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  • Service Plan for FÁS Training Provision 2012
  • FÁS has been requested by the Department of Education and Skills to provide training for 81,500 unemployed persons in 2012 in addition to organising and controlling the FÁS Apprenticeship Programme and initiating and managing a new Labour Market Education and Training Fund.

  • March 2012
  • Expert Group Highlights Jobs Market Opportunities
  • The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs today (28th February, 2012) published its second “Vacancy Overview” report, which outlines the areas where job vacancies arose during 2011. The report shows that the trend in demand continues to be for those with work experience, third level qualifications and/or foreign language skills. The report also highlights vacancies in occupations that are proving difficult to fill with suitably qualified and/or experienced staff, which includes ICT professionals, financial experts, engineering experts and healthcare professionals.
  • February, 2012
  • Minister Quinn congratulates WorldSkills Winners
  • The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD congratulated the Irish Competitors on their success at the WorldSkills Competition in London. The 11-strong Irish team won three Gold Medals and five Medallions of Excellence. 

    The WorldSkills competition recognises excellence in traditional apprenticeship skills and also high-technology skills such as electronics and service skill areas like cooking and beauty therapy. 
  • October, 2011
  • Minister Burton publishes plan for development & implementation of a new National Employment and Entitlements Service (NEES)
  • The Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton T.D. today (3rd August, 2011) published the plan for the development and implementation of a new National Employment and Entitlements Service (NEES), as provided for in the Programme for Government. The objective is to integrate the provision of employment services and benefit payment services within the Department and in so doing to ensure that the payment of income supports to people who do not have a job is directly linked to the equally, if not more important, task of supporting people in their pursuit of employment and related opportunities and improving their life chances.
  • August, 2011
  • Expert Group Publishes Monitoring Ireland's Skills Supply Report
  • The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) today published its annual report on the supply of skills to the Irish labour market. The report, 'Monitoring Ireland's Skills Supply: Trends in Education and Training Outputs', examines the numbers of students entering and leaving the education/training system in Ireland and reports on:
     The demographic profile of the school age population
     Junior and leaving cert trends
     Further education and training awards
     Higher education trends
     Where graduates go
     Adult lifelong learning participants.
  • August, 2011
  • Expert Skills Group Publishes Update on Employment Trends and Demand for Skills
  • The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) today published the 2011 update of the National Skills Bulletin, its annual review of employment trends and demand for skills in Ireland.  This year’s Bulletin shows that the rate of deterioration in the labour market during 2010 was slower than in 2009. Despite the decline in employment and diminished job opportunities in most segments of the Irish labour market, vacancies, and in several areas skill shortages, continue to exist.
  • July, 2011
  • EMPLOYMENT & ADVICE FAIR (Europe and Ireland)
    Event Held: 19th & 20th May 2011 - County Library, Library Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24
  • The International Employment Services Unit of FÁS, together with FÁS Dublin Region (South) is working in association with the South Dublin County Council to organise a Regional/National and European Employment and Advice Fair. The event will take place in the County Library, Tallaght and will be open on Thursday 19th May from 2.00pm until 7.00pm, and Friday 20th May from 10.00am until 4.00pm. The event will be attended by local Employers, Employers and Public Employment Services from Europe and locally based Employment Advice Agencies.
  • May 2011
  • Third level qualifications coupled with work experience and foreign language skills in demand by employers

    New EGFSN report finds some job vacancies continue to arise despite recession
  • Amid a challenging labour market and continuing high unemployment, the first annual 'Vacancy Overview' Report from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) has found that despite the recession and high unemployment levels, some job vacancies continued to arise in 2010, providing positive news for job seekers in Ireland. Although the number of newly advertised vacancies is significantly lower than at the peak in 2007, vacancies continue to arise. Demand is mostly limited to experienced candidates. Where job vacancies arise, jobseekers with third level qualifications coupled with work experience and foreign language skills were more likely to be in demand by employers. This underlines the need for jobseekers to engage in upskilling and for the education and training system to continually align with the skills needs of enterprise.
  • March, 2011
  • FÁS Introduces New Measures following Review of Contracted Training Provision
  • FÁS today (Monday, 4th October, 2010) announced a range of new measures to ensure the highest standards of training assessment and examinations for its learners. These include new contracted training procedures, new contractual arrangements and a new system upgrading training standards with an emphasis on more regular and robust monitoring. The new measures will be introduced on a cost neutral basis. These improvements in services follow a review of contracted training sought by FÁS’ Director General, Paul O’Toole as a result of issues over certification for a number of trainees in the North East Region last year. Speaking on the reasons for the review, FÁS Director General, Paul O’Toole said ‘this review was necessary as we are determined to ensure that our external trainers are working to the highest possible standards’.
  • October, 2010
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