Committee Reports > List of Committees > Dáil > 1990 > Committee of Public Accounts > Final Report - Appropriation Accounts 1988

APPENDIX 40

NOTE ON EXTERNAL TRAINING CONTRACTS SYSTEM OPERATED BY FÁS FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE

1. FÁS was established on 1 January, 1988 under the Labour Services Act, 1987 and has a Board of Directors and its accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

2. The background to external training is that it was introduced by the former AnCO in the late 1970’s to enable it to provide additional training opportunities over and above what could be provided in the training centres it operated. It also gave flexibility in the type of courses available and in the provision of occasional courses in areas where the locating of a permanent centre would not be justified.

3. External training contracts are awarded following a tendering process to private firms and consultants. They are also awarded to State agencies such as vocational education committees.

4. Following its establishment in 1988, FÁS has had its external training system reviewed by independent consultants who I understand found the system to be satisfactorily managed with adequate control mechanisms.

5. Following consideration of the Consultants report FÁS introduced an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) list comprising the names of approved trainers. This approval can be for a period of 1-3 years but the status may be withdrawn by FÁS at any time for good reason.

6. A Central Assessment Panel of FÁS Executives with a Board member as chairman and with assistance of an outside expert where necessary, assesses existing and new potential trainers for inclusion on the ATO list.

7. The monitoring, supervision, control and evaluation of External Training is carried out as follows:

(i)courses are monitored by a FÁS adviser every two weeks,

(ii)trainers complete an activity diary for each day and this is checked by the adviser when visiting the course,

(iii)the trainer submits a weekly training report to the adviser,

(iv)a course questionnaire is completed by each trainee during and at the end of the course,

(v)both the adviser and the trainer complete evaluation reports at end of course,

(vi)adverse evaluations are submitted to the Central Assessment Panel for consideration.

8. To avoid over-reliance by trainers on FÁS external training contracts no one trainer will be awarded contracts which utilise more than 70% of his training capacity. No one trainer can earn more than £300,000 in fees in any one year.

9. Gross expenditure on External Training in recent years was as follows:—

The other costs referred to would include accommodation costs, insurance etc.,

10. The placing of external training contracts is a day to day activity within the control of FÁS.