F┴S, the national training and employment authority, runs a staggering 567 courses at its training centres around the State. The courses are provided by day, in the evenings and online, and the categories cover everything from returning to work to computer studies, management, office skills, personal development, sales and marketing, desktop publishing, horticulture and legal-secretarial training.
The priority at F┴S is to provide training for those who are unemployed. But it also welcomes applications from those returning to the workforce after a break, EU citizens who have come to live here who require training, and all others who feel their employment prospects would be enhanced by improving their skills.
F┴S courses are open to all ages. Day-time courses are mainly skill-focused. For example, courses at the north Dublin training centre in Baldoyle would include computer programming and computer applications and office skills. These courses are of 36 and 26 weeks duration respectively. There is also a Teagasc-certified course in horticulture which is a 48 week programme. However, the next intake is not until September 2002.
F┴S-run night classes are a mix of specific skill building courses and courses with more of a leisure orientation. These courses are open to everyone and fees are payable. Evening classes happen all around the State. In the Athlone training centre, for example, you could enhance your job prospects by studying for the European Computer Driving Licence over a 14-week period (cost £275) or if your talents are more creative you could try interior design (eight weeks, £120) or stained glass (10 weeks, £120).
Those working in the retail sector who are worried about the arrival of the euro are being catered for with special euro changeover training. This is a three-hour course and programmes are running continuously at different F┴S centres up to early November. For more information about this particular course, e-mail telefas@fas.ie or telephone (01) 816 7441.
Probably the best way to get a fix on the many courses F┴S offers is to either pick up a brochure from your local F┴S office or to browse the organisation's website at http://www.fas.ie. The site is easy to negotiate and each course listed carries a description of its content, the duration and what's expected of potential students in terms of educational background.
