Night classes fail to see light of day
CUTBACKS AT WEXFORD VEC TO BLAME
Wednesday September 01 2010
WEXFORD town will once again be left without night classes by the county's Vocational Education Committee ( VEC) this year due to the organisation's inability to appoint a Director of Adult Education.
Despite the fact that a wide range of night classes will commence at Vocational Colleges in Adamstown, Bridgetown, Bunclody, Enniscorthy, Kilmuckridge and New Ross this autumn, the county's main town and largest population centre by some distance will once again be left without any.
'Enrolments for Wexford Vocational College night classes will not take place this term due to the non-filling of a vacant post ( Director of Adult Education, Wexford Vocational College),' a notice states on the County Wexford VEC website.
'County Wexford VEC apologises for any inconvenience to members of the public and regrets that this decision had to be taken,' it concludes.
This will be the second year running that the people of Wexford town and its environs have been left without night classes by the VEC due to cost-cutting measures.
Classes at the school attracted around 1,000 adult learners in 2008/09, but were cancelled completely at what was due to be the start of the new term in autumn 2009 as the post of Director of Adult Education – who co-ordinates the classes – was not filled by County Wexford VEC.
The post had been held by a long-serving teacher at Wexford Vocational College, who retired at the end of the 2008/09 school year. It's understood that the public sector recruitment embargo means the post cannot now be filled by anyone else.
' It's a scandalous situation, there were a lot of people availing of those classes,' said Cllr Anthony Kelly.
'In the present economic climate, with so many people out of work, you'd think they'd actually be making those classes more available to the public,' said the Wexford Borough Councillor.
'I'd imagine there would be lots of people in Wexford more than willing to avail of those classes right now,' said Cllr Kelly, pointing out that some were geared specifically towards helping people get a job.
The subjects on offer before the classes were cancelled included guitar, calligraphy, Spanish, interior design, computers, belly dancing, woodwork, photography, oil and acrylics, equine care, Italian, digital photography, interviews and CV skills, and an introduction to life coaching.
- CONOR CULLEN
