The jobseeker should type WPEP1234 in the Reference Code box that can be accessed on Education & Training page of their application.

Time spent on Carer’s Allowance can also count towards the eligibility period, but your caring responsibilities must have ceased, and you must currently be in receipt of either JA, JB, JST or OFP.

Time spent in receipt of Illness Benefit (IB) can also count towards the 4 month/6 month qualifying period provided the claimant is currently in receipt of one of the above listed payments (i.e. no breaks between payments), e.g. 2 months on IB followed immediately by 2 months on JA.

Time spent on Active Labour Market Programmes (ALMPs) will count towards eligibility for the WPEP provided the programme has been completed in full and the person is now 18 years or older and in receipt of an eligible payment. This includes Education Training Allowance for VTOS, Back to Education Allowance, Springboard and if you were a learner within Youthreach or a Community Training Centre and are now on a qualifying payment.

Time spent on Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection Weekly Payment will count towards eligibility for the WPEP programme. Time spent on payments prior to receiving a Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection weekly payment such as JA/JB/One Parent Family payment will also count towards the qualifying time required.

No qualifying period is required for those jobseekers in receipt of a qualifying DSP payment and who are considered to experience barriers to entry into the labour market providing the customer is a member of our priority groups. A business case can be made by the Employment Personal Advisor (EPA) or Employer Relations officer (ERO) to the WPU to have the CT day requirement waived for these cases. Our priority groups include:

• People with a disability or experiencing mental health issues
• Members of the Travelling or Roma community
• Refugees
• People who have spent some time out of the workplace because of caring responsibilities (cannot be on Carer’s Allowance and must be on eligible payment)
• Time in prison or time spent in care of the State
• People who are experiencing homelessness

Jobseekers who are not a member of one of our priority groups but are deemed by an ERO or EPA to be experiencing significant barriers to entering / re-entering the workforce may in certain circumstances have the qualifying period waived. ERO’s / EPA’s must submit a business case to the Work Placement Unit for these cases.

Persons who are not eligible

The following customers are not eligible for WPEP.

• Jobseekers in receipt of a casual jobseeker payment
• Jobseekers with a SEMP category on their jobseeker payment
• Those claiming Jobseeker or Illness Benefit credits
• Those taking part in full-time education or full-time training courses
• Those in receipt of other income supports from the Department of Social Protection such as the Back to Education Allowance, Back to Work Enterprise Allowance or Short-Term Enterprise Allowance
• Those who are currently or have previously been members of boards of management or held directorships with the Host or an affiliated business
• Those who have had a previous employment relationship with the Host in the previous 18 months

Contracted Public Employment Services (CPES)

NES (National Employment Services) and LAES (Local Area Employment Services) are the department’s two Intreo partner contractors that support longer-term jobseekers. Employment Personal Advisors or EPAs support jobseekers within INTREO services who are 0-12 months in their job seeking. Then CPES (Contracted Public Employment Services) refer jobseekers who need greater support in their employment support journey to INTREO Partners NES/LAES.

NES and LAES

NES supports jobseekers who are in receipt of a Jobseekers payment from 12-24 months, while LAES supports customers receiving a payment from 24-36 months; and both provide a service to customers in receipt of a payment for greater than 36 months. NES/LAES may provide some in-house courses e.g. CV preparation, but their services are tailored towards job readiness and employment support services for the long-term unemployed. NES/LAES customers can still avail of ETB/SOLA/CE/Tús/WPEP opportunities.

For communication purposes, the Work Placement Unit (WPU) will contact CPES about the jobseeker who has been approved for a WPEP placement. CPES will arrange a pause event. On completion of WPEP, if the jobseeker does not secure work, CPES will recommence the NES/LAES employment support journey. Also, if a WPEP participant finishes early, the WPU will notify CPES of this so the NES/LAES support can recommence.

Host Eligibility Criteria

To participate on the WPEP, the Host must be:

• an employer in the private, public, civil service and community and voluntary sectors and registered with the Revenue Commissioners
• An employer with a minimum of one full-time employee who is employed for at least 30 hours per week (i.e. on payroll and subject to PAYE and PRSI – Class A)
• tax compliant and provide an up-to-date Revenue Tax reference number and a Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN). Tax clearance will be verified
• public bodies are not required to provide proof of tax clearance as they are deemed to be tax compliant
• operating in the Republic of Ireland

Finding a Placement

All WPEP placements will be advertised on the JobsIreland.ie website. Jobseekers wishing to apply for a vacancy, must apply online by clicking the Login or Register button on Jobsireland.ie

The Application Process

Each Host will determine the application method that suits their recruitment process to select the WPEP Participant. For example, they may ask for a CV to be forwarded by e-mail, post a cover letter and CV, or apply online.

The Host is responsible for contacting unsuccessful applicants at the recruitment stage.

Once the Host has selected the successful applicant, the Host and the applicant must complete and sign the work placement joint application form (WPEP1). This form is used to confirm the eligibility of the Host and Participant to take part on the programme. This form should be completed in full and signed by both the Host and Participant.

The Host will include a proposed start date on the application. The proposed work placement start date must be a Monday. For administrative purposes all placements will begin on a Monday and end on a Friday. A WPEP placement will generally not be approved to commence on a Bank Holiday Monday.

The Host must submit the completed WPEP application form (WPEP1) to wpep@welfare.ie.

An approval notification will issue to the Host and Participant to confirm approval and commencement date. Incomplete WPEP1 forms may delay the commencement process.

Important:

The Participant cannot commence the WPEP placement until Host and Participant eligibility is verified by the Work Placement Unit (WPU). Once the WPEP application form (WPEP1) is approved a notification will issue to the Host and Participant stating the actual commencement date.

Arrangements for special categories.

Special arrangements are in place for people covered under section 2.2 of this document

When selected for participation these special categories should complete the WPEP1 application form as set out in section 3.2. Once the WPEP1 form is submitted to the WPU, a notification will issue to inform them that they will need to apply online on MyWelfare.ie and establish their entitlement to a Jobseeker payment prior to being approved for WPEP. Once an underlying entitlement to a Jobseekers payment is established a notification will issue to the Host and Participant confirming the WPEP start date.

Commencement of WPEP

The proposed work placement start date (always a Monday) will have been agreed between the Host and the Participant as inserted on the Joint Application Form (WPEP1). However, the actual commencement date must be confirmed by the Work Placement Unit. An approval notification will be issued to the Host and Participant to confirm approval and the actual commencement date.

Duration

The duration of a WPEP placement is 6 months (26 weeks) and the customer remains on the live register for the duration of the placement. If the customer leaves the placement earlier than 6 months, they return to their previous welfare payment

The Participant can complete a maximum of two placements but not with the same Host.

If a person has not progressed into employment or education on completion of their first work placement a 4-week gap between work placements is required before a Participant can commence a new WPEP with a new Host.

The Employer Relations Officer (ERO) may seek a three-month extension to a placement on behalf of the customer of up to a maximum duration of 9 months if they submit a business case to the Work Placement Unit via their Assistant Principal Officer (AP). The business case must demonstrate that the extension would improve the employability of the participant. Such an extension may be permitted if the Work Placement Unit are satisfied that all compliance and reviews are up to date and all other extension requirements have been met.

Extensions will be made on a case-by-case basis and can only be approved if:

1. The customer has initiated the request to extend the duration of the placement in discussion with their EPA/ERO and/or the WPEP unit.
2. The customer faces additional barriers to entry into the labour market and is a member of our priority groups:

• People with a disability or experiencing mental health issues
• Members of the Travelling or Roma community
• Refugees
• People who have spent some time out of the workplace because of caring responsibilities (cannot be on Carer’s Allowance and must be on eligible payment)
• Time in prison or time spent in care of the State
• People who are experiencing homelessness

Additionally, a business case can be made by an ERO or EPA for customers who are not members of our priority groups but are deemed to experience significant barriers to entering / re-entering the workforce. These cases should be made in writing to the WPU via the ERO’s Assistant Principal Officer.

1. The host agrees to the extended duration of the WPEP placement.
2. The ERO can demonstrate that the extension of three months will benefit the customer and increase their employability; and additional training will be agreed for the Personal Learning Plan during that extended timeframe.
3. The host has been compliant with all the terms and conditions of the programme and adequate training hours during the placement have been recorded.
4. Written approval of the extension has been given by the ERO’s Assistant Principal Officer.

Where a WPEP has been extended, participants are required to complete a further 20 hours general training and a further 10 hours accredited, or sector recognised training.

Hours of Work Experience Placement

Participation must be for 30 hours per week, which must be completed over 4 or 5 days in each week. If there is shift work or weekend work involved, this must be advised to the Participant prior to commencement. The 30 hours includes time spent on training.

Payment of Participants / WPEP Payment

Participants will receive the standard WPEP payment each week. Participants will continue to receive any increased payments in respect of qualified adults and children. WPEP is not subject to means assessment. Underlying entitlement to secondary benefits (such as Fuel Allowance, Christmas bonus and Cost of Living bonuses) will not be affected. Participants are not required to sign on for the duration of their placement.

Hosts must not pay top-up contributions to Participants. However, where a Participant incurs expenses that have been approved in advance, these expenses may be reimbursed by the Host to the Participant on a vouched basis (receipt). The Host should be conscious that a tax liability may be incurred in line with the Revenue Commissioners Benefit in Kind arrangements. Expense reimbursement will not be permitted for expenses for travel to and from work in line with Revenue guidelines. Taxation of WPEP will depend on your primary payment; for further information see Taxable Social Welfare Payments/Schemes.

Participants can request to be paid via Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) directly into the Participant’s bank account. However, where the Participant is currently being paid through the Post Office, they will continue to be paid in this manner. A participant who wishes to change to EFT should indicate this on the WPEP1 application form . Collection of WPEP payment at a Post Office should be done in the Participants own time and outside of WPEP hours.

Participants can request to be notify their DSP Intreo Centre/Scheme Area of any relevant changes to their circumstances while on WPEP.

Part-time Employment

While on a placement, Participants can commence part-time employment / self-employment without affecting their entitlements provided that it does not interfere with the required hours of the WPEP placement. Part-time employment with the WPEP Host is not permitted. The means from part-time employment is disregarded for the duration of the placement.

Participants must notify their DSP Intreo Centre/ scheme area if they take up employment / self-employment during the WPEP placement.

Monthly Compliance Checklist

Hosts will be required to complete a monthly compliance checklist over the duration of the programme. The monthly compliance checklist ensures that placements are progressing in accordance with the programme guidelines.

The monthly compliance checklist verifies that:

• a mentor is meeting with the Participant weekly to provide feedback on performance and to support the learning plan.
• the Participant’s learning plan is being followed and updated to show training and learning provided and undertaken.
• the Participant has attended the placement as required for 30 hours per week.

Where a Participant has been absent during the placement, the type and period of absence must be recorded.

Compliance notifications will be e-mailed to the Host monthly and must be completed and returned to the Work Placement Unit at wpepcompliance@welfare.ie within five working days of receiving the compliance notification.

Failure by the Host to complete and return the monthly compliance checklist may affect the Participant’s WPEP payment and the Host’s continued participation on the Programme.

Finishing a Placement

If a placement finishes early or at short notice for any reason, for example if the Participant gains employment, the WPU office must be notified immediately and an Early Finisher Form (WPEP7) completed. Early Finisher Forms can be located on www.gov.ie/wpep and must be completed and returned to the Work Placement Unit without delay to wpep@welfare.ie.

On successful completion of a WPEP placement, the Host should provide the Participant with a reference/acknowledgement of completion letter that can be used to certify that the Participant has completed the programme.

Participants who complete a WPEP placement will revert to the primary DSP payment that they were receiving prior to commencing WPEP without having to re-apply.

A number of training and development supports are provided to facilitate a quality learning experience for the Participant and to ensure that the Host has access to the necessary training infrastructure that can deliver a meaningful work placement experience for both the Participant and the Host. The Participant is expected to complete at least 60 hours of training while on the Work Placement of which 20 hours should be accredited or sector recognised training. Hosts not in a position to deliver the training are required to facilitate alternative training during placement hours.

Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

On commencement of the WPEP, a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) must be completed by the Participant and the Host (or mentor) to identify and address the Participant’s training and/or up-skilling needs to support them to develop and perform during the placement. The PLP form (WPEP2) is available here.

The PLP is used to underpin training and development goals agreed between the Host and the Participant. It should reflect the learning and development opportunities listed in the vacancy advertisement, including any specific work skills and formal training that is planned to ensure that the Participant develops the skills required to perform their work duties.

The PLP must set out the plan to achieve 20 hours of accredited or sector-recognised training and 40 hours of additional training to be achieved during the placement. This will include any initial induction, Health and Safety and in-house training provided. Any additional online and accredited training that the Participant will undertake during the placement must also be recorded on the PLP.

The plan can be updated during the placement in response to any additional training needs identified. The PLP should be updated if the original 6 month duration is extended to 9 months.

A copy of the PLP must be kept by the Host for inspection during monitoring meetings with the DSP officer. The PLP should be retained by the Participant for their own records.

QQI Accredited Work Experience Module

Participants will have the option of availing of an accredited work experience module. The Department of Social Protection and Education and Training Boards (ETBs) across Ireland have developed an accredited Work Experience Module for participants. The purpose of the Work Experience module is to provide an accredited learning option for participants that demonstrates that they have gained the relevant knowledge, skill and competence to work in a range of organisations. The accredited module is delivered through live virtual classroom delivery. The module is available at QQI accredited Levels 3, 4 & 5. For more details please go to the JobsIreland.ie training pages or contact wpeptraining@welfare.ie

Personal Learning Journal (PLJ)

In addition to the PLP, Participants will be provided with a Personal Learning Journal (PLJ) to facilitate the Participant to document any training and learning achieved during the placement. Completion of the journal is self-directed by the Participant and is the property of the Participant. The Personal Learning Journal can be accessed at www.gov.ie/wpep.

Purpose of the Personal Learning Journal:

• To provide the Participant with a record of information about the Host and about their learning experience
• To help the Participant to decide what they would like to achieve during their work placement
• To record all general, accredited or sector recognised training undertaken during the placement
• To record attendance on DSP organised webinars during the placement
• To reflect on the work placement including new learning, the challenges the Participant met and how they dealt with them
• To enable the Participant to plan for their future, based on the skills they acquired along the way

Mentoring of Participants

On commencement of a WPEP, the Host will nominate an individual to support and mentor the Participant during the placement. A mentor should be an experienced and trusted person assigned by the Host who is willing to spend their time and expertise to help the Participant to attain important self-development and work experience goals.

The mentor must have a knowledge of the duties that the Participant will be expected to perform during the placement. The mentor must also ensure that the Participant receives a proper induction, that the placement is progressing as planned and that the required WPEP documentation is updated.

Where a Host operates its own mentoring programme, it should include the Participant where appropriate.

The role of the mentor includes the following;

• Provide an induction session to the Participant when the placement commences
• Encourage and support the Participant throughout the placement to meet their own individual objectives
• Be a point of contact for the Participant and the assigned DSP Case Officer
• Ensure that a PLP is agreed and is acted upon
• Ensure that the opportunity to learn and apply skills in the workplace is provided to the Participant
• Arrange that WPEP Participants are included in any usual induction process

A mentoring toolkit and support information for assigned mentors can be accessed here and will be posted by the Work Placement Unit upon approval of the placement.

ETB Mentoring Programme

The DSP and ETB have developed a Mentor Training Workshop specifically to support WPEP mentors and Hosts. Training will be a virtual, interactive workshop led by an ETB facilitator and lasting approximately 3 hours. All Mentors will receive a mentoring toolkit to guide mentors on how best to support the Participant during the WPEP placement. Information and registration details for the workshop will be issued to host organisations when the workshop are being arranged and the toolkit will be issued on commencement of the WPEP. More information is available at wpeptraining@welfare.ie

Monitoring Meetings

An assigned DSP officer will liaise with the Host and the Participant during the placement. The DSP officer will undertake two monitoring meetings: early in the placement and again towards the end. These may be in person or virtual. Their purpose is to ensure that the terms and conditions are being fulfilled e.g. that a mentor is assigned to support the Participant, that the PLP, PLJ and monthly compliance checklist are being completed and that both parties are satisfied with the progress of the placement. The DSP officer will be available to provide advice and support to both the Host and the Participant during the placement.

If the placement duration is extended from 6 months to 9 months, an additional monitoring visit will be scheduled at month 8.

Additional Supports

DSP provides a “Training by Sector” resource on the training pages of www.jobsireland.ie to inform both Participants and Hosts of Training and Development opportunities that are available to support upskilling and development.

DSP will provide additional online supports to Participants via webinars and online recruitment events to support the Participant’s learning and development goals. Notifications about learning webinars and training resources will be issued by email and advertised on the department’s social media channels.

In addition further information on Training supports is available on the www.gov.ie webpage The Right Course.

Training Support Grant (TSG)

Participants may be eligible to avail of the Training Support Grant (TSG) of up to €1,000 during a placement, regardless to whether they availed of the grant previously.

All applications or referrals for support under the scheme must be made via an EPA. Information on the Training Support Grant can be found here.

The list of ineligible expenditure can be found here.

NES/LAES have their own funding for training of customers, but TSG is available to a paused NES/LAES jobseeker while they’re on a WPEP placement. This is available to customers on WPEP regardless of whether or not they have already received a TSG up to €1000 in the previous 12 months.

Hosts

The WPEP allows employers to host a jobseeker on a work experience placement and to help the jobseeker to build new skills and gain valuable work experience. The programme is targeted at jobseekers seeking work experience or who have lost employment and want to avail of training and work experience in order to re-engage with the job market in a new sector or new role.

The programme aims to provide Participants with relevant work and personal development skills in a supportive environment while on a work placement, with a view to increasing their employment prospects.

Hosts will provide a placement for 6 months with the Participant attending the work placement for 30 hours per week to include training. A host may be approved to provide an extended placement, up to a maximum duration of 9 months if a business case from the participant (via their ERO) has been approved by the ERO’s Assistant Principal Officer.

There is no cost to the WPEP Host; the Participant will be paid by the Department of Social Protection during their placement. No top up payments to the Participant are permitted.

A Host must have a minimum of one full-time employee who is employed for at least 30 hours per week (i.e. on payroll and subject to PAYE and PRSI - Class A). A host who has two or more part-time staff and no full-time staff will not be approved to host a WPEP participant. The Host must assign a mentor who is available to support the WPEP Participant, see section 4.4.

The Host must also assign a supervisor to instruct the Participant and oversee their on-the-job performance. The mentor and the supervisor must be two different people.

The WPEP is open to sole traders who satisfy the conditions of the Programme, i.e. have a minimum of one full-time employee who is employed for at least 30 hours per week (i.e. on payroll and subject to PAYE and PRSI – Class A). Sole traders must be available to provide supervision and separate mentoring to the Participant and provide the required level of training and support.

The Programme is open to Hosts in the private, public, civil service and community and voluntary sectors. Hosts must:

• ensure that they have the appropriate Liability Insurance (and Motor Insurance, where applicable) covers any Participants on this programme
• be fully compliant with current workplace health and safety and all other legal requirements

The department reserves the right to withhold approval of WPEP placements where it is considered the vacancy might bring the programme into disrepute or where the host has not been compliant with the terms and conditions of the scheme in previous placements.

Number of Participants per Host

There is a limit on the number of placements that a Host can offer: The maximum number of participants is 10% of the workforce (to a max of 10 placements) for hosts that have more than 30 employees.

On completion of a work placement the Host must wait 3 months to apply for another placement in a similar role. However, if there are extenuating circumstances, the host may be approved to host another WPEP participant sooner than the 3-month waiting period. For example: If Host X has 25 full -time employees, they are allowed to host a maximum of 3 WPEP participants. They take on their first WPEP placement in January and the participant finishes their WPEP in June. They take on their second WPEP participant in March with a finish date in August. The first participant completes it in June and returns to a Social Welfare payment. They apply to host another WPEP in July. They are eligible as they have not exceeded three placements at any one time.

Displacement

The WPEP placement must not displace any employee or former employee of the Host from employment. The placement must be specifically for the purposes of providing a Participant with training, learning and work experience. In this context, the Host

• must not have job vacancies in the same area of activity and at the skills level the placement is offered
• must not displace other Department of Social Protection schemes such as Community Employment (CE) or TUS
• must not have made employees redundant from similar roles in the previous 6 months
• must not be for roles that require a minimum qualification for entry into the workforce. Examples include Childcare, Teaching, Special needs assistants, Nursing, Bus Driving etc.

Examples of placements that are not suitable for WPEP are any classroom or teaching assistant positions or creche assistants where the number of staff is determined by the number of students/children. A WPEP participant would displace a job in this regard.

• cannot reduce the hours of work of existing employees to accommodate the placement
• cannot advertise WPEP vacancies for positions in respect of which they have staff on temporary lay-off for those positions
• cannot take on a Participant who previously was employed with the Host in the same role as the proposed placement
• cannot take on a Participant who has worked for the Host in the previous 18 months
• front of house, reception or key holding positions are also not suitable as a WPEP Participant must work under supervision
• Host cannot advertise for roles where there is already an established apprenticeship. The full list of established apprenticeships are available https://apprenticeship.ie/career-seekers/get-started/discover

DSP reserves the right to review cases where complaints are made in relation to these or any other relevant issue. A separate complaints procedure is available at (See Complaints and Breaches of the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme).

Garda Vetting and Sectoral Requirements

The Host has responsibility to ensure that the appropriate process is applied to placements that require Garda Vetting or other sectoral requirements and Garda Vetting should be stated in the vacancy advert on the website. Potential Participants must agree to comply with requests for Garda Vetting and other sectoral requirements where necessary, in accordance with the placement Hosts policy.

Specialist clothing and equipment

It is the responsibility of the Host to provide a Participant with specialist clothing and equipment if required during the placement and/or for the training element of the programme. This includes protective equipment, and work tools. . The department does not provide the Participant with a laptop to undertake the placement. While Hosts are not permitted to pay Participants, they can pay reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Participants on a vouched basis for the purchase of any specialist clothing, footwear or equipment.

Work and Access

Work and Access is a set of supports to help people with a disability get a job or stay in work. It is also available to customers who participate in the Work Placement Experience Programme. The supports aim to remove or reduce barriers in the workplace for people with a disability.

Supports for Jobseekers, Employees, Self-Employed include:

• Workplace Needs Assessment, to assist in identifying the need for additional supports
• Communication Support, for interview and in work
• In-Work Support, to help you perform in your position
• Personal Reader, to assist you in work
• Work Equipment, to assist you in your job

More information can be found here.

Leave during WPEP

The participant should discuss the different types of leave with their Host.

Holidays

Participants must take a total of 11 days off during their placement and are also entitled to all public holidays. Where a participant has received approval for an extension of 3 months they are entitled to a further 6 days holidays. Participants and hosts should discuss planned leave at the start of the placement and agree the procedure for applying for leave. Participants are encouraged to avail of their leave throughout the duration of the placement and not accumulate it towards the end of the placement (untaken leave will not be compensated for).

Maternity Absence

Participants may be facilitated to pause their WPEP placement due to a maternity related absence. The DSP should be notified of such instances. Participants can take time off to attend antenatal GP and hospital visits.

Sick Leave

A total of 5 days sick leave will be permitted for standard 6-month placements, an extra 3 days will be allowed where a WPEP has been extended. If sick leave limits are reached the Host must contact the WPU to inform it that the Participant has reached the total sick leave days permissible. The WPU or assigned DSP officer will actively engage with the Participant to determine their suitability to continue the Programme.

The Participant may, in exceptional circumstances be permitted to continue with the placement where their sick leave has exceeded 5 days if there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate the Participant will resume the work placement. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the assigned DSP officer.

For absences more than two weeks the participant shall revert to their standard welfare payment rate and the period of the placement shall be extended to compensate for the period of absence subject to a maximum extension of six weeks.

Bereavement Leave

If bereavement leave is required during the placement, the participant should discuss this with their Host.

Paternity Leave

Participants may be facilitated to pause their WPEP placement due to paternity related absence for two weeks, taken consecutively. The DSP should be notified of such instances. Participants can choose to take paternity leave at any time in the 26 weeks after the birth or adoption.

International Travel

If training is required to take place outside the state while on a WPEP placement approval should be sought in advance from the Work Placement Unit.

Employment Supports to businesses on completion of WPEP

The Host may qualify for JobsPlus if they decide to hire a Participant (i.e. offer the Participant paid full time employment) at the end of the placement. Please see the JobsPlus webpage for information on the JobsPlus incentive, eligibility criteria and how to apply. It is advised that Hosts submit applications for JobsPlus in advance of WPEP completion.

Complaints and Breaches of the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme

Any WPEP-related issues which arise during the placement should be addressed and resolved between the Host, the Participant and the WPU/EPA, where possible. All complaints relating to participation on the WPEP will be investigated in full by the DSP, and appropriate action will be taken. The WPEP complaints procedure is posted on the department’s website, [link broken]

Freedom of Information (FOI) and Data Protection

DSP administers Ireland’s social protection system. Customers are required to provide personal data to determine eligibility for relevant payments and benefits. Personal data may be exchanged with other government departments and agencies where provided for by law. Our data protection policy is available here or in hard copy on request.

Terms and Conditions for Hosts and Participants

The Host will agree to comply with the WPEP guidelines and terms and conditions when signing the WPEP joint application form (WPEP1). The Host will also accept the Terms and Conditions when creating a WPEP vacancy on JobsIreland.ie.

Terms & Conditions

In order to create a vacancy, the following terms are important:

• A work experience placement should provide a Participant with a broad and meaningful range of practical workplace experience within the organisation as a whole, the opportunity to learn new and practical skills and access to formal and/or informal training

The work experience placement should genuinely enhance the Participant’s potential ability to obtain future fulltime work.

• The Host must commit and actively demonstrate their commitment to support the Participant and provide learning, training and work experience to achieve this
• Prospective work experience Participants should not work unsupervised or unsupported for any extended period of their daily work experience placement
• Remote working is permitted where the Participant can access quality training, learning and work experience and is supported and supervised by the Host
• The Host may not state that previous experience or certain skills are required when advertising a work experience placement
• Hosts are encouraged to provide taster work placements in trade related/ craft apprenticeship roles for customers who are from priority groups, as outlined in section 2.2.

Please ensure that the work experience placement vacancy title and vacancy description reflect these requirements.

By submitting this work experience placement vacancy, you agree that:

• the Host currently has no job vacancies in the area of activity at the same level in which the work experience placement is offered
• the work experience placement may not displace an employee who has been made redundant in the previous 6 months or where they have staff on temporary lay-off
• the Host will not provide a work experience placement opportunity to an individual that they have an existing employment relationship with in the previous 18 months
• a mentor will be appointed by the Host to support the Participant for the duration of the placement and support their skills development and career progression
• the Host has the capacity to support and develop the Participant’s skills
• the work placement experience programme is not open to those who are following a professional/educational accreditation and need to gain relevant work experience to achieve their award (e.g. nursing, teaching, accountants)
• the Host will not substitute Participants for existing Community Employment TUS or Rural Social Scheme places which will mitigate against the risk of double funding. The WPEP vacancy must be in a different area of activity to the CE. TUS or RSS roles
• the Host must ensure that the appropriate Liability Insurance (and Motor Insurance, where applicable) covers any Participants on this programme
• the Host is fully compliant with current workplace health and safety and all other legal requirements
• the Host is a registered business and/or a charity (with a valid registration number) recognised by the Revenue Commissioners
• the Host holds a Current Tax Clearance Certificate
• if Garda Vetting applies to this work experience placement, the Host undertakes to ensure that the vetting process is applied
• the Host will complete the monthly compliance checklists for all placements and return all completed compliance checklists to the work placement unit
• The Department of Social Protection may contact you using the contact details you have provided for matters related to the Work Placement Experience Programme
• the Department of Social Protection reserves the right to undertake monitoring visits, at suitable times over the duration of the Work Placement Experience Programme to ensure compliance with the programme

Terms and Conditions for WPEP Participant:

The Participant agrees to comply with the WPEP guidelines and WPEP terms and conditions when signing the WPEP joint application form (WPEP1).

• The jobseeker must be aged 18 up to 65 years of age
• The jobseeker must be in receipt of a qualifying payment for 104 days days if under 30 years of age and 156 if over 30 years of age
• The Participant must transfer to an eligible payment before s/he can take up the work placement
• The Participant must attend the WPEP as scheduled (30 hours per week)
• The Participant must participate fully in all work-related activities
• The Participant must comply with reasonable directions of the Host
• The Participant must cooperate with the Mentor to complete work placement goals
• The Participant must actively participate in all WPEP training organised by the Host
• The Participant must fully comply with the DSP Monitoring process
• The Participant must comply with all workplace health and safety guidelines

The Department of Social Protection reserves the right, to change these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice. In the event that any changes are made, the revised terms and conditions shall be posted on our website, [link broken]

Return to main Scheme Pages

• Work Placement Experience Programme for Jobseekers
• Work Placement Experience Programme for Employers