asked the Minister for Education if all of County Mayo has been included in the Youthreach Programme; and, if not, the reason.
15.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Youthreach Programme.
6.
asked the Minister for Education if all of County Clare has been included in the Youthreach Programme; and, if not, the reason.
53.
asked the Minister for Education if all of Counties Carlow and Kilkenny have been included in the Youthreach Programme; and, if not, the reason.
78.
asked the Minister for Education if all parts of Counties Laois and Offaly have been included in the Youthreach Programme; and, if not, the reason.
121.
asked the Minister for Education if she will include County Meath in the areas covered by the Youthreach Programme.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 15, 53, 78 and 121 together. Youthreach offers a co-ordinated and integrated programme of training, work experience and temporary employment to early school leavers. The programme is a Department of Education-Labour joint initiative operated through the vocational education committees and FÁS.
I am assuming responsibility for the foundation year of the programme which I have introduced this year in 11 VECs. These VECs were selected on the basis of evidence that they had a high proportion of early school leavers. While there are at present no VEC Youthreach centres in Counties Laois, Offaly, Carlow, Kilkenny, Mayo, Clare and Meath, the programme provided in FÁS centres serves these areas.
I had made provision for 500 additional places in the Youthreach Programme in VEC centres with effect from 1990 and these will be selected by reference to the numbers of early school leavers, their distribution across the country and the services already available in each area. I am not yet in a position to say whether the areas listed in the questions will be included in the extension of the programme. I will certainly bear in mind the interests of the Deputies who have put down the questions to me.
May I ask the Minister if it is the case that of the 1,000 places allocated so far under Youthreach, only 600 have actually been taken up? Furthermore, is she not aware that in the majority of VEC areas to which Youthreach does not apply, 27 VECs in all, there are substantial problems of educational disadvantage which need to be addressed urgently? The idea of introducing patchwork schemes in particular areas, which are politically selected, is undesirable.
This initiative was mooted when Deputy Bruton was in Government. It was noted in the Programme for Action in Education, a book I have found fascinating, as something which should be done for young people who felt alienated from the formal education system. I am sure the then Minister was setting about her business in regard to it but then came the general election and the Minister for Labour and I decided to look further into this proposal. Based on this, Youthreach was initiated. It is not possible overnight to bring Youthreach or any other programme into every corner of Ireland. Within the area specified by the Deputies who put down the questions there are of course great learning needs and always will be. I would hope that in the allocation of the extra places for 1990 the educational needs of the disadvantaged who have for one reason or another left the formal education system for some months will be addressed. I take the point that there are in all of those VEC areas many disadvantaged young people who need the types of programmes we are able to deliver here.
Would the Minister agree that the problem of early school leavers is without exception the most urgent in education?
Even though progressively since the early eighties there has been an increase in the percentage of young people who stay on in the second level system and also an increase in the percentage of those who get formal certification, there still remains a problem to be addressed and we intend to do that in a phased way.
What about the places not being taken up?
That is being addressed at present.
Is the Minister not concerned that we have a two-tiered system for disadvantaged students? On the one hand we have community training workshops with very limited resources and on the other, we have the Youthreach programme with considerably more resoruces. I understand also that the people operating the Youthreach programme are better paid than those involved in the community training workshops. Is the Minister not concerned about this? Has she any plans to re-establish the Social Guarantee Advisory Board to ensure the provision of adequate services for all our disadvantaged young people?
To refer to it as a two-tiered system is not to use the correct appellation but I understand what the Deputy means. There is the FÁS scheme with the community training workshops and then there is Youthreach. Youthreach is not yet an amalgamation but it combines two years. One is the foundation year which deals with learning as in a school, although it does not take place in a school, and the second year combines the academic nature of the foundation year plus the practicalities of the community training workshops. The best of both existing schemes is combined in the new Youthreach scheme. It is still in its first year, which is mainly the responsibility of the Department of Education. Only in the second year will the combination of the Departments of Labour and Education be seen. Regarding payment of the people involved, I have not that information with me since the question does not refer to it. The concerns which Deputy Deenihan expressed will be ameliorated when the scheme completes its first year and goes into its second year.