Vol. 420 No. 7
6 Mr. Taylor asked the Minister for Labour if he will make a statement on the number of unemployed people who are currently engaged in training schemes; and if he will give an estimate of future trends in this regard and make a statement generally on the matter.
There were about 29,000 unemployed people, including young people looking for their first job, participating in FAS training and employment programmes at the end of April 1992. A further 189 unemployed people were participating in CERT training. This level of provision will continue for the remainder of 1992 with the level in future years to be decided in the context of the availability of Exchequer and EC resources.
I regret very much that there are no plans for the future, that the Minister cannot predict how many people will be employed or participating in these training schemes. Bearing in mind the number of students who will not be returning to school, it should be possible to predict at least how many places will be available in the coming year.
The point of the reply was to suggest that there are significant numbers already participating. I might add that at an informal Council meeting of EC Social Affairs Ministers in Lisbon recently a discussion took place on vocational training. Indeed, there is a great commitment at EC level to increase funding for that purpose and the tranche of Structural Funds from 1993 to 1997 so indicates. For example, 40 per cent of Structural Funding emanates from the European Social Fund, under the aegis of my Department. As an indication of the increased funding in this, and other related areas, I should say that in 1989 total funding from ESF through my Department was £137 million whereas this year it is £371 million.
Would the Minister agree that there is need for a total change of emphasis in our training programmes? Does the Minister intend introducing training programmes for the long term unemployed, not programmes such as the social employment scheme which cease after one year, leaving a participant back where he or she started with absolutely no possibility of future employment? Has the Minister any intention or providing training, somewhat along the lines of the German system, so that we would end up with a workforce trained for employment, thus increasing people's possibility of obtaining work in the future?
At the risk of giving a Second Stage reply to a totally different question I will say as succinctly as I can that we have initiated a new on-the-job training scheme, based specifically on the German model. We are aware, through the Culliton report, that the activities of FÁS are being examined and geared to meet the recommendations of the task force on employment. Finally, apprenticeship is something I am examining with a view to broadening its present base which is restricted to traditional crafts, skills and so on.
