John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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211. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will put in place appropriate courses for the local community of north Kilkenny to assist persons to prepare for the employment potential at a nursing home and retail outlets currently under construction at Urlingford, County Kilkenny; if a resource centre (details supplied) will be approved for such courses by SOLAS; if the funding will be provided to SOLAS to provide the courses locally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11439/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Through the annual service planning process that takes place each year between SOLAS and each Education and Training Board (ETB), ETBs are primarily responsible for the identification and planning of provision to meet the identified needs of learners, enterprise and communities within their regions.

Since 2014, SOLAS and the ETBs work together to produce annual service plans that are informed by national policies and strategies and are grounded in an analysis of local skills demand and labour supply. In the context of this process, funding of the relevant resource centre is primarily a matter for Kilkenny Carlow ETB, currently completing its 2017 Funding Allocation Request to SOLAS. I have asked the Education and Training Board to follow up on this matter directly with the Deputy.