Limits on number of committee personnel

STAFFING limits have been imposed on Vocational Educational Committees (VEC) as they prepare to expand their role beyond their work in schools and further education colleges, adult education and Youthreach programmes.

Teacher numbers in vocational schools and community colleges will continue to rise whenever student numbers increase from current enrolments of more than 78,000. However, it has been suggested that the Government may limit such increases by altering pupil teacher ratios and increasing class sizes in September 2012.

From next year, VECs will also take over the handling of all third level grants. They are also taking responsibility for most courses run by FÁS under the further education and training agency SOLAS, announced by Education Minister Ruairí Quinn last week.

The body representing the VECs, the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), believes employment controls and the public service recruitment moratorium are having a disproportionate effect on its schools.

“Caretakers and secretaries are treated as public servants and the moratorium means they can not be replaced, but voluntary secondary schools get a grant to pay these staff. This makes it more difficult for VEC schools to function administratively,” said IVEA general secretary Michael Moriarty.

Most non-teaching staff in larger VECs are in the respective head offices but, in some cases, most might be school support staff such as caretakers and secretaries. The staff reduction targets also cover those responsible for education and training programmes, such as Youthreach centre coordinators or adult education organisers (AEOs), a position that remains vacant in some VECs.

“It’s a ridiculous situation, treating AEOs as a non-teaching position even though they are running important courses. It’s like saying you can have a school operate without a principal,” said Mr Moriarty.

The amalgamation of VECs will also mean some of their chief executives will have to be redeployed. The 33 VECs are overseen by 22 permanent chief executives, while 11 people acting in the position will return to jobs as education officers or school principals after legislation to establish the 16 new bodies is passed, probably in the first half of next year.

Under a system being negotiated with their union, SIPTU, the permanent chief executives will be asked which of the new VECs they would prefer to head up, with first choices being offered to those serving longest.