F┴S is expected to adopt the provision of services for employers and workers as a key strategy, according to a document published today. Long focused on the unemployed, the State authority is expected to place greater emphasis on "upskilling" the existing workforce and on the development of standards-based apprenticeship programmes.

The strategy will be presented by the F┴S chairman Mr Brian Geoghegan, who is a director of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC). His appointment last year was seen as an indication that the focus of the organisation was changing.

The authority, whose budget this year was in excess of £640 million (€812.6 million), will continue to provide services for the unemployed. F┴S is understood to accept that the economic slowdown will continue. The provision of services to enable redundant workers to find new jobs will therefore be crucial to the strategy.

A focus in the current environment will be prevention of long-term unemployment through retraining, and the F┴S employment service. Before the downturn began, the authority signalled that lower unemployment meant it would have to adopt to the changed economic environment. The move to focus on employers and workers follows an extensive internal review.

Papers seen by The Irish Times suggest that the following "priority issues" were identified in that review: products, services, human resources, communications, corporate identity, technology and quality. The documents also stated that the development of a plan for "greater involvement in training of the employed" was a priority.

One briefing document said: "The availability of high-tech skills and an adequate labour supply pool, as well as continuously upskilling Irish workers, will be key challenges for F┴S.

"Encouraging women and older workers (over 55s) to return and/or remain in the workforce will need to be worked on, as well as the drive to attract more people with the right skills to work in Ireland. As a result, we also need to recognise that we are fast becoming a multi-cultural society - and all the challenges this brings." It added: "F┴S will need to maintain even closer links with employers, to help them meet all of these needs."

The paper said there were very few female apprentices, and that early school leavers and the long-term unemployed made up only small proportions of trainees. "Long-term unemployed are much more likely to be on employment programmes."

Citing an Economic and Social Research Institute study, the paper said foundation and community training programmes had "no positive impact" on job chances. It said the case for such programmes "must be based on either their benefits in leading to progression for the participants, or to the economic/social benefits of the projects they support".