Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 January 2015
29. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the courses available through her Department or agencies in County Kilkenny to assist those wishing to upskill or return to work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49453/14]
View answerThe Department in conjunction with other Departments and agencies (most notably the Department of Education and Skills and Solas) has put in place a range of options for reskilling as part of the wider whole of government approach contained in the Pathways to Work Strategy.
The former FAS training provision is being transferred to the new regional Education and Training Boards (ETBs). The main FAS/Solas programmes of relevance to DSP clients are Specific Skills Training, Traineeships, Local Training Initiatives, and training for people with disabilities through Specialist Training Providers. In 2014 seven hundred and fifty eight places were provided by FÁS/Solas in Kilkenny.
MOMENTUM, a scheme for education and training interventions, is part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs initiative. It was rolled out by the Department of Education and Skills in 2013. MOMENTUM supports the provision of free education and training projects to allow long term jobseekers to gain skills and to access work opportunities in identified growing sectors. Details of MOMENTUM courses offered in Kilkenny in 2014 are shown in the following table.
|
Momentum Courses offered in Kilkenny-2014 |
Number of Places available |
Numbers referred |
Learners recruited |
|
Hospitality and Tourism |
24 |
36 |
15 |
|
Early Childhood Care and Education |
24 |
26 |
19 |
|
Looking Forward 2- Warehousing and Logistics |
16 |
29 |
16 |
|
Tourism Today |
24 |
29 |
15 |
|
Coach Driving with Guiding |
24 |
44 |
24 |
Those wishing to upskill or return to work who are long-term unemployed can undertake re-training on a full-time basis and generally qualify either for a Solas training allowance or for support from the Department of Social Protection’s Back to Education Allowance scheme. Where the training is part-time or of shorter duration, support may be provided under the Part-time Education Option (PTEO) and Education Training and Development Option (ET&D). Details of education courses offered in Kilkenny in 2014 are shown in the following table.
|
Numbers currently on Education courses in County Kilkenny as 3/1/15 |
Kilkenny LO |
Thomastown LO |
Total |
|
|
Springboard |
21 |
1 |
22 |
|
|
Back to Education Allowance |
197 |
51 |
248 |
|
|
Part-time Education Option |
35 |
8 |
43 |
In conjunction with these programmes, there is also ongoing engagement between Intreo Offices and Education and Training Boards (ETBs) to ensure that training programmes are relevant to the needs of the unemployed. More generally, substantial reform is being undertaken in the education and training sector to ensure programmes are relevant to the needs of learners and employers.
When taken together these reforms and initiatives constitute a comprehensive approach to the reskilling of the unemployed.
