Support for low-skilled students under threat

SUPPORT services for schools, colleges and education centres working with low-skilled students could come under pressure as Vocational Education Committees (VECs) have been told to cut non-teaching staff by up to 10% by the end of 2012.

The rationalisation of personnel in the 33 city and county VECs could be a pre-emptive measure before the expected announcement that as many one-third of them are to be axed and amalgamated with neighbouring services. As well as more than 250 vocational schools and community colleges, VECs run further education colleges, adult literacy services, Youthreach programmes for early school leavers and other localised education supports.

But they have been instructed this week that the number of non-teaching staff must be 8% to 10% lower by the end of 2012 than in March 2009, equivalent to around 2.7% reductions per year. While most of this could be achieved by the non-replacement of retiring staff, a policy already enforced on VECs by the recruitment ban across the public service, the move may mean about 150 jobs being lost for good in the period concerned. “This is something like the employment control framework already in place at third-level colleges, but at least schools are guaranteed that they will not lose any teaching staff,” said Michael Moriarty, general secretary of the VECs umbrella body, the Irish Vocational Association (IVEA).