Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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I was hoping the Minister for Education and Skills would be present because he visited the St. John Bosco Youth Centre on 27 May 2013 to attend an event marking the financial support provided by the SML Foundation. He recognised the staff in the centre and the valuable contribution made by the training initiatives run by the centre. The manager of the centre, Mr. Brian Murphy, is in the Visitors Gallery, with staff co-ordinators. The centre has been running training courses for the past 12 or 13 years and the co-ordinators are very competent. The training initiatives undertaken are of very good quality.

This year the centre experienced a difficulty with CDETB Ballyfermot in getting the go-ahead to run the two training programmes which were due to start on Monday, 26 May. I happened to be in the centre that morning and met some of the students who were there and wanted to begin the courses. There are 28 students ready to begin the Horizon programme who are waiting to sign their F103 forms. There are potentially 13 or 14 students ready to begin the Leap programme for 16 to 18 year olds. Nothing has been written down anywhere about how local training programmes should be run, but the centre has been told that there must be 18 students in each programme. Up to now, the guidelines have indicated that there should be 14 students for every two members of staff. The centre has been told it must deliver 100% of the training content, including in mathematics, in which the staff would not receive training.

Normally they bring in outside co-ordinators to deliver the maths courses and so on. They also say the centre is not allowed to accept young people aged 17, but for the past few years they have been targeting the 16 to 18 age cohort to do the LEAP programme.

There is a problem and nothing definite has been said by the CDETB co-ordinator in Ballyfermot. There is no proper communication line between the St. John Bosco centre and the Ballyfermot CDETB. The centre asked me and other public representatives from the area to bring this issue to the attention of the Minister for Education and Skills and to ask what is the problem and whether the guidelines have changed. If so, will he inform them in order that they can do what is necessary to bring the courses in line? If not, why there is a reluctance on the part of the Ballyfermot CDETB to provide the F103 forms and to sign students up to the programmes? I met the students, who are from Dolphin House in Dublin 8 and Drimnagh, and they are enthusiastic. They want to start the training course. It has a good reputation in the area for providing a high standard of education and training at FETAC level 4. They wanted to start last Monday but they have been blocked. Will the Minister of State clarify what is happening? Will he instruct Ballyfermot CDETB to ensure the programmes are up and running as soon as possible - that is, next Monday?

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, as it provides me with the opportunity to outline the position regarding the local training initiatives operated by the Bosco Youth Centre in Drimnagh.

The CDETB, which was established in July 2013, has responsibility for the planning and delivery of services previously delivered by the VECs and FÁS training centres. St. John Bosco youth centre, based in Drimnagh, Dublin 12, has been providing services to people in the community for more than 60 years. The centre is a community resource which provides pursuits, amenities, programmes and activities that seek to allow young people to develop personally, socially, educationally and recreationally in a high-quality, safe environment that respects its users. The centre has been receiving funding for training programmes for more than ten years through the former FÁS training centre in Ballyfermot.

The St. John Bosco centre currently has two local training initiatives, operating under the LEAP programme and the Horizon programme, with a total of 36 places available. The LEAP programme is a FETAC level 4 programme in information and communications technology. The course is 30 weeks in duration. It is a full-time course and is delivered using a co-ordinator and an assistant co­ordinator on-site in the premises on Davitt Road. The Horizon programme is also a FETAC level 4 major award in employment skills. This course is 30 weeks in duration. Recently, both programmes have experienced difficulties in attracting a sufficient number of eligible learners. The programmes were due to commence on 12 May. However, the start date was delayed by two weeks due to insufficient numbers of participants. I understand that a new start date of 16 June has been put in place to allow sufficient time to complete the recruitment process. In addition to the fact that there are currently insufficient numbers for these programmes, I also understand from CDETB that there are a number of other issues with programme delivery, which it is working with the St. John Bosco centre to address.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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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.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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It is not the role of the Minister to intervene in the internal relationship between the CDETB and the centre in Drimnagh. Under the legislation providing for the establishment of our ETBs, they are independent, autonomous entities with resources to deliver educational opportunities within their regions to the highest standard. The information I have is that the two programmes are insufficiently subscribed and that is the reason for deferring the start date to 16 June. That will give the centre the opportunity to recruit new eligible participants to the programmes.

There are issues with programme delivery which the CDETB is proactively working with the centre to address.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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That is not true.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I am hopeful that these issues can be overcome. I am also hopeful that sufficient participants can be found for the two programmes, allowing them to commence on 16 June.