SOLAS to replace FÁS as training agency

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Guest105

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Many will agree that this change is very welcome.


However the dampner for me comes with this quote

Members of the board of FÁS have been invited to serve out their time as members of the new SOLAS board.
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http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0727/solas.html

In light of the poor performance of FAS in the past, I am inclined to think that a new Board would have been more in tune with the changes.

Can somebody translate 'Seirbhísí Oideachais Leanunaigh Agus Scileanna' ?
 
What about all the current FAS staff? Will they be carried over to the new agency or some of them let go? There can't be enough current training to sustain the current level of staff can there?
 
Members of the board of FÁS have been invited to serve out their time as members of the new SOLAS board.
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An expensive exercise in stupidity & futility,it would be somewhat similar to bailing out Anglo at massive cost to the taxpayer and leaving Drumm,Fitzpatrick and chums on the board of directors.

Why bother.
 
Newbie! said:
What about all the current FAS staff? Will they be carried over to the new agency or some of them let go? There can't be enough current training to sustain the current level of staff can there?
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Under the terms of the Croke Park Agreement there can be no enforced redundancies.

The options for FAS employees are to move to Solas , redeployment & if applicable avail of a voluntary redundancy package.
 

They did appoint a new board to FAS about a year ago and sacked the existing board.
 
Reminds me of the name of a defunct light bulb product.

Hardly going to shed light on an old problem.

"Now you have to work for your dole" says Ruairí Quinn on last night's News, "and look, here's a shiny new place to pretend this is a positive thing!" Or words to that effect.

So we'll end up with a workforce working for dole rates + €50, or in the case of new "trainees" apparently its dole rates + €6, which wouldn't cover your transport unless you're "on yer bike" or jogging to work. "And so you should be young man - it'll help you get rid of your hangover from the night before and its hard to smoke fags on a bike!"

The right-wingers on this forum may see this as an improvement on the surface, because it may cut out the less experienced dole dodgers, but all it will do is make it harder for companies who pay wages and sole traders to compete.

And it doesn't tackle the problem of dole fraud head-on because let's face it, some of them might be in organized crime and start threatening politicians.

We've seen these "internships" and "work experience" employer scams making their appearance in the architectural profession.

[broken link removed]

Now the minister has institutionalized it, and all it will do is cut the bottom out of the labour market - again!

In an economy with jobs I'd see it increasing skills and getting useful qualification as positive, but there are FETAC LEVEL 8 professionals on the dole, fergoodnessakes!

So who benefits from re-training as lower and middle managers for dole + €50?
The employers, who then have a sea of over-qualified talent to pick from.
All hungry ot exercise their new found talents on unlucky employees.
We're becoming more right wing than the American Republicans!

ONQ.
 
onq said:
We're becoming more right wing than the American Republicans!

ONQ.
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If you want right wing, there is a story on the front page of the FT this morning where David Cameron's strategy director calls for the scrapping of job centres, maternity leave and consumer rights!
 
Whatever about this rebranding excersize, a major problem seems to be the provision of adequate training. Lots of anecdotal evidence of people getting offered courses they have no interest in. Why not make all courses payable by those taking them upon re-entry to the workforce, with Solas paying for the upfront costs? I'm sure the courses offered in this scenario would be a lot more relevant and the prices charged a lot lower.
 
The full text of the Minister's announcement is here.

http://www.education.ie/home/home.j...251&language=EN&link=link001&page=1&doc=54506

In fairness, it's a step in the right direction although much depends on the extent to which the plan for the new agency becomes a reality. There's reason to be hopeful at least.

It offers a new focus in that the emphasis will be on skills that are needed (as identified by the Expert Group on future Skills Needs) rather than those which FAS thought it was a good idea to provide. In the past, there has been a huge gulf between the two with the emphasis in FAS on spending its allocation rather than in achieving any particular training outcomes.

In the past also, there has been an emphasis in FAS on what might be regared as blue collar, manual based occupations (particulalrly construction). This persevered even when it was clear that these industries were in decline. This blinkered approach has to change and this offers the opportunity to do so.

If the new inititive does what it says, it will provide people with relevant skills that are linked to emerging job opportunities. The eventual integration of FAS staff into the VECs will also eliminate a duplication of services that exists at comunity level.

The proposed linkage between welfare provion and training is nothing new and is already applied succussfully in many countries. If done properly, it can provide skilled workers capable of responding to industry needs. While many of the current unemployed may be highly skilled or educated, this counts for nothing if their skills are effectively redundant. This offers them tithe possibility at least of acquiring skills in areas for which there is a demand. If earnestly provided and managed properly, it need not turn into ther mere provision of cheap labour.

Although changing the culture and mindset of an organisation as vast as FAS won't be an easy task and certainly won't happen quickly.
 
Lots of anecdotal evidence of people getting offered courses they have no interest in. Why not make all courses payable by those taking them upon re-entry to the workforce,
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Because some people are being forced to do useless irrelevant courses seemingly to make Fas figures look good .

As for evidence, In speak from personal experience. I have "only" been out of work since March and was asked to attend a Fas interview to discuss my options. I asked to be put on a waiting list for some courses I had some experience and interest in but was told I had to chose another course that was immediately available or it may affect my JSB. So now I am doing a PC based course in a subject I have little experience and practically no interest in. I cannot do the course I wanted to do because it starts before this one ends and a person cannot be on 2 courses at once, even though the one I wanted to do is evening based. Should I be expected to pay back this course I didn't want to do and frankly will do nothing to help my job prospects? I have researched the employment in the area and there is little demand.

I agree that anyone who simply refuses to do any kind of training and resists attempts to help them find work should be penalised and I would happily pay for a course that I wanted to do, was relevant to my experience and/or interests and that helped me find work but I do not think people should have to pay for courses they are being forced onto to make Fas figures look good.
 

Hi JP1234,

Apologies if I didn't make this clearer but this is exactly the opposite of what I propose. The public should be free to chose any course they wish from any approved provider they wish*. Solas would pay for the course upfront, you would then repay Solas upon re-entry to the work force. This way:


  • You are only going to take courses that you are interested in and are relevant.
  • The course providers would be much more aligned to the market conditions for the courses they provide
  • As the individual (rather than the state) would ultimately be paying for this course I would bet that the price of courses offered would be lower.

* approved provider list obtained from Solas - like the way the SEI insulation grants work via approved insulation providers
 
So FAS has a new name, and new stationary -just like the HSE and the health boards. Big deal. It will make absolutely no difference, just more talk. Same people, same agency.
 
No problem Firefly.

Your proposal is exactly how it should be and I hope with the gradual change of culture that may come, it should mean jobseekers are not being shunted onto courses for the sake of it.

I have no idea why my course is approved either, it doesn't seem to have any relevance to anything, is produced by an American body, and seems to be geared towards the USA way of doing thing.The actual presentation is mainly looking a stills of people mid conversation with some flat generic voices reciting information. On top of that I had to spend nearly €50.00 on a book from Amazon UK as it wasn't available anywhere in Ireland.

I am finding myself zoning out every 15 minutes or so and my coffee intake has increased dramatically
 
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Interesting idea.
 

Have heard plenty of similar stories including one person with knowledge of Visual Basic programming being sent on a excel course for beginners because it 'was on'. Another friend of mine was told to dumb down her CV because she was told she came across as a high achiever. God forbid! I actually don't know anyone who got a job through FAS. Most people I know that found themselves in that situation found employment by themselves.
 

They tried to put me on some Microsoft Office for Beginners course but I flatly refused.... I was told my CV was very "full" and I should scale it back.

The first course I asked to do I was told didn't exist, I had to go out into the main office and bring in the folder with the course details on to prove it did!

I don't know of a single person who has found work via FAS either and I told the person interviewing (sorry consulting with) me their advertised jobs were useless, she didn't exactly disagree!
 

Such a waste of money for the taxpayer. So demoralising for those looking for work.
 
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