The authority, whose Irish language name translates as "the Labour Facilities Foundation", was the successor to An Chomhairle Oiliúna ("the training council", commonly referred to as AnCO), the National Manpower Service and the Youth Employment Agency.

The Irish word fás formed by the acronym means "growth", and the authority was created in 1980s Ireland during the long economic downturn of the time.

Brian Geoghegan (spouse of Mary Harney, then Minister for Health and Children) retired as Chairman of FÁS at the end of 2005 and was replaced by Peter McLoone.

[citation needed] In September 2008, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan announced that the Comptroller and Auditor General would undertake an investigation of FÁS expenditure in light of what she saw as the evident public disquiet on the issue.

[2] The documents obtained by Ross showed that some €643,000 had been spent over the course of four years on transatlantic travel promoting the agency's Science Challenge Programme.