Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

At the beginning of this year the Department of Education and Skills was funding the provision of 148,500 Training places through FAS, Skillnets and the Labour Market Activation Fund, 168,000 Further Education places and 156,000 Higher Education places.

The additional places announced in May in the Jobs Initiative of which 15,900 will be provided by my Department brings total Training places available for the unemployed this year to 154,500. It also brings places which the unemployed may access in the Further Education sector to 172,000 and in the Higher Education sector to 161,900.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Programme for Government promised that an additional 15,000 places would be provided in training, education and work experience opportunities within the Government's first 100 days of taking office. In last month's Jobs Initiative the Government delivered an additional 20,900 training, education and work experience places.

The Department is responsible for 5,000 of these additional places through the National Internship Scheme. As the scheme will not be launched until next month there are currently no participants in place.

The balance of the additional places is in the education and training sectors and as such is a matter for the Department of Education and Skills.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department understands from FÁS that the following procedure applies to applications from individuals who are not registered as apprentices with FÁS for an exemption from a phase of apprenticeship training. A person wishing to apply for a training phase exemption from an apprenticeship programme must secure employment as an apprentice with a FÁS approved employer for the relevant trade and his or her employer must register the apprentice with FÁS within two weeks of taking the person into his employment as an apprentice

An apprentice may then apply for a phase exemption from their apprenticeship by submitting a portfolio of evidence which must include a comprehensive record of relevant employment experience, including names and addresses of employer(s) and a detailed breakdown of work based duties and responsibilities.

A technical expert will review the portfolio of evidence submitted, and where the technical expert has deemed that the apprentice has reached the trade standard for the relevant trade and phase, the apprentice is granted an exemption, and will be permitted to progress to the next Phase of their apprenticeship.

Where the application is deemed not to provide sufficient evidence in their portfolio to support the application for an exemption, the applicant will be formally assessed (tested) both practically and theoretically by a technical expert against the apprenticeship standards for the relevant trade. The assessment report from the technical expert will be reviewed by FÁS and the applicant will be advised if a phase exemption has been granted.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department has been in touch with FÁS about the case of the person in question. I understand from the information supplied by FÁS that, at present, this person is redundant. FÁS has also informed my Department that to date, the person's competency results for Phases 3 & 5 of his apprenticeship have not been submitted to FÁS by his previous employer. FÁS has advised that a FÁS Senior Training Adviser will be in contact with both the person and his previous employer regarding the outstanding competency results.

I understand that following the submission of his competency results and assuming those results are deemed satisfactory, this person's status will then become Phase 6W - waiting to be called to Phase 6.