Your questions answered by Brian Mooney.

I have worked in an administrative post in the financial services industry since leaving college with an arts degree in 1987. I am married with three schoolgoing children and my wife has recently returned to work having been out of the labour force for 10 years. I have had a growing sense of being in the wrong job for a number of years now, but cannot see any way out of my situation. I cannot afford to give up my current salary and return to full-time education, so I appear to be unable of making a major career change. Are there any adult guidance structures in place, to advise people in my situation?

Many people choose a career path in their late teens or early twenties, thinking it is a once-in-a-lifetime choice. As they mature, they come to realise that their interests, aptitudes and abilities lie elsewhere. However by this time their life circumstances can make it difficult a to change careers.

The Government is committed to maintaining competitive advantage through education and training, but has not yet put structures in place to facilitate people such as you, who may wish to retrain for a new career. It is still extremely hard for an individual to access the training and education required to "up-skill" while maintaining his or her financial commitments.

If you were seeking employment, you could approach placement services or employment agencies and present your current basket of skills. Given that you want to up-skill and change career direction, such services may be of limited value to you. You could seek the services of individuals offering private career guidance in the adult market. As there is no third-level, private-sector adult guidance qualification and the area is unregulated by government, I would, however, advise extreme caution.

In the public sector, FÁS, through its employment placement and training services, is strongly involved in providing guidance services to its primary client groups, namely adult job seekers, apprentices and people with disabilities.

Its guidance service is not restricted to these groups - any adult (other than asylum seekers) can book an interview with a FÁS careers advisor. Recent policy changes have meant the extension of services to individuals in your situation, who are seeking career development or progression opportunities, although the implementation details and practicalities of such an arrangement have yet to be worked out. So while FÁS guidance services are technically available to all adults, a more intensive guidance service engagement is reserved for those with greatest need.

Careers guidance in FÁS is under the remit of employment services, which comprises mainstream FÁS employment services available regionally and in major population centres and the Local Employment Service (LES), which is sharply focused on areas experiencing persistent unemployment. As such, the LES service is more intensive, personalised and remedial in nature. Thus mainstream employment service guidance staff are typically involved in providing short-term careers/jobs information and advice.

The Department of Education and Science also fund targeted adult guidance services, under the pilot Adult Guidance Initiative, which is administered by Vocational Education Committees at local level. Twenty-six adult guidance projects have been funded to date, which provide adult educational guidance to participants in VTOS, literacy education and community programmes including Youthreach.

The adult guidance service is restricted to those attached to such programmes, and as such would be of no benefit to someone in your situation. It is time that the Government put in place a public career guidance service to enable every individual to explore their career progression options.

Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish- times.ie