John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the need to be responsive to changing skills needs, the extent to which the training and further education courses currently being considered as part of the SOLAS Implementation Group be demand led as opposed to supply led; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31198/12]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The role of the SOLAS Implementation Group is to manage the change process involved in establishing SOLAS within the context of a wider ambitious programme of reform of the training and further education sectors. As such it is considering the broad policy orientations required for the new agency and the sector in general. As part of this process a public consultation on the establishment of SOLAS involving key stakeholders was completed earlier this year.

Once SOLAS is established it will have strategic responsibility for the training programmes currently delivered by FÁS and the further education programmes currently delivered by VECs. The programmes will be integrated, flexible, value-for-money and responsive to the needs of learners and the requirements of enterprise. As part of this process, training and further education courses will be constantly reviewed to ensure that they are fully aligned to meet the skills needs of enterprise.

FÁS currently reviews the training provision for which it has a mandate. This review is facilitated by its own National Skills Database, the work of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, contact with the Department of Social Protection and direct contact with enterprise.