Ms Brenda Feeney:

On the service level agreement, from IT Sligo's point of view this is our first year of rolling out this programme, and what I have found as placement co-ordinator is that services are more than willing to consider practice placements for students. However, there is reluctance to enter into a service level agreement because of the fear that they may not be able to stand over that agreement because of staffing deficits. Staff are moving from one Department to another, and indeed from different services. The verbal agreements are in place, but I feel that at Government level there has to be some provision that will support us and the service providers in standing over those agreements.

On the finances of students and how they manage, from my point of view we kept our first cohort small because of the placements issue. All members of the small cohort this year have come to me at some point with concerns around finance, including worries about how they will manage travelling long distances to placements or indeed relocation for placement purposes. All of the students are very committed, and want to get the best placement opportunities they can, but finances are limiting them in terms of how far they can travel or if they are able to relocate. It is very difficult for them.