Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills regarding the additional staff working in the Student Universal Support Ireland, if they received the necessary training, the type of training they are undergoing and the number of days or weeks of training they will receive and the location at which they are being trained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51692/12]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of additional staff that have been drafted in to deal with the debacle in the Student Universal Support Ireland grant processing section in the last two months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51695/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 77 together.

In total, there is now 96 staff working in Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), 33 of which are permanent and 63 of which are temporary. 20 of the 63 temporary seasonal staff were recruited in the last two months.

SUSI is also supported by 79 temporary staff working on document management and helpdesk support in the outsourced company engaged by SUSI to support the processing of student grants. This includes 40 additional resources since September. An additional 50 temporary staff have been approved on top of the 79 in the outsourced company. In addition, officials in my Department have been providing assistance to SUSI on an on-going basis.

Currently, all new staff in Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) must complete a one week induction training. This training covers all of the main policies and procedures required to successfully handle grant applications. This is usually covered over three separate days before they commence into "Grad Bay". This is where the staff will get hands on experience on the system. They will go through pre-assessment of applications and ensure that all policies and procedures are met. This is usually completed after 2 days. They are continually monitored and issues arising are resolved. Any repeat trends are then focused on and incorporated into any other training that is required.

From here, the new staff will commence working with their teams, where they will continue to be monitored and assessed. One-to-One training session takes place between the team leaders and the new staff to cover off any issues that have been encountered. There is an expectation of a week on week increase of the amount of applications being assessed, as well as a reduction in auditing issues.

Training folders equipped with lesson handouts and articles from the Student Grant Scheme 2012 are the means of knowledge transfer.

All existing staff are afforded the opportunity to complete any additional training that they may require. A training needs analysis was completed to find the main areas of required training, and training/information packs have been created to match this. There is a digital training folder that all staff have access to, which is continually updated and added to. There is input from all members of the team, to generate a sharing of knowledge and skills. This allows for day to day issues to be solved at first point. There is also additional audit analysis completed between the training team and quality control.

Training in the outsourced company is arranged in conjunction with SUSI and takes place on site in Cork where the duration and type of training depends on the function on which the staff are being trained for.