The number and percentage of long-term unemployed from the claimant count in April 2006, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) district council area, are shown in the following tables.
Number of long-term unemployed claimants Long-term unemployed claimants as a percentage of total claimants Belfast East 175 16.0 Belfast North 520 23.4 Belfast South 260 18.8 Belfast West 820 26.6 East Antrim 250 18.2 East Londonderry 330 20.0 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 345 27.5 Foyle 690 20.1 Lagan Valley 160 17.3 Mid Ulster 165 19.2 Newry and Armagh 340 24.4 North Antrim 250 16.7 North Down 175 17.1 South Antrim 215 18.6 South Down 290 22.4 Strangford 285 24.9 Upper Bann 185 14.7 West Tyrone 470 25.1 Northern Ireland 5,925 21.2
Number of long-term unemployed claimants Long-term unemployed claimants as a percentage of total claimants Antrim 100 17.1 Ards 240 24.6 Armagh 115 20.7 Ballymena 140 18.3 Ballymoney 50 12.2 Banbridge 55 16.0 Belfast 1,565 22.9 Carrickfergus 75 14.5 Castlereagh 90 16.1 Coleraine 210 20.1 Cookstown 70 18.0 Craigavon 150 14.3 Derry 690 20.1 Down 205 22.1 Dungannon 90 19.5 Fermanagh 275 30.5 Larne 70 17.9 Limavady 125 19.7 Lisburn 305 21.5 Magherafelt 75 20.5 Moyle 60 18.7 Newry and Mourne 325 25.9 Newtownabbey 220 21.2 North Down 155 17.6 Omagh 185 25.6 Strabane 285 24.7 Northern Ireland 5,925 21.2
The Department for Employment and Learning has introduced a number of policies and initiatives in the further and higher education sectors, to widen access and increase adult participation in vocational education and training; the target group includes the long term unemployed.
These measures include an expansion of courses for those returning to learning; the allocation of additional funding to support provision from non-statutory providers and support measures to provide help to students who are deterred from enrolling in further education because of financial hardship or other difficulties. In 2005-06 this support to students totalled over £2.5 million. There is also an entitlement to free professional and technical courses, for all full-time students, aged 19 and over.
Within higher education, the Department has set a target of progressing year on year towards fair access to HE by 2008. The Widening Participation Strategy has included the setting of an annual target to increase representation of people from lower socio-economic classifications.
The Department also provides a number of targeted programmes to assist those who are out of work move towards, and return to the labour market. This includes a suite of new deal programmes where eligible participants may access short accredited training courses or three units of a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). The purpose of this provision is designed to assist people find jobs and help them stay and progress in employment through training and work experience.