I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The joint college-industry initiative is a scheme which offers people opportunities to get technical qualifications through a combination of attendance at college and placement within industry. It is being run under the auspices of the Department of Education and Science and the EU at nine regional colleges and involves a number of well known companies in the computer and other industries as partners.
From my point of view as Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, the scheme offered a major new opportunity which might be availed of by unemployed people and lone parents wishing to get back to work, in that it provides high quality training in a sector with very good employment opportunities. I saw it as important, therefore, that information about the scheme would be made available as widely as possible to unemployed people so that they might be in a position to apply for inclusion in the scheme. It is the type of scheme constantly being examined by my Department, by which we could entice people back into the workforce and give them the proper education and skills required for them to compete in the jobs market.
Following discussions with the Department of Education and Science it was agreed the scheme would be included within the scope of my Department's third level allowance scheme under which unemployed people effectively retain their unemployment payment when they take up certain education courses. The scheme was advertised in the national press on Sunday, 2 November with a closing date for applications of Friday, 14 November.
At a meeting on 5 November my Department's jobs facilitators, who are responsible, among other things, for ensuring that unemployed people are made aware of the employment and educational opportunities available, were requested to make every effort to publicise the initiative and a poster for display at the Department's offices was produced to help them to do this. The advertisements to which Deputy Browne refers appeared in the Kilkenny People and the Carlow Nationalist on 12 November and were inserted at the initiative of the local jobs facilitator. They gave details of the initiative with a closing date of 14 November. Although the paper is dated 14 November, it actually appeared on 12 November, as the Deputy acknowledged.
The motive of the jobs facilitator in placing the advertisements was to ensure that as many people as possible in her catchment area got to hear about the initiative and were made aware that financial assistance was available through the third level allowance for those who wanted to attend. She saw the scheme as an important opportunity for young unemployed people and lone parents and thought it should be publicised as widely as possible. She was aware of the closing date of 14 November but still felt that placing the advertisement was the best way of ensuring that people locally were informed. She was also aware that the paper would be published on 12 November. At the same time she made arrangements with the local office of my Department for applications to be processed on the spot where people were in a position to attend. I compliment the jobs facilitator for her initiative.
As a direct result of the advertisement 33 applications from people in Carlow and Kilkenny have been submitted to the Central Admissions Office. Eighteen late applications were received. I am advised it is not possible at this stage for the CAO to extend the closing date for the initiative as this would involve a breach of contract with applicants who have applied on time.
What happened in advertising in Carlow-Kilkenny was a well-intentioned effort by the local jobs facilitator to ensure the initiative was widely publicised at a local level. It followed up on an earlier advertisement in the national press and it is to be regretted if it has unintentionally resulted in disappointment for some people.
My colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, has already announced there is potential for a further intake on new courses of this sort next autumn and those who have been disappointed this time around will have the opportunity to apply again then.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 2 December 1997.
