Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 85: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the detail of the 51,000 new FÁS courses that have been announced by her; the type of courses that will be offered and their duration; if people taking these courses will be taken off the live register while they are on these courses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5473/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I recently announced the availability of 51,000 new training places under the FÁS Training Initiatives Strategy. These places are in addition to the 27,000 previously planned for 2009 under the Bridging Foundation Training, Specific Skills Training and Traineeships Programmes. These programmes will provide short training courses for those who are recently unemployed.

The Training Initiative Strategy enhances the traditional mix of course offerings and will be delivered through three core-training initiatives, Short Courses, Night Courses and Online Courses. The courses are for highly employable persons who wish to add to their existing skills level and improve their prospects of re-entering the labour market. The night courses offer further flexibility and the online courses provide an excellent option for those who need a fast flexible intervention and who prefer a self directed E learning and blended learning environment.

Maintenance of the Live Register is a responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs.