Mr. Alan McGrath:

I thank the Chair and the joint committee for their invitation to address the Companies (Protection of Employees’ Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021. I am accompanied today by my colleague, Mr. David Smith, director of construction, quality and green skills. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the committee’s discussion of the scheme and to assist in any way possible.

SOLAS has responsibility for funding, planning and co-ordinating further education and training, FET, in Ireland. Through the 16 education and training boards, ETBs, and other providers, the FET system offers access to a wide range of learning opportunities and supports in every corner of the country, regardless of background or formal education level, and a learning pathway to take the learner as far as he or she wishes to go.

The FET system currently serves a base of approximately 200,000 unique learners and students per annum. Included in this figure are specific programmes that are in place to provide upskilling or reskilling programmes for those seeking employment. FET adopts a learner-centred approach and welcomes learners, regardless of background or previous educational attainment, including those seeking a second chance to engage with the education and training system to develop their skills further or gain new skills.

SOLAS is currently implementing a five-year FET strategy, Future FET: Transforming Learning, which is built around three core objectives of building skills for those in employment and out of employment; fostering inclusion, which is about making FET accessible to all, including marginalised learners, and facilitating education pathways for learners.

SOLAS has, over a number of years, co-ordinated and provided specialised training and educational supports to more than 15,000 redundant workers through ten programmes funded by the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund. Seven of these applications were submitted on foot of redundancy situations arising from the closure of facilities at Dell; Waterford Crystal; SR Technics; TalkTalk; Anderson Ireland; Lufthansa and PWA International. Three other applications were sectoral-related and provided supports to construction workers and apprentices who were made redundant between July 2009 and March 2010.

In broad terms, the types of supports provided to the workers involved in previous schemes included dedicated support teams; the provision of outreach clinics on a national basis; access to available training grants designed to support reskilling; engaging with public and private training providers on behalf of workers; career coaching and associated well-being supports; financial supports for travelling and childcare and financial support for purchasing equipment for their respective upskilling programmes. However, within this suite of supports each, beneficiary could tailor the supports to maximise the programme for his or her own benefit and the programmes generally lasted two years.

In providing these supports, SOLAS works closely with other Departments, agencies and bodies, such as the Department of Social Protection’s Intreo service, which provides a one-stop shop for employment services and income supports and a range of personalised supports to jobseekers.

In May 2021, the Government announced a training fund to support Debenhams workers who had faced redundancy. SOLAS was tasked with responsibility for implementing the fund. Since then, SOLAS revived the delivery model heretofore deployed under the European-funded programmes and has engaged with colleagues in Departments and Debenhams trade unions, Mandate and SIPTU, to agree the final package of supports. In parallel with discussions with stakeholders and unions, we have held a series of briefings sessions with employees of each impacted Debenhams store.

Based on previous experience, in 2021, SOLAS established a co-ordination unit with the sole remit of designing and implementing additional supports for those impacted by large-scale redundancies. The supports, which SOLAS designed and is delivering, build on what individuals may receive from other State agencies. In addition to overseeing the Debenhams training fund, we established the Debenhams oversight committee. This committee is independently chaired, with agreed terms of reference, and comprises of State agencies, union officials and workers.

The package of measures that are funded for Debenhams workers can include occupational guidance and career planning support; education and training programmes, especially to address digital skills and enterprise and self-employment supports. To help inform potential beneficiaries, a number of information sessions, online, in person and one to one, where required, were held throughout the country in late 2021 and through 2022, to help explain the process and types of supports available. A number of additional information sessions will recommence from March.

The supports available can be broadly categorised as training grants, to allow eligible clients to avail of upskilling and training options from the private and State providers; a career transition grant, which is designed to permit eligible clients procure the services of HR practitioners, that is, to assist with CVs, interviews and mentoring; other services such as start-your-own-business supports, with referrals to the local enterprise offices, LEOs; course equipment and materials, by supporting clients to procure equipment and materials required for their course such as laptops, iPads or related forms of equipment and materials to enhance their employability. The supports available also include course expense contributions, which can cover travel and accommodation, toward the cost of attending courses or interviews; childcare, towards the costs of childcare to facilitates parents to attend training or upskilling programmes and stationery and associated costs.

SOLAS also provides support and guidance to clients daily, in completing fund applications and required supporting documentation reimbursements and by booking courses directly with the training provider on behalf of the client.

This provides a brief overview of the FET supports in place for those in the unfortunate position of becoming redundant. I thank the Chairman and the committee members for the opportunity to contribute to the consideration of this important legislation and we look forward to contributing to the discussion.