Vol. 436 No. 5
91 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment whether he has satisfied himself with the training element included in the community enterprise development programme; whether certification will be provided for the training element of this programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I take it that the Deputy is referring to the Community Employment Development Programme (CEDP). The training element within the CEDP is designed to provide work based development opportunities for participants and supervisors.
Training within the CEDP happens at two levels. At level one, training is provided for supervisors through a FÁS Supervisor Development Programme. This programme is designed to enable supervisors to develop a training plan for participants in their project. Certification is available for the initial group of supervisors by means of an Extra-Mural Diploma in Adult Education from St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.
At a second level training is provided for participants within projects. This training is organised by the supervisor in consultation with participants. Where possible, this permits the individual needs of participants to be met. The training opportunities provided are therefore locally authorised and cover many areas. Training is provided in both technical and employment skills by the project. This training is generally foundation or basic training and comprises on average about 20 days per annum.
In addition participants are provided with some financial assistance to undertake training and further education in the period when they are not working on the project. This is an innovative element of the CEDP and preliminary feedback would indicate that it is both popular and successful.
At present participants on CEDP do not receive certification for all training undertaken. Some of the training is certified by various bodies and FÁS are currently assessing what percentage has been certified in 1993. The objective is to progressively ensure in 1994 that all training undertaken is subject to certification.
The CEDP is a new programme and changes will be made on the basis of the experience to date. The training element is being delivered in a manner that ensures local control and local consideration of the individual participant's needs.
