Private training firm referred to gardaí, FÁS report states

A private contractor providing training schemes for scandal-hit employment agency FÁS has been referred to gardai for suspected fraud, it emerged tonight.

A private contractor providing training schemes for scandal-hit employment agency FÁS has been referred to gardaí for suspected fraud, it emerged tonight.

The organisation has also recommended that gardaí be called in to probe a training company involved in a separate FÁS-linked course.

A total of 230 students on courses in the north east have been waiting more than a year for their graduating certificates as a result of irregularities.

Although FÁS director general Paul O’Toole said around two-thirds will have their certificates in the next six weeks, he accepted the situation is inadequate.

“Notwithstanding the fact that we are resolving it, it is an unacceptably long time for those learners to wait,” Mr O’Toole said.

Concerns revealed last October about the quality of the training qualifications led to FÁS undertaking a review of 304 of its courses across the country.

The study found there were issues with compliance in around half of courses but the body claimed the majority of cases were minor and had little impact on the assessment process.

In 43 courses, or 14%, re-scoring of assessments, resits or retraining were deemed necessary, affecting 718 students. Of those, the results stood for 526.

But within the 43 courses there were three, relating to two training companies, that were found to have serious deficiencies involving the manipulation of results and inappropriate assistance to students.

In one of the cases pupils had to be retrained and forced to resit their exams, with FÁS having to pay out allowances totalling €15,222.10 in lieu of social welfare for the students.

The state-training body is trying to recover the costs from the contractor.

In the second and third instances the review found evidence of grade inflation. Both unidentified companies have been removed from the National Register of Trainers.

There were five cases outside the review where serious concerns were identified.

In a separate case not covered by the review, FÁS discovered that a contractor was not abiding by the rules for issuing certificates. The agency referred the issue to gardaí last March.

In another case, also outside the remit of the review, the agency recommended that gardaí be called in after false certificates were issued in a FÁS-linked course.

Mr O’Toole said the issues related to alleged fraud.

In another case, FÁS is trying to recover €121,776 from Dublin firm Ashfield over the manipulation of results, dating back to before the review began in October 2009.

However the state training agency said it is unlikely the money would be recouped as the company had gone into liquidation.

Fine Gael’s Education Spokesman Fergus O’Dowd branded the findings ridiculous.

“If you were doing the Leaving Cert, the idea that one in seven exams would have to be resat or regraded would be a scandal of massive proportions,” he said.

FÁS chairman Michael Dempsey said the agency’s board will meet tomorrow and discuss the revamp of the organisation in the wake of the scandals.

Mr Dempsey said the purpose is to refocus the agency.