COMMUNITY EDUCATION services are being forced to turn away unemployed people because they cannot meet demand, the director of a Dublin community education centre has said.
Marie Mulvihill, director of D8CEC in the south inner city, said organisations around the country could not accommodate all those now contacting them seeking up- skilling and training opportunities.
At the centre's annual awards ceremony, where 90 people received awards from Lord Mayor Emer Costello, Ms Mulvihill said they were struggling to survive because of the increased demand and simultaneous reduction in funding.
Grants previously available through the local authority, vocational education committee and various Government departments had either been discontinued or seriously diminished, she said, while the numbers signing on the Live Register at the local office on Thomas Street had increased by 62 per cent in the last year.
"Because we have less funding options available to us than in previous years, we are unable to hire additional tutors to meet the demand."
She said the centre had waiting lists for almost every course on offer.
