Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 41: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if it is the position that there is 100% funding available from FÁS for courses ran by companies (details supplied) which would enable persons to enhance their skills and further provide opportunities for persons on jobseeker's allowance, and who are registered to progress to employment; if this funding is available from some FÁS offices while not available from others; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4450/10]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

FÁS employment services division, through its network of offices, provides vocational guidance and support to individual clients who are seeking to re-enter employment or avail of training. To facilitate this process FÁS employment services can fund certain training requirements through a FÁS technical employment support grant. The technical employment support grant has been designed to provide FÁS employment services officers with a tool to implement a range of responses within the context of a client's agreed career action plan. The aim of the technical employment support grant is to meet the training needs of the client, where these cannot be met by FÁS directly or any other state provider, within a reasonable timeframe or at a location convenient to the jobseeker. In relation to the two training programmes highlighted by the Deputy, support could be made available if they were identified in the context of the guidance process and the client's agreed career action plan. FÁS has recently reviewed the guidelines, which underpin the technical employment support grant, with the aim of ensuring a consistency of application and it should now be available from all FÁS employment services offices. The amount available under the technical employment support grant for training interventions is €950. In exceptional circumstances, when jobseekers are experiencing extreme employability barriers, an upper limit of €2,500 may apply. In 2009 in excess of 12,000 clients received support from FÁS through the technical employment support grant scheme.