Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are over 2,000 places for upskilling in this area through a combination of full-time and evening programmes. Some of this is subsidised. If one is unemployed, these courses are provided free by the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Education and Skills. In other cases, there is a charge. A course is generally 25 weeks to 28 weeks long and costs usually between €250 to €300. This is generally paid for by the person themselves or by their employer. Skillnets, a combination of taxpayers’ and employers’ money, is where much of this training is provided. That is where the solution is. Maybe we can tailor the programme slightly differently to deal with this.

I accept companies are under pressure with these new regulations but there are other directives that affect other companies in other areas. We must constantly ensure educational provision caters for that and takes on board new directives. In some cases, the actual on-the-job training is not a solution the Department can provide.

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