Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this issue.

My Department funds a range of further and higher education and training courses and programmes which are open to the unemployed. All further education and training courses are delivered free of charge to welfare recipients.

The vocational training opportunities scheme, VTOS, is one of a range of full-time further education and training options available to adults who wish to return to education. VTOS is targeted at unemployed persons over 21 years of age. Its primary target groups are the longer-term unemployed, the low-skilled and the disadvantaged. It aims to give participants education opportunities that will develop and prepare them to progress to employment or on to further education opportunities leading to employment.

There are almost 6,000 places available under VTOS, some of which are provided by VECs through the post-leaving certificate, PLC, programme. To be eligible to participate in a course under VTOS, a person must be over 21 years of age and in receipt of a specified social protection payment for at least six months at the start of the course. Those eligibility criteria are specified to ensure that courses delivered under VTOS are targeted at the longer term unemployed. The criteria help ensure that the 6,000 places can be prioritised for people who are longer-term unemployed.

While VTOS is designed to target the longer-term unemployed, I can tell the Deputy that there is a range of other courses and programmes available that are open to all unemployed people. I mentioned PLC courses. Unemployed people who want to do a PLC course may be able to avail of the back to education allowance, BTEA, which is funded by the Department of Social Protection. If a person is more than three months unemployed, they can access the BTEA and in this way continue to receive income support while engaging in full-time further education. Alongside full-time further education, there are full-time training courses provided by FÁS.

In addition to these full-time options, there are a range of part-time further and higher education and training opportunities available. In the further education sector, these opportunities are delivered under the back to education initiative, BTEI. Attendance at BTEI courses generally does not affect a person's social protection entitlement as they are part-time and the person is still available for work.

With regard to the Deputy's suggestion, there are no plans to change the qualifying periods for VTOS payments. Buying days would be a matter for the Department of Social Protection and I understand that there are no proposals to allow those who are unemployed buy any days they might be short, in terms of the qualifying criteria for BTEA or any other programme.

I would encourage anyone who wishes to return to education or training or is considering their options to contact their local VEC or FÁS office or one of the new Intreo offices that are appearing throughout the country. The might contact their local higher education institution or check with their local welfare office, if they are in receipt of a welfare payment, and they will receive high quality advice and guidance as to the education options available to them and that they might pursue.

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