Ms Marie Kelly:

Our attrition rate is 37%, which is quite low. As I mentioned earlier, half of these clients will come back in again because they leave for medical reasons. The Deputy needs to understand that our service is a lot more than simply certification or education.

It is about giving a service to people who have never had a chance in the normal education system, which has failed them or has not worked for them for whatever reason, and it can be for personal, emotional or psychological reasons. It is about also giving them a wider service, a service that deals with their other issues that prevent them from going on to training and education and employment. These are people who, generally, would not have gone to other training courses because they did not provide the necessary supports.