The apprentices' sorcery

Standing on the mezzanine floor of the vast apprentice workshop at the FAS Training Centre in Finglas, Dublin, all you can hear is the tap of hammer on metal and wood and the whirring and grinding sounds of machines. The odd joke apart, the young apprentices, future carpenters, cabinetmakers and metal workers, are all engrossed in their work. The Finglas Training Centre takes care of phase 2 of apprenticeship training in motor mechanics, metal fabrication, sheet metal, electrical, carpentry and joinery, cabinet making and plumbing. There's a national shortage of craftspeople - particularly in the construction industry - and the drive is on to train more apprentices.

Just now, the bricklaying workshop at Finglas is being dismantled so that more space can be given to carpentry. "Other centres will concentrate on bricklaying," explains Gerry Speiran, assistant manager at the centre. "We're increasing our intake of carpenters and joiners, plumbers and electricians, and running extra courses.

"We expect to make available up to 160 extra places by the end of the year," Speiran says. "Because we roll over twice a year, this means that we'll turning out 320 additional apprentices, annually." This, he notes, will go a long way to dealing with the backlog. Back in the centre's main building, it's a case of quiet concentration all round, as students - mostly long-term unemployed - get down to the business of acquiring new skills.

Gerry O'Reilly, a draughtsman, has been out of work and is now back at the centre for retraining. "The days of the old drawing board are gone," he says. "You need CAD (computer-aided design) skills now." Computers are relatively new to him. He's found the going tough, he says, but he's learning fast and enjoying his course in computer-aided draughting and design. Elaine McGurrell left DIT with a degree in interior architecture, but found that she lacked the good CAD skills necessary for her to make out in the real world. "We're recommending the course to other graduates," she says. Course instructor Dermot Gilmore says students who have successfully completed the course have no problem finding jobs. "People are very keen," he says. "They know what they want before they come in. You don't have to motivate them."

"People come here from a range of backgrounds," adds Ciaran Lawless, instructor in supervisory management. "We get people who want to change directions, graduates, people who've been in business or are returning to work."

Finglas boasts the only interior design course on offer through FAS. It's a popular programme, with a waiting list of about 100. "We're looking for people with a real interest in interior design," explains course tutor Joe Florence. "It's not a try-it-and-see course. It's aimed at people who are really committed. We interview everyone on the waiting list." According to assistant manager John Dolan, up to 200 unemployed people come in to the centre every day for training. The majority are in the 18 to 22 age group. The range of programmes on offer include computer maintenance, computer and office skills, supervisory management, computer programming, interior design and book-keeping. Courses last between six and nine months. If courses fail to achieve a 70 per cent employment rate for two consecutive cycles, they're dropped, Dolan says. Most courses have City and Guilds certification.

The centre also runs a number of traineeship programmes, which are developed in co-operation with private companies. The aircraft fuel system technician programme is run in conjunction with Wood Group JTC, while the legal secretaries course is run in association with the Law Society. FAS courses are designed to give people practical skills and include a high proportion of project work. Last year, in response to the National Employment Action Plan, some 100 people were trained in forklift truck driving. "It was a particular demand of the long-term unemployed," Dolan observes.