Sinn Féin Councillor Gary Doherty has called for increased cooperation between training bodies in Ireland and their counterparts in the UK and beyond.
Cllr Doherty says that the certificates awarded in Ireland by FETAC in conjunction with bodies such as Solas are not being recognised by employers in Britain.
Cllr Doherty said “I have been contacted by numerous people who are very concerned at the situation at present. These people are struggling to find work to feed their families. They are being forced to go to the UK to look for work in the construction industry which is still moving in parts of Britain.
“They are doing courses in Ireland to get the relevant certificates to work on site, however on attaining employment in the UK they are being told they don’t have the relevant accreditation to work and are being turned away. This is not acceptable.”
To work on a construction site in Ireland you must do a Construction Skills Certificate Scheme or CSCS which entitles you to a FETAC award, otherwise known as the ‘Safe Pass’.
Cllr Doherty says he has heard reports of men turning up for work in London, Liverpool and Aberdeen with the safe pass only to be told it is not recognised in the UK.
“I am also aware that other Irish certificates such as the MEWP or Mobile Elevated Work Platform certificate which allows work on cherry pickers and cranes etc. is not recognised by British employers.
“I am calling for Solas and the Education and Training Boards to liaise with their counterparts in the Construction Industry Training Board in the UK to overcome this problem. I see no reason why Irish certificates cannot be accepted in Britain so it boils down to a simple lack of communication. It is certainly unfair for people to pay for training courses in Ireland only to find their tickets aren’t worth the paper they are printed on in England.
He concluded “It is a big enough decision for these people to leave their families to go to work across the water, we cannot allow the situation to continue where they are then being turned away from work because we haven’t ensures that our qualifications are recognised outside Ireland.”
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