Overseas volunteer agency ends placement

After nearly three decades of posting Irish volunteers to work in the developing world the state’s Agency for Personal Service Overseas has announced it is ending such placements.

Trouble in recruiting experienced staff and the availability of skilled local workers are responsible for the decision to scrap the existing system of two-year assignments.

APSO chief executive Paul Beggan said, announcing the decision after a year-long review: ‘‘The needs of the developing world have been changing in recent years and we are trying to respond to that.

‘‘The developing countries in which we work are creating their own human resources, are bringing their own people in.

‘‘We are recognising that what we have had to offer is becoming outdated, our mandate has become outdated. We need to change.’’

APSO is an Irish government body established in 1974 to promote ‘‘the sharing of skills and the building of local capacity in developing countries’’.

But Mr Beggan said: ‘‘The recruitment situation in Ireland it has become increasingly difficult for us.

‘‘We are looking for more experienced, more skilled people. We are honestly struggling with that in recent years.

‘‘We have come to the conclusion that it is time to make the fundamental change.’’

Perhaps a result of Ireland’s low unemployment rate currently at a 20-year low at 3.7% the number of direct APSO placements fell from 620 in 1998 to 461 in 1999.

In contrast the UK’s Voluntary Service Overseas saw a 61% jump in applications from business and management professionals in the six months to February 2000.

In the future APSO will co-fund long-term assignments with other organisations such placements rose from 641 in 1998 to 684 in 1999.

Mr Beggan said: ‘‘The decision about winding down our direct programme overseas has been taken very carefully after a lot of consultation with people overseas and in Ireland. The result is that a number of offices will close.’’

He said APSO’s future mandate was to be decided by Ireland Aid Review Committee, adding: ‘‘APSO will continue to support the NGO non-governmental organisation community in Ireland, the international NGO community and the emerging NGOs within the developing countries themselves.’’