Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of courses available for redundant construction workers, excluding apprentices, being provided free of cost by FÁS; the number of places on these courses; the training centres at which they are taking place; the number of places that are envisaged for these courses in 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42279/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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FÁS currently offers three courses specifically aimed at redundant craft workers who have lost their jobs as a result of the downturn in the construction sector. These courses are all related to training in the field of sustainable energy and are at present available at FÁS centres in Dublin and Cork. Each course is for one week's duration and is designed to accommodate 12 students at a time. In addition to this, a new building energy rating assessor programme, also designed to target redundant construction craft workers, is being finalised at the FÁS training centre in Cabra and is due for roll out in December 2008. A number of other courses, currently in development, are due for roll out in 2009. As discussions involving budgetary allocations for each FÁS labour market programme are currently taking place it is not possible at this stage to give an accurate estimate on the number of training places envisaged for 2009.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her Department or agencies of her Department are offering upskilling courses by night for construction workers; if she will provide details of the courses; the number of places on each; if they will be available in 2009; if any will be introduced in 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42280/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's two main training providers with responsibility for the provision of training courses to upskill those in the work force are FÁS and Skillnets. FÁS training centres offer a wide range of evening class programmes for employed persons that allow them to enhance their skills and prepare for progression to higher level roles and occupations. A full list of course titles is appended below. While not all on that list would be of direct interest to construction workers, such workers are entitled to apply for all courses on that list.

As an immediate opportunity to upgrade their skills and certification levels for re-entry to the jobs markets, such courses will be expanded and offered free of charge to those who have recently been made redundant. An additional 16,000 such places will be made available in 2009. Each region will be allocated places in accordance with local demand. This demand will be identified by reference to the outcome of guidance interviews with redundant construction workers that are administered by the FÁS Employment Services at regional and local levels. There will be flexibility in capacity to vary the FÁS course schedule in accordance with demand for particular courses.

Skillnets for their part operate the Training Networks Programme and under this programme the Construction Industry Training Alliance (CITA) Skillnet and the Western Homebuilders Skillnet provide up-skilling courses for construction workers by night. In 2008, the CITA Skillnet is providing evening courses in ECDL and Building Energy Ratings to 96 participants, while the Western Homebuilders Skillnet has delivered evening courses to 123 participants in Accounting/Financial Skills and in technical processes for Building Energy Ratings, Renewable Energy Installation, and Access for the Disabled. As all Skillnets networks are currently revising training plans for next year, details for 2009 are not yet available. However, training programmes in 2009 are likely to be broadly similar to those provided in 2008.