The INOU provides services to and engages with six key groups:
- Unemployed people
- Local organisations which support unemployed people
- National organisations that work on a range of equality, social inclusion and anti-poverty issues
- Employers
- Policy makers /key Government Departments
- The media.
Work in relation to all these groups is central to the role of INOU as the national representative organisation of the unemployed. The INOU follow the ethos that the most effective route out of poverty and social exclusion for unemployed people, and those reliant on welfare payments, is access to decent employment coupled with the knowledge, capacity and ability of the individual to take up suitable employment opportunities.
A wide range of services and supports is provided to unemployed people and people in receipt of other Social Welfare payments.
Services
- The provision of welfare to work information and advocacy services to unemployed people and organisations providing information to unemployed people. Also produce a wide range of welfare to work information publications including 25,000 copies of Working for Work – the most comprehensive publication available that covers work, education, training and welfare to work options.
- The delivery of training/support services to member organisations. The organisation is a QQI accredited training provider and provides a range of training/support services and programmes to our member groups and other organisations (including statutory agencies) on welfare to work and employment entitlements. The organisation also provides training directly to people who are long-term unemployed through our very successful Building Futures Programme and our new Shaping Futures Programme. View INOU courses on Findacourse.ie
- The provision of expert labour market policy analysis on employment, unemployment, education and training. The INOU is represented on a range of policy forums, including the Labour Market Council which is tasked with overseeing the Government’s Pathways to Work initiative.
- Membership supports including the involvement of Unemployed People/Individual Membership. This involves the structured participation of unemployed people in the INOU through the General Branch; the maintenance of a network of Individual Member contacts and activists and the engagement of unemployed people in the organisation’s work through thematic focus groups, workshops and introductory meetings.
- The INOU Community Employment Scheme/Transitional Work Programme. The INOU have been running a Community Employment (CE) Scheme for over 20 years.
- Linkages with member organisations; Integral to this are the regional Discussion Forum meetings which provide an opportunity to brief members on developments in relation to unemployment/employment, and related issues. The supports provided to members of the forums in terms of information sharing and publications have been invaluable to the work of local groups.