Mr. Paul O'Toole:

We are reviewing 2012. First, what is the FÁS part of the equation? If we consider the national framework of qualifications as being a ten-point scale, FÁS primarily operates at levels 3 to 6. Therefore, we deal with entry level, intermediate skills, reskilling and upskilling. That is our space within the equation. Our client group includes people who are among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in the country, people with significant levels of educational attainment and skills who cannot find a job in their particular areas of expertise, and everyone in between. Manifestly, there are not enough jobs for everybody, so we help people to compete for the jobs that are available. For many people, it is not a one-shot fix whereby we carry out an intervention and a job is offered - it is not a question of pass or fail. Many people need a lot of support due to their background, their educational attainment, their levels of skills and confidence and their generic and specific skills. At all times we optimise the use of the resources available to us.

There are two primary drivers of the programmes that we provide. First, there is an economic driver, with skills and programmes tailored as best we can to an identified need in the labour market. The primary driver of other programmes is social inclusion and equity, with the aim of ensuring we do not exclude people from what is a very difficult labour and employment market.

In 2012 our total expenditure was €441.6 million. It is important that members understand that €164.3 million of that figure is spent on income support, which provides people with an income while they undergo the training programme. The balance of the investment, €277 million, is spent on putting programmes in place. For that investment we undertook or provided 83,500 interventions, 77,000 of which were for unemployed people and 5,600 of which were for the apprentice cohort, with a smaller quantity of 2,000 mainly for people employed in other sectors.

The first attainment that one can examine is the learning outcome. As many as 88,000 certificates were received by FÁS learners. Obviously, this figure of 88,000 does not map exactly onto the figure of 83,500 interventions, because people are in transition from one year to another and may not have finished a programme. That is why the figures are not exactly the same. All of the 88,000 certificates are third-party and are not issued by FÁS but by other accrediting bodies, principally FETAC, which is now called Quality and Qualifications Ireland and accounts for 70% of accreditations, but also a range of other accrediting bodies, such as City & Guilds or industry-specific bodies. Therefore, the learning outcome is tangible in terms of recognition of a person's attainment or completion of a course.

One then can examine the impact and what happens to learners after they exit a FÁS course. There have been a range of positive outcomes. Obviously, at all stages, one would like people to find work. Many people have found work but some are moving on to further education and training, so we divide these into two categories: those who are progressing in their training, and those who are moving on to work experience or other programmes. FÁS seeks to track those outcomes in what is a very volatile market and is conducting two pieces of research that are relevant. First, research is being conducted on how the population in general are undergoing transition between employment, unemployment and what is termed economic inactivity, such as retirement or education. There is an enormous volume of movement. A lot of people are moving from unemployment to employment and back out again. They have periods of inactivity when they go on to further education, third level education or whatever they are doing, and then they go back to employment. There is a huge volume of activity for people who are employed or moving between jobs both in their own fields and outside them. I draw attention to that point because these are not simple top-line numbers from which one can draw conclusions. It is really important to understand the dynamics of the labour market.

At present we have only preliminary outcomes for the second piece of research, and the work is still ongoing. We have taken a sample of people who exited FÁS courses in 2012 and analysed what happened to them over the year. The preliminary results indicate a total positive outcome for the economically driven programmes that varies between 71% and 81%. A positive outcome is a period of employment or progression to a work experience programme or further or higher education. With regard to the programmes that are driven by social inclusion and equity - which cater to people who are always going to find it more difficult - there are positive outcomes for between 54% and 74%. In other words, the intervention, whatever it was, has enabled them to progress or be placed in work.