Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 10 Oct 2000

Vol. 523 No. 4

Written Answers. - Apprenticeship System.

Enda Kenny

Question:

254 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to a dispute which has been ongoing for some months regarding the marking of assessment exam papers which involves the institutes of technology, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and his Department; the plans he has to resolve this dispute in order that fourth phase apprentices, who were to have an assessment procedure carried out at the request of his Department but who had been assessed by the institutes, will be allowed to continue on to the sixth phase apprenticeship; the number of apprentices who completed fourth phase during the summer period of 13 weeks; if these were assessed or examined by a different procedure than those who completed fourth phase during the spring session; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21223/00]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

The operational arrangements relating to the assessment and certification of apprentices under the standards based apprenticeship system which were agreed by all relevant groups were set out in a letter from my Department to the various institutes of technology in December 1995. The arrangements clearly stated that assessment for phase 4 would consist of two occasions of testing and that a terminal examination would only apply at the end of phase 6 of the apprenticeship system. This latter would be the only situation in which payment for an examination as part of the apprenticeship system would be made.

In August 1999 it was brought to the attention of my Department that some institutes of technology were conducting both occasions of phase 4 testing at the end of phase 4. My Department subsequently issued circular letter No. 1T 9/99 on the assessment regulations governing phase 4 procedures reiterating the position as set out in 1995. All directors of institutes of technology and the President of Dublin Institute of Technology were directed to ensure that the sanctioned arrangements would be complied with.

Notwithstanding this direction, the Department has been advised that in latter months certain phase 4 assessment results have been withheld by staff in the institutes, who are TUI members, who are seeking examination payments in respect of this testing. Efforts to resolve the dispute are ongoing.

A total of 624 phase 4 apprenticeship places were provided on the 13 week summer course in 2000 and there was 97% uptake of this course. Assessment procedures used for students on the summer courses are the same as those sanctioned for all other phase 4 apprentices.