Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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163. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding training for staff (details supplied) in the restaurant and bar sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36152/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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SOLAS, with the input of the ESRI undertook a comprehensive consultation process with a range of key stakeholders inside and outside of the FET sector as part of the development of a five year strategy for the FET Sector. This important strategy has now been completed and gives a road-map for the ongoing development of the FET sector over the next five years.

The FET Strategy contains a core objective that the planning and provision of FET is clearly informed by the needs of industry. SOLAS will examine the availability of genuine job opportunities in the restaurant, tourism and hospitality sectors and review training provision in that context in conjunction with the ETBs.

SOLAS have noted that in 2014 Department of Social Protection registered Job Seekers listed as chefs number 1633 (as of August 2014) and the advertised number of vacancies for chefs, January to August, total some 2307.

Fáilte Ireland on behalf of the Irish Hotel Federation and the Irish Restaurant Association is exploring the possibility with SOLAS of converting the Fáilte Ireland Level 6 Professional Cookery Traineeship programme into a formal Level 6 apprenticeship programme. This will be considered in the overall context of implementing the recommendations of the recent review of apprenticeship.

In addition, Momentum is funding 1,380 places in the Tourism (Accommodation, Food and Beverage) Sector for the 2014 round of funding. These projects will be run nationally and focus on various skills in the sector including front of house, culinary, restaurant and food and drink retail skills training. 72 places will be funded by Momentum and delivered by Kerry ETB in Professional Cookery - Front of House.

The Expert Group on Future Skill Needs will shortly be conducting a study to assess the future skills requirements of the Hospitality Sector in Ireland up to 2020. The study will cover skill needs including skill gaps across occupations in hotels, restaurants, bars, canteens and catering. The study will also identify gaps in current provision and the magnitude and type of provision required to address same. The study will also assess the demand (and gaps) for the relevant occupations arising across other sectors such as culinary skills. The study will enable SOLAS, ETBs and the FET sector more generally to widen its evidence base to inform the most appropriate type and scale of provision to be funded/provided to meet appropriate Hospitality Sector skill needs up to 2020.

While Skillnets has no dedicated sectoral network operating in the restaurant & hospitality sector since 2010, a significant majority of Skillnets networks are mixed-sectoral, and many of whom count hospitality businesses among their membership, mostly hotels & restaurants.

Skillnets are currently planning the early stages of a New Open Call for Proposals in 2015 . As in previous New Open Calls, this process will involve contact with all previous applicants and the identification of sectoral gaps such as in the hospitality sector to identify key stakeholders and advise them of funding opportunities