Staffing crisis crippling Education and Training Board

‘Enough is enough’ says outgoing CEO of Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB

Anton McNulty

The outgoing CEO of the Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education and Training Board says the organisation will come to a standstill if the staffing crisis at their centres is not addressed.
The country’s 16 ETBs were established to replace the 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs) in July 2013. Joe McDonagh, who yesterday retired after two years at the helm of the Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB, explained it is delivering programmes in its four centres with 35 fewer staff than another ETB of similar size.
“We are the worst hit of all the 16 ETBs in Ireland in terms of staffing, and enough is enough,” he told The Mayo News. “We inherited this [staffing crisis] when they merged the VECs and lost personnel through retirements and they were not replaced because of the moratorium. It was illogical to have a major transformation from the VECs to the ETBs and not have the necessary resources.”

‘Close to abuse’
Mr McDonagh said that despite the pressure on them, his staff had ‘stepped up to the plate’ in terms of delivering programmes, even it meant significant personal sacrifices.
“The staff have worked long hours and often weekends to keep the show on the road, but in terms of what is being asked of them, it is coming close to abuse of staff. Today [Monday] is my last day at work. The Secretary General called me, and I let him know of the seriousness of the situation going forward. I did not pull my punches,” he said.
The Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB was formed following the merger of the three counties’ respective VECs in 2013. The ETB also provides training courses previously provided by FÁS. Mr McDonagh was appointed its first CEO.
Mr McDonagh said the staff shortage would have an impact on the delivery of programmes in the future.
“Obviously it will mean the ETB will come to a standstill, and some programmes will not be provided for … This will cause consternation among learners. It will preclude the delivery of further courses at a time when the Government is telling us to train people for the economic recovery,” he said.

‘Musical chairs’
Mr McDonagh told the ETB board members about the staffing crisis at a meeting last week. Board member, Cllr Lisa Chambers has since called on An Taoiseach Enda Kenny to address the situation.
“Mr McDonagh said he owed it to the staff to do everything he could to address the staffing crisis, and was hopeful a resolution could be reached. The Taoiseach has to be aware of the problem, and if he is not then he should be,” explained the Fianna FΡil General Election candidate.
“He [Mr McDonagh] told board members that he has made it quite clear to the department precisely how serious the staffing issue is. Mr McDonagh remarked that they could not deal with any more internal staff movement, which is more like musical chairs, and that new staff needed to be recruited.
“In my view, he was looking to the elected members [on the board] for help in highlighting this issue. Mr McDonagh admitted that even though he may have felt three counties was too big [for one ETB], the project could still work well if properly resourced,” she said.