Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

FÁS is rising to the challenge of upskilling. When the business forum produced its report and identified a deficiency in management capability training in the country and the need to do better in that respect, FÁS stepped up to the mark and worked with the SMEs on training programmes.

On Deputy Hogan's comment, the best model of upskilling in and incentivising businesses I have seen is Skillnets, to which the State makes a substantial contribution while the companies make some contribution. I understand it is on a 50:50 or 60:40 basis, depending on the nature of the schemes. It has been a runaway success and is the type of partnership initiative of which I wish to see more. That is why we expanded significantly the funding for Skillnets in the medium term to 2009.

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