Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 123: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the efforts which are being made to ensure the wider roll-out of work based learning initiatives; and if she plans to address the need for a coherent strategy in the area. [25809/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is strongly committed to improving participation and achievement at every level of education.

For those in the workforce who want to improve their literacy levels, there are workplace literacy schemes in operation around the country. The National Adult Literacy Agency has trained a number of tutors to provide literacy in the workplace and has promoted the availability of this facility among employer organisations. A literacy tuition scheme called the Return to Learning Scheme is now available for local authority outdoor staff nationwide who want to avail themselves of literacy tuition. Some numeracy tuition is provided as part of the scheme. Over 1,200 workers have attended the scheme in the first four years, 2001-2004, that it has been on offer. This scheme will continue in the foreseeable future.

There are also successful workplace literacy programmes in two hospitals and in a trade union. Under the FÁS/VEC Return to Education Scheme, participants on the Community Employment Scheme operated by FÁS can be released half-time from their work experience programmes to avail themselves of intensive literacy tuition provided by the Vocational Education Committees. This arrangement enables them to combine work experience and 10 hours per week literacy tuition.

In 2005, and again in 2006, FÁS has been allocated €2million for workplace literacy by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment (DETE). In addition, FÁS allocations for in-company training have increased from less than €9m in 2004 to more than €33m in 2005 and 2006. The DETE has also increased the allocations provided to Skillnets.

There is regular contact and co-ordination between my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with regard to work-based learning initiatives, the identification of skills needs and the formulation of appropriate responses to these needs.

Workplace learning initiatives formed part of the negotiations between the social partners in drawing up the draft social partnership agreement "Towards 2016".

The Government and partners are agreed on the need for a concerted effort to increase the levels of workplace learning and upskilling, building on progress already achieved in order to sustain and improve employability and competitiveness into the future. The draft refers to the need to review the workplace learning and upskilling programmes, in particular the options available and the availability of workplace learning and upskilling to lower skilled and vulnerable workers.

The Government and partners will work with existing and future partnership initiatives with a view to progressing workplace learning and upskilling projects. The allocation for the Workplace Basic Education Fund, aimed at increasing numeracy and literacy skills in the workplace, will be increased.

The draft states that a targeted fund will be put in place to alleviate the fees in public institutions for part-time courses at third level for those at work who have not previously pursued a third-level qualification.