It's time to close down FAS

[Blogger-In-Chief]

I am totally at a loss to see the benefit of FAS to this country other than as a gravy train for union and IBEC fat cats. The problem in this country as I see it is, that we have hundreds of thousands of people on the dole queue who we need to get back to work. These are mostly buliders and constructions workers as well as manufacturing workers generally.

These people need retraining, but not a 6 week or a 3 month FAS course. They need to be trained to a high degree in IT and other services. They need a 3rd level education, 3 or 4 years training, diplomas etc.

I don't think FAS can provide the right training for these workers. Give the unemployed money to pay for college courses and let them complete their leaving cert.

FAS has been around 20 or so years and they are failing to train workers which would attract FDI into this country.

[Catalpa]

You obviously don't remember ANCO so....

[Bobert]

Off course it is. See if anyone takes it on board though.

[CookieMonster]

You obviously don't remember ANCO so....

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wky5H1xC6-I]YouTube - Banana Phone[/ame]

[JumpedTheShark]

ah sure lads arent we working with NASA will yiz be off our backs

sure we saw tha space shuttle, jay its a mighty bus

[Catalpa]

It sure sounds like your heading that way

...bananas that is!

Stick to the Nuts.

[Bobert]

YouTube - Banana Phone

Surprisingly accurate...

[Big Bobo]

I am totally at a loss to see the benefit of FAS to this country other than as a gravy train for union and IBEC fat cats. The problem in this country as I see it is, that we have hundreds of thousands of people on the dole queue who we need to get back to work. These are mostly buliders and constructions workers as well as manufacturing workers generally.

These people need retraining, but not a 6 week or a 3 month FAS course. They need to be trained to a high degree in IT and other services. They need a 3rd level education, 3 or 4 years training, diplomas etc.

I don't think FAS can provide the right training for these workers. Give the unemployed money to pay for college courses and let them complete their leaving cert.

FAS has been around 20 or so years and they are failing to train workers which would attract FDI into this country.

So you believe our whole education system should be based around catering for the needs of multi-national corporations in the hope that they come here and exploit us? The line between education and training has become completely blurred in this country. Our schools and colleges should not merely behave as asembly lines whose function is to churn out workers to increase the profits of corporations. The role big business plays in our education system is already a disgrace whether it be dictating ciriculums or points for 3rd level courses.

[Blogger-In-Chief]

You obviously don't remember ANCO so....

Honestly, I barely remember ANCO...ANCO was right for its time, it taught the unemployed certain skills over several months courses...

But ANCO and FAS are not the model we require as a country now. They give people the basics and little more, I don't think the people trained by FAS and ANCO would be employable by multinationals. For example, most multinationals rely strongly on software and automation. They require 3rd level degrees and knowledge of programming languages. I don't think FAS trains workers in C, C++, JAVA, and even if they did, the multinationals want graduates. We should be looking to maximise our IT and Science graduates, even if when these are educated they have to emigrate, at least we are providing them with a chance to make something of their lives. A lot of Science graduates emigrated in the 80s and made good lives abroad. We need to encourage a knowledge economy and FAS doesn't contribute much to that.

The general perception of FAS which has been encouraged in the last few weeks is of guys playing cards in sheds down the country and occasionally doing meaningless tasks such as tending the streets and public flower gardens, while their supervisor, usually a political hack takes a big wage for doing little.

[Blogger-In-Chief]

So you believe our whole education system should be based around catering for the needs of multi-national corporations in the hope that they come here and exploit us? The line between education and training has become completely blurred in this country. Our schools and colleges should not merely behave as asembly lines whose function is to churn out workers to increase the profits of corporations. The role big business plays in our education system is already a disgrace whether it be dictating ciriculums or points for 3rd level courses.

Multinationals employ hundreds of thousands of well educated highly motivated people and the multinational gives them a situation in which they can be very productive members of society.

I dont know if you have noticed but multinationals are the backbone of the Irish economy.

Would you rather we were all builders etc? There is only room for so many houses in this country and you can't export houses, and we have feck all capital in this country to set up factories to produce anything.