asked the Minister for Labour if he will give details of Irish projects which have qualified for aid under the European Social Fund's grants for pilot schemes and studies; the grants paid in each case; and the results.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pilot Schemes and Studies.
5.
The details of Irish projects which have been approved for assistance from the European Social Fund as pilot schemes and studies in the years 1984 to 1987 inclusive are set out in the form of a tabular statement which I propose to circulate with the Official Report.
Fund assistance for pilot projects may be granted for a period not exceeding 36 months. Applicants then have up to ten months after the completion of the programme to lodge final claims for the outstanding balance.
European Social Fund grants for Pilot Schemes and Studies Approved for Ireland from 1984 to 1987, Inclusive.
|
Organisation |
Objective of Programme |
Results |
ESF Assistance Approved |
ESF Assistance Paid to Date |
|
Approved in 1984 |
£(Thousands) |
£(Thousands) |
||
|
AnCO |
To train young unemployed from socially disadvantaged areas in relevant aspects of new information and electronic technologies (including motivation and guidance). |
Placement rate was 75% at the end of course. |
258 |
78(Final claim for £131,000 has been sent to the Commission). |
|
Department of Education |
To provide young persons with vocational skills within the information technology area. |
Project not yet completed. |
71 |
21(A further claim for £28,000 has been sent to EC Commission). |
|
Irish Productivity Centre (IPC) |
To facilitate a formal exchange of experience between organisations in North and South aimed at facilitating innovation in industry and improving relationships in the workplace. |
Project has been evaluated as an effective model for the sharing of experiences between organisations in two Member States of the European Community. |
86 |
52(A further claim for payment for £34,000 has been sent to the Commission). |
|
SFADCo |
Training of young people in entrepreneurship based on electronic technology in association with Queen's University, Belfast. |
Establishment of four (4) operational business ventures — another is at negotiation stage. |
42 |
13(Final claim for £24,000 has been sent to the EC Commission). |
|
SFADCo |
To determine the feasibility of integrating the establishment of small businesses with the training of socially deprived unskilled young people. |
Project not yet evaluated. |
192 |
58(A second advance claim for £58,000 has been sent to the EC Commission). |
|
UCD |
Cross-border operation in developing and protecting employment in small and medium sized companies through adapting to new technology. |
New target markets were identified and strategies developed where no previous planning of any kind had been done. |
209 |
125(A final claim for £79,000 is due to be sent to the EC Commission). |
|
CERT |
To give unemployed persons technical and managerial skills to establish their own viable business operations. |
75 per cent of the trainees had launched business operations by the end of the course. |
58 |
17(A final claim for payment for £24,000 has been sent to the Commission). |
|
Approved in 1985 Department of Education |
To test the content and methodology of courses designed to deal with problems of young people facing into the world of work, particularly with training in the application of computers. |
Project not yet completed. |
652 |
391 |
|
Department of Education |
Developing, testing and providing a range of training programmes for relevant aspects of new technology to assist small and medium-sized enterprises with the application and impact of such technology. |
Project not yet evaluated. |
44 |
27(A final claim for £17,000 has been sent to the Commission). |
|
Irish Management Institute |
Integration of training, counselling, market research and market visits. |
Project not yet evaluated. |
39 |
23 |
|
Irish Management Institute |
To transfer marketing technology into medium-sized Irish companies with clear potential for export development. |
Trainees on the course have moved into expanded job functions. Some of the companies involved have taken on new employees and have plans to further increase their workforce during the coming year. |
36 |
25 |
|
IPC |
To create an awareness of micro and macro economic effects of job creation and maintenance. |
Programme was conducted and |
44 |
44 |
|
IPC |
To examine conditions under which small and medium-sized companies effectively utilise external export help and a training programme to help individual firms to utilise such help. |
Target group (owner/managers) of small businesses reached and trained to the special needs of small businesses. |
49 |
49 |
|
SFADCo |
To establish a rural ventures training initiative programme in the Mid-West region to develop training in small-scale agri-business and food processing projects, to promote enterprise in underdeveloped areas of that region. |
Project not yet completed. |
237 |
71 |
|
SFADCo |
To create access to management training for owner/managers and personnel from small businesses. |
Project not yet evaluated. |
93 |
28 |
|
Approved in 1986 AnCO |
Joint venture between AnCO and West Cork Educational Institute for Rural Development to exploit local and natural resources in order to train young people for the creation of employment for themselves and others. |
Project not yet completed. |
420 |
— |
|
AnCO |
To expose trainees (unemployed craft persons) from three Member States to national and traditional systems of training in each host country and to identify and develop a community and common approach to training. |
Project not yet completed. |
292 |
— |
|
IPC |
To harmonise the value systems and training objectives of trainers in the public and private sectors. |
Project not yet completed. |
37 |
11(A second advance claim for £11,000 has been sent to the EC Commission). |
|
IPC |
Training of key executives to develop the expertise necessary to undertake an assessment of and to develop the information technology of their companies. |
Project not yet completed. |
53 |
32 |
|
IPC |
Training of employed owners/managers of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies to increase the level of utilisation of CAD/CAM systems with particular reference to accommodating a training schedule with the minimum of disruption into demanding work schedules. |
Project not yet completed. |
65 |
|
|
IPC |
Trainer exchange and cross-training to equip trainers-trainee managers to function in a variety of labour market environments. |
Project not yet completed. |
55 |
33 |
|
National RehabilitationBoard (NRB) |
Action research project aimed at creating employment opportunities for severely disadvantaged individuals with mental handicap. |
Project not yet completed. |
674 |
202 |
|
Approved in 1987 AnCO |
Training course for women in film and video making to provide self employment as the main option. |
Project not yet completed. |
127 |
38 |
|
AnCO |
New technology workshop for women. |
Project not yet completed. |
294 |
88 |
|
AnCO |
Pilot project in vocational training for both able bodied and handicapped directed towards employment initiatives undertaken by local groups. |
Project not yet completed. |
226 |
68 |
|
Department of Education |
Project to provide specific training in innovation and enterprise for technically skilled persons with the aim of establishing new enterprises and to develop local industry. |
Project not yet completed. |
447 |
134 |
|
Department of Education |
Cross-border project involving a community exchange network to tackle the problems of unemployment and poverty through the provision of training necessary for the regeneration of local communities and economy. |
Project not yet completed. |
315 |
94 |
|
Department of Education |
Training of trainers in the area of application fo new technologies to provide improved vocational training structures. |
Project not yet completed. |
315 |
94 |
|
National Rehabilitation Board (N.R.B.) |
Provision of vocational training, in conjunction with AnCO, directly related to the setting up of new employment initiatives undertaken by local groups involving able bodied and disabled persons. |
Project not yet completed. |
1,157 |
347 |
|
SFADCo |
Development of venture teams to develop the expertise necessary to start a high technology growth industry aimed at international markets. |
Project not yet completed. |
104 |
31 |
Have any of the pilot schemes undertaken in Ireland been sufficiently successful to be converted into general and permanent, as distinct from pilot schemes?
I have not got that information. There is a long tabular statement accompanying the Official Report giving details of the various schemes. The statement gives the organisations involved, the objectives of the programmes.
Surely the inherently sought result of a pilot scheme or study is the decision whether to continue it on a permanent or general basis. I did ask for the results. Therefore I am puzzled the Minister cannot tell me.
Is it intended to include the tabular statement in the Official Report?
It is intended.
It does not answer the question.
I thought Deputy Bruton was endeavouring to seek information on the full number of schemes. I can tell him that, for example, AnCO have——
I am asking a very precise question.
I must dissuade Deputies against this. If the tabular statement is to be included in the Official Report, Deputies must await that report in the ordinary way.
I am not asking about the tabular statement. I am asking whether any of the schemes have been successful to the point that they have resulted in action becoming permanent. In other words, was there a pilot scheme which became successful and then became a permanent scheme? It is a very precise question.
A number of schemes that were run in pilot form are now courses. I suspect that some of them were already courses in some form or other. Perhaps they were extended following the pilot surveys. A number of surveys have taken place in the area of technology and we now have schemes and courses in that field. I do not know if they arise directly from the pilot projects.
It sounds a bit phoney.