Vol. 471 No. 6
40 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Education the number of places available on Youthreach projects in Cork; the proposals, if any, for increasing the number of places; the plans, if any, for piloting new arrangements for progressing Youthreach trainees to higher levels of training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21308/96]
The approved allocation of Youthreach places for Cork City Vocational Education Committee and County Cork Vocational Education Committee is 75 and 80, respectively. Requests for additional places for these vocational education committees are at present under consideration in the context of the expansion of the programme from 2,000 to 2,450 places. I expect that a decision will be made on this matter shortly.
My Department, as part of its ongoing review of the operation of the Youthreach programme and having regard to evaluation reports, is seeking to implement a more integrated approach at local level to the allocation of all additional places within the programme. This approach seeks to ensure that there will, as far as possible, be complementarity with the activities of other agencies in this field and with the plans of the local area based partnerships under the local, urban and rural development programme.
As part of this new process, vocational education committees have been requested to consult all relevant local interests, statutory and non-statutory, and to present an action plan for their area aimed at redressing identified deficiencies in provision for early school leavers.
In this context, vocational education committees have been requested to pay particular attention to piloting new arrangements for progression for trainees to higher levels of training and to arrangements for groups with special needs, for example, lone parents and young offenders.
