| Date: | 2010- |
| Web: | Official website of the programme |
| Description: | The Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) offers short-term temporary employment that seeks to benefit unemployed people in vulnerable situations through their paid participation in works of community interest. In addition, participants receive job training to facilitate their re-entry into the labour market. |
Characteristics
| Target population: | Unemployed persons over 18 years of age |
| Area of intervention: | Technical and professional training Direct job creation |
| Geographic scale: | National |
| Targeting method: | Categorical (18 years of age or older at the time of registration, unemployed and have a valid Trinidad and Tobago identification document) |
| Comments: | There is no limit to the amount of time an individual can stay in the programme, but the programme is designed to assist workers through temporary employment and help them develop their skills so that they can re-enter the labour market in a reasonable timeframe. |
Institutionality
| Legal framework: | |
| Responsible organization(s): | Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government |
| Executing organization(s): | Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government |
| Source of funding: | Government of Trinidad y Tobago |
Basic Employment
| Recipient(s): | All programme participants |
| Recipient of the transfer: | Direct participant |
| Comments: | Community groups such as churches and schools undertaking small projects can apply for assistance through the Basic Employment component. |
| Description: | The unemployed receive work on a rotating basis, every two to three fortnights (four to six weeks). A stipend is paid to participants to help them financially, however the payment should not be considered a salary. Persons employed through the URP are not entitled to any employment or holiday benefits. |
Women participants in the programme
| Recipient(s): | |
| Recipient of the transfer: | Direct participant |
| Description: | It provides training to women as they work in areas such as handicrafts, furniture, cleaning, painting, community work, geriatric care and environmental beautification. The training courses last for six weeks with working hours from 9.00am to 2.00pm, these hours are designed to facilitate other commitments. |
Special Projects Delivery
| Recipient(s): | Community groups |
| Description: | This component provides community groups such as churches and schools with assistance for small, medium and large projects that take more than six weeks to complete. Special projects are awarded to contractors within the constituency who will provide both labour and materials for the project. Contractors are recruited for a variety of projects, beautification work and repair of damaged community property. |
