Irish Travellers Movement

Further and Adult Education

Further and Adult Education

Further and adult education for Travellers is broad and diverse, in that it covers education provision for adult Travellers returning to education and young Travellers who have left formal, mainstream education. Under the Education Welfare Act (2000) all children are required to stay in school until the age of 16, and efforts need to be made to support and encourage Traveller children to access and stay in mainstream education. For those Traveller children who have become disillusioned with mainstream education, there are a number of options available to continue their education and training needs. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) census for 2002, almost two-thirds of Travellers (who indicated the age at which their full-time education ceased) left before the then statutory minimum age of 15 years compared with 15% for the population as a whole. Therefore, adult education provides a second-chance in education for many Travellers.

There is a wide range of further and adult education programmes available, depending on participants’ education and training needs, the details of some of these are listed below.

Traveller Organisations

Traveller organisations and other community development organisations have played an important role as providers of innovative Traveller-specific learning opportunities and in terms of outreach to the community. These initiatives cover a wide area of training and education, and central to many of these initiatives is a community development ethos.



Senior Traveller Training Centres (STTCs)

Senior Traveller Training Centres were established in 1974 to provide basic compensatory education for Travellers between the ages of 15 and 25, although the upper age limit has since been abolished. There are thirty-two centres throughout the country. At the end of 2004 there were 981 trainees enrolled in STTCs, and 81% of the trainees were women. However, for trainees under the age of 18, 25% are male. At the end of 2004, 25% of those enrolled were under 18 years of age. Almost 10% of trainees enrolled in STTCs are not Travellers.
The aim of the centres is to provide Travellers with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to successfully make the transition to work and adult life, and to participate fully in their communities.  The centres are funded by the Department of Education and Science and are operated by local VECs. The centres provide a number of courses, including literacy, numeracy, social / life skills, woodwork, metalwork and home economics, among many others, for Travellers who have left school after primary level or who may not have gone to school at all. The programme is delivered in a 44-week duration over two years and this training period can be extended if necessary to facilitate access to Leaving Cert. qualifications or equivalent. A training allowance is paid to participants, depending on their age and attendance, and childcare is often available.
For more information on the STTCs, visit their website at: www.sttc.ie/welcome.shtml


Youthreach

Youthreach is directed at unemployed young early school leavers aged 15-20. It offers participants the opportunity to identify and pursue viable options within adult life, and provides them with opportunities to acquire certification. It operates on a full-time, year-round basis. As of December 2004, of the 2,752 trainees in Youthreach, 326 were Travellers.
While Youthreach is a national programme, centres are locally managed, and programmes reflect the particular social, economic and cultural environment in which they operate. This local management is a pillar of the programme's design and operation. Although all Centres are alike, no two are the same.

Youthreach programmes are intended to facilitate young people in returning to learning and preparing for employment and adult life. Its general objectives are as follows:

Youthreach offers a flexible and dynamic programme of integrated general education, vocational training and work experience. Learners set personal and educational goals that increase their self-esteem, skill and knowledge base and employability. Essential course elements include Personal and Social Development, Vocational Skills and Communications Skills.
The Youthreach process involves:

For more details on Youthreach programmes, visit their website: www.youthreach.ie


FÁS

FÁS is Ireland's national training and employment authority which aims to promote a more competitive and inclusive knowledge-based economy, by enhancing the skills and capabilities of individuals and enterprises. Its functions include:


FÁS Training and Employment Authority is divided into 8 regions comprising 20 Training Centres and 62 Employment Offices. In 2002 about 90,500 unemployed job-seekers or other individuals completed FÁS programmes, and, at the end of the year, 48,300 persons were on FÁS programmes. In 2004 there were just over 400 Travellers registered with FÁS employment services. In addition there are 300 Travellers on LTIs, 120 on CTCs and 83 participated in CE. The FÁS website has more details of the programmes they offer, and can be accessed at: www.fas.ie


Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)

The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) is a range of courses designed to meet the education needs of unemployed people. It aims to give people who are unemployed the education and training opportunities which will develop their employability; to prepare people to get paid employment or to further opportunities leading to paid employment. VTOS is available for people who are 21 years or older and have been getting unemployment payments or signing for credits at least six months. There are also a limited number of places available to recipients of the Lone Parent Disability Allowances, and to dependent spouses of all categories of people eligible to join VTOS.

Courses are free, and those that are enrolled who are receiving an unemployment payment get a training allowance equivalent to the maximum standard rate of unemployment benefit. If a trainee is receiving One-Parent Family payment or Disability allowances, trainees receive a payment equivalent to the maximum rate of current social welfare payments. Payments continue in the normal way from the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs. Travel (for distances over 3 miles) and meal allowances are provided. Books and materials are free of charge and childcare support may also available. 

For more information on VTOS, visit their website at:
www.vtos.ie/main/index.php

For a list of VTOS centres in Ireland:
www.vtos.ie/main/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2


Adult Educational Guidance Initiative (AEGI)

The Adult Educational Guidance Initiative consists of twenty-four guidance projects throughout the country with the aim of providing a quality adult educational guidance service to participants in VTOS, literacy and other adult and community education programmes nationwide. The main focus of the AEGI is to connect adults with learning. The formation of the AEGI as an adult guidance and counseling service for adults came from the White Paper - Learning for Life (2000), which highlighted the need for such a support service.
A list of current AEGI projects can be accessed at: www.ncge.ie/adult_details.htm
For more information about AEGI, contact the National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE) at 01- 8690715 or email info@ncge.ie

The Department of Education and Science’s approach to Adult and Further Education are underpinned by two publications. They can be accessed in full below.

Learning for Life: White Paper on Adult Education

www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/fe_adulted_wp.pdf

Green Paper: Adult Education in an Era of Learning

www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/pc_fe_adulted_gp_1998.pdf

Qualifications given in further and adult education are awarded by the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC). Their website is www.fetac.ie

FETAC awards are based on the framework of national education and training awards outlined by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland. Their website is: www.nqai.ie/en


Current Concerns in Further and Adult Education

Travellers and Traveller organisations have two key concerns regarding further and adult education, namely:


Both concerns were raised in the Consultation with Traveller Parents and Learners (see ITM Publications section for full document). While there is a need to provide second-chance education for those when the education system has failed them, it should not have the (unintended) consequence of creating an incentive for early-school leaving. Mainstream education provision must adopt flexibility for those who feel disenchanted with education, such as the provision of Leaving Cert Applied and Leaving Cert Vocational Programme. Some training programmes are sought as they offer peer and family support and a space to confidently express one’s culture and identity. While this is very positive to have this setting, it puts an onus on mainstream education provision to accommodate diversity in post-primary education so that young Travellers can confidently express their culture and identity, rather than having to leave mainstream education to do so. The payment of allowances should not act as an enticement for young Travellers to leave mainstream education.

Similarly, Travellers and Traveller organisations have raised concerns about the poor outcomes or level of progression for Travellers attending further and adult education and training. Real outcomes need to be achieved for Travellers in further and adult education: qualifications, progression into further training and education and accessing employment.