asked the Minister for Labour if there is a policy of phasing out the AnCO training centre in Wexford town; if any of the courses are being discontinued or phased out; if the machine shop is fully operational; if the welding course will be continued in April 1984; and if he agrees that the centre should be expanded in view of the increasing unemployment crisis in County Wexford.
Written Answers. - AnCO Wexford Training Centre.
473.
The AnCO centre in Wexford town has the status of a temporary training centre and there are no plans to change this at present.
The welding course is due to end on 12 May 1984 and will be replaced by a light skills course which will include:
—light electrical and mechanical assembly
—introduction to electronic and electrical assembly
—keyboard skills
—life and social skills.
The general engineering operative course is being updated and will include additional modules as follows:
—life and social skills
—mechanical assembly
—machining where necessary, i.e. where a trainee has a chance of a job in machining, he/she will be trained accordingly.
The machine room is fully operational at present and its capacity of 26 training places is being maintained but these will be used in a more flexible manner to suit the needs of the area. The centre will therefore be able to provide a much broader range of courses based on the specific needs of industry.
The welding facilities are being maintained and they will be used in the future to meet identified needs.
AnCO have no plans to expand their temporary training centre in Wexford as they take the view that the training needs of the area can be met by a combination of flexible responses available to it including external training and other community based approaches such as the community youth training programme along with access to the regional training centre in Waterford, for which accommodation and/or travel subsidies are available to trainees.