Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for clarifying that a new start date of 16 June has been set. There has been no problem with communication between the St. John Bosco centre and the CDETB regarding the co-ordination of the programme. Eighteen students were ready to go last Monday morning on the Horizon programme while 13 were ready to go on the LEAP programme. There is a slight problem with the CDETB referring students to the centre. Most of the participants went to the centre directly to sign up for the programmes. Can the Minister of State issue a communiqué to the CDETB co-ordinator to facilitate the centre in helping to educate these young, enthusiastic people who want to start the programmes?

Programme delivery has never been a problem. The centre has always delivered 70% of them through the co-ordinators and has brought in specialists to deliver maths and one or two other subjects that the co-ordinators do not have the specific skills to deliver. They do not, for example, have a maths degree and, therefore, they cannot deliver such a course. If teachers heard that a co-ordinator was delivering a maths course within the LTI they would be up in arms about it, because they are not qualified to do that. They do not have training, skills or degrees.

There is, therefore, no problem with the programmes or the co-ordination. Perhaps the Minister could intervene with the CDETB to co-ordinate with the centre to provide these services on 16 June.

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