Vol. 443 No. 1
143 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Education the conditions pertaining to the Youthreach programme as operated by her Department; if this scheme can be used for work experience abroad; and the expenses that are payable to the operating authority for this scheme.
The Youthreach programme is provided in the education sector by the vocational education committees in a network of out-of-school centres. The programme provides integrated education, vocational training and work experience for young people in the 15-18 year age group who have left school early with no qualifications or vocational training. The overall provision for the scheme in the education sector this year is £7.752 million. The grants to operating authorities are based on an overall average unit cost of per trainee, and cover tuition, overheads, equipment and materials and other running costs. The figures exclude training allowances which are paid by FAS.
The programme is designed to provide a flexible response to the needs of early school leavers, and programme content is tailored to motivate trainees to acquire a range of competences essential for further training or employment. In the context of exchanges and visits abroad my Department understands that a number of Youthreach centres avail of schemes such as "Youth for Europe" and the PETRA programme to enable trainees to spend short periods overseas.
