Following an extensive engagement between Fórsa and the Department of Education an agreement has been reached on the transfer of all School Completion Programme (SCP) staff to direct employment within the Education and Training Boards. 

The agreement recognises the need to provide a secure future for the school completion programmes and the 500 staff employed to provide vital services for school students.

Currently most of the school completion programmes are funded through TUSLA with local management committees responsible for employing staff and managing administration. The need to provide a more secure and stable future for the SCPs has been consistently highlighted by Fórsa since 2015. 

In the new agreement the Department of Education recognises that the current structure is no longer fit for purpose and states that the preferred model for the future of the school completion programmes is the transfer to direct employment within the ETB sector. 

Work will now commence on a feasibility study to identify the costs associated with the transfer, with a view to securing the necessary funding in the 2026 Budget. 

Fórsa’s head of Education Andy Pike welcomed the new agreement, saying: “It will provide the necessary certainty and security for the SCP service and for the staff who work tirelessly to improve opportunities for vulnerable students within our schools.”

Andy underlined that “For far too long the school completion programme has been cut adrift without a viable home within the mainstream public service. Transfer to the ETB sector will provide a safe and secure structure for the future. Whilst the agreement does not confer public service status for those SCP staff employed on local contracts, it does take us a step closer to that objective and secures the entitlements of the minority of SCP staff who are existing public servants.” 

Andy concluded: “Work will continue to align terms and conditions of employment for Fórsa members working within the school completion programme. I wish to express sincere thanks to the SCP Branch for their active engagement in this process.”

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