2. Background
• Baptec was initially set up in 1998 to deal with
the gap in the digital divide in Blanchardstown
• It quickly grew from strength to strength and
in 2007 moved from Dillon house to it’s own
dedicated training centre with a capacity of 70
students
• The following years seen Baptec diverse into
new areas
3. Centre
No other training centre in Dublin 15 has had the same
impact or success as Baptec. We work closely with other
agencies and organisations to help alleviate disadvantage in
the area.
•Baptec offer a holistic approach to training and work with
each individual to promote social inclusion and progression
The focus of our training
– Literacy
– Confidence & Motivation
– Digital literacy
– Career Guidance
– English language
6. Challenges faced
2011
– Cuts to Funding for Social welfare participants
– Restrictions placed on CE training budgets
– Cuts to budgets of Community Organisations
2012
– January: review of CE training budget
– August: training budget halved
8. Future
In order for Baptec to continue as a viable
business a Restructuring of the business needs
to be put in place:
To include
- Downsizing the business
-Redundancies
(halving staff numbers)
-Reducing client numbers to max 200
Editor's Notes
Originally set up as an individual project by the Blanchardstown Area Partnership to provide ICT training to the most marginalised and disadvantaged living in Dublin 15, the huge success of the project has seen Baptec set up as a limited company in 1999. Baptec was initially funded under the FAS social economy scheme which helps projects to provide services to those living in disadvantaged areas but since 2006 has been funded under POBAL, through the Community Services Programme.
The company has grown from strength to strength and has seen many changes over the last 10 years. Initially only having a tiny office in Deanstown house in Blanchardstown village, Baptec moved alongside the Blanchardstown Area Partnership to Dillon house in Coolmine. It was here that Baptec began rapidly expanding with the use of two offices and two large training rooms. The computer equipment and office furniture was donated mainly by the Blanchardstown Area Partnership and I.B.M. With a staff of only three to begin with it wasn’t long before the workforce in Baptec expanded. By the end of the first year in Dillon house, Baptec had five people employed in the company. Baptec became an accredited training centre for Fetac, E. C.D.L. and Microsoft Office Specialist and J.E.B.. The huge success of the company and the enormous demand for training has seen Baptec move again to another even bigger, state of the art, purpose built training centre in the B.A.S.E. Enterprise Centre in Mulhuddart, boasting four fully equipped training rooms with a capacity of 70 people.
Training almost 5,000 in the last 12 years and issuing over 3,430 certificates with a success rate of over 96%. Working with a wide range of target groups such as long term unemployed, lone parents, asylum seekers, travellers, those with a disability, ex substance abusers, ex offenders and the elderly.
2011 Annual Income fell by 37%
2012 Annual Income fell by 43%
Client numbers remained the same
Overheads continued to rise
Baptec currently employs 8 permanent staff and 3 additional staff on a casual basis. Just as the number of employees and clients have expanded over the years so too have the number of courses
Cuts to TESG funding and mediators funds meant unemployed people had less money to spend on training
No longer could CE supervisor access additional funding for participants who applied for additional training
Previous projects that Baptec had collaborated on were shelved due to insufficient funding in the community
In response to these changes Baptec diversified into new emerging markets such as Social media training, workplace safety and Train the Trainer courses.
Baptec can no longer continue to provide certified training for CE participants or any of our target groups with this budget.
CE participant once made up a third of our numbers will no longer attend Baptec training courses
In a time when Blanchardstown (D15) needs support in the area of Education and Training the one and only centre that can offer this unique cohesive approach to working with the unemployed is under threat. Baptec are in the optimum position to support local organisations and agencies as the NESS project is rolled out in January 2013.
No other training centre in Dublin 15 has had the same impact or success as Baptec.
