Written answers

Wednesday, 14 January 2015

Department of Education and Skills

Education and Training Boards Establishment

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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858. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of former FÁS employees reassigned or employed to each education and training board; the global budgets assigned to each ETB for adult and further education and for training; the additional human resources and financial resources allocated to each ETB since the ETB sector assumed responsibility for training and for the former FÁS training centres; the resources she plans to allocate to those ETBs that currently do not have a training centre; the way in which and when it is proposed that these ETBs will have full statutory responsibility for their full SOLAS remit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1699/15]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Following the establishment of Education and Training Boards (ETBs) on 1 July 2013 and the establishment of SOLAS, to replace FÁS, on 27 October 2013, 7 SOLAS training centres and their staff transferred to 4 ETBs on 1 January 2014 and 12 SOLAS training centres transferred to a further 7 ETBs on 1 July 2014.

A total of 863 staff were transferred from SOLAS to the ETBs. The staff transferred per ETB is set out in the table.

ETBStaff Number
Dublin-Dún Laoghaire 168
Dublin City129
Waterford-Wexford 94
Cork91
Limerick-Clare91
Longford-Westmeath 67
Galway-Roscommon 55
Louth-Meath48
Mayo-Sligo-Leitrim44
Kerry40
Donegal36
Total863


Further Education and Training (FET) services are delivered in a number of different ways – within catchment areas of ETBs and, where specific workshop-type training is required, in dedicated Training Centres. During the transfer process and pending the finalisation of the transfer of training functions to the 5 ETBs which currently do not have training centres, SOLAS both directly funded activity and grant-aided the ETBs to ensure continuity to learners.

Global budgets assigned to each ETB area for Further Education & Training reflect the transition period and are set out in the tables.

Category 1 – ETBs managed the full FET budget over 2014
ETB€m
Dublin-Dún Laoghaire69 (Includes training delivered for Kildare-Wicklow area)
Dublin City86
Cork 52
Kerry25


Category 2 – ETBs managed the Further Education budget for the full year (2014) and Training Budget for 6 months (July – Dec 2014)
ETB€m
Waterford-Wexford60 (Includes Training delivered for Kilkenny-Carlow area, Tipperary Sth area and Kildare-Wicklow area)
Limerick-Clare50 (Includes Training delivered for Tipperary Nth area)
Longford-Westmeath41 (Includes Training delivered for Laois-Offaly area and Kildare-Wicklow area)
Galway-Roscommon33
Louth-Meath36 (Includes Training delivered for Cavan-Monaghan area)
Mayo-Sligo-Leitrim31
Donegal22


Category 3 – ETBs managed only the Further Education budget for 2014
ETB€m
Cavan-Monaghan7
Kildare-Wicklow17
Laois-Offaly8
Tipperary7
Kilkenny-Carlow7


In the ordinary course of business, my Department has sanctioned the filling of a number of critical vacancies in the sector. In addition, it has been examining the organisation design of ETBs in the context of their overall statutory remit and I expect that my officials will be in communication with ETBs in relation to this in the near future.

5 ETBs which did not have SOLAS training centres located in their geographic areas did not have training centre transferred to them. The 5 ETBs concerned are Kildare and Wicklow, Cavan and Monaghan, Tipperary, Kilkenny and Carlow, and Laois and Offaly. The delivery of that training is currently managed by the training centres which traditionally managed the provision of services in the areas that did not have training centres.

A target date of 1 July 2015 has been set for the allocation of funding and staffing to provide for the delivery of training to the 5 ETBs not receiving a training centre. A National Education and Training Boards Steering Committee, consisting of the 5 ETBs which do not have training centres and the 5 ETBs which provide training services on their behalf, has been established by the sector to facilitate the implementation of this next stage in the transition process. The next meeting of the Steering Committee has been scheduled for 16 January 2015. As part of this process, engagement is being facilitated between the ETBs concerned with a view to determining the resources which will transfer from the ETBs with training centres to the ETBs currently without training centres to enable the target date to be met.

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