FAS course and €20 payment while partaking?

Hi
I was made redundant in Aug, 2011.

Being keen to reskill (I'm 46, I was over 27 yrs with the company I worked with) I applied for an IT course. It lasted six months. I got the pass and was keen to carry on with my studies and as such, I waited another 7 mths before the next course came up. I applied and was successful in gaining a place on the course. I was told by a friend that because I was over 12 months on social welfare (I'm still on JSB, 274 days) that there was a €20 payment for long term unemployed.

At the induction day yesterday I was told that I was not entitled to said payment because I hadn't reached 312 days on JSB. I explained to the FAS employee that I hadn't reached 312 days because of the six months I had spent on the other course. He informed me that FAS courses don't count and that he was only going on what the Welfare Officer had written on the form.

Surely he's talking out of his backside. I'm now 19 mths unemployed. I made this point, you know what, I might as well have been talking to the dog.

Is there any way I can get round this? I know it's only €20 but I think I'm being fobbed off.

He also said that future courses from now on will be offered to under 25s first. Finished at 46 ... Ha!

This is the information from the FÁS website and it appears to confirm what you were told at the induction meeting. You have not been on jobseeker's for a minimum of 12 months, and you were not on one of the other qualifying schemes (job initiative or community employment) prior to starting your current course.

A Training Bonus of €20.00 per week is payable to the following categories of people who were on, or commenced, a FÁS training course on or after 1 January 2011:-
- Persons in receipt of Jobseeker Benefit or Jobseeker Allowance for 12 months or more ; or
- Persons who progress to FÁS training having completed a minimum of 12 months on a Community Employment programme; or
- Persons who progress to FÁS training having completed a minimum of 12 months on the Job Initiative programme;
- Persons in receipt of Carer's Allowance for 12 months or more prior to participating on a FÁS training course (effective 1 January 2009).

Persons who have completed a minimum period of 12 months in a combination of the above categories (i.e. in receipt of Jobseeker Benefit/Allowance, on Community Employment or Job Initiative programmes) prior to progressing to a FÁS training course are eligible for the bonus.

From: http://www.fas.ie/en/Allowances+and+Grants/Training+Allowances/default.htm

Thanks for that..
Couple of points though

It seems the incentive to try and reskill after losing a job is a no no with fas unless your long term unemployed .

How can you be more than 12mths on jsb ?, i thought jsb only lasted 313 days..

The only incentive there is to just sit on your jaxy for over 12mths instead of doing the right thing .. Then again, this is the state agency who squanderd over €1billion in its hey day

Rant over