FÁS Group Meeting

Yillan

Got a letter in the post asking me to attend a group FÁS thing where I'll be given information about employment opportunities and training scemes. What's it all about?

tenchi-fan

Yillan wrote: »

Got a letter in the post asking me to attend a group FÁS thing where I'll be given information about employment opportunities and training scemes. What's it all about?

It sounds like you were invited to a meeting by Fas where you'll be given information about employment opportunities and training scemes.


Honestly? You answered your own question!

Best of luck with it.

I've never heard of a group meeting, to be honest.

Last time I was near FAS they brought me into the office and spoke to me one to one about courses and such.

Yillan

No eureka moment on this end.

Will it be a long event? Have I anything to fear, like being forced into a work placement with no pay? Or maybe getting lumped into a training programme out in the sticks?

I've had the one-on-one already. A complete waste of time, but my application was processed within the week.

No one been to one then. Must be a new thing just for me.

Maybe it's a surprise birthday party 2 months late

Nolanger

Could be the National Employment Action Plan?

Nozebleed

they're gona fly you over to NY for an all expenses paid christmas shopping spree. lucky bastard!

Sephiroth_dude

When is it taking place?let us know how you get on?

Yillan

Yeah it's the National Employment Action Plan, but I don't know what that means for me when I go through the door tomorrow.

It's on tomorrow. I'm sure it's just a basic thing that I've just not described properly. I'll be sure to come back and tell you about it, if I haven't found immediate employment as a result.

Any update, Yillian?

Yillan

Keeping in mind that FÁS costs €1 billion a year to run, I can't say I was impressed.

Headed up for the group engagement session. 20 of us sitting facing a television screen with the words National Employment Action Plan written on it. A French girl begins to present what the NEAP is all about using power point displayed on the television screen. In short it's a plan to get people into training or work placement programmes. After a 15 minute presentation split between the French girl and another woman, we were each handed out a copy of our FÁS registration form which we had already filled out, but which since had been entered into a computer and become riddled with spelling errors. Instead of bar training, I now had barn training et al. We were also given a hard copy of the power point slides in case we needed to review them at home and most pertinently, an appointment for a one on one interview the following day. So they brought me in to tell me to come in again the following day. Not very helpful.

Next day I arrive in with my CV in hand and meet 5 FÁS employees standing around chatting. 6 people in the office and I'm the only one without a job. They turn to me as if wondering what I'm doing there. I say I'm there for the interview and I'm led into an interview roomwhere I'm asked the same questions as I was asked when I registered with FÁS. When my situation became apparent to them, even though it had not changed since registration day 5 weeks ago, they told me that they could do nothing for me. "We can't perform miracles". She told me to look at some training options online because they're free and I'm doing nothing else and I was out of there in less than 2 minutes.

Granted, I probably was not the target for the NEAP, I can't help feel the place is running about as efficiently as a frozen paint brush, for want of a better comparison

hawthorne

So it is the same waste as always.
All my FAS interviews went like that in the past. When I became unemployed for a while 8 years ago, a lady suggested that I should emigrate. She had nothing else to offer !
You are right- all the people you saw there being members of FAS have a job. A paid job. Money is given to them by the state. But as you- and I -was told, they cannot perform miracles.
It is a big farce altogether- but we have to play the game...