Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegates and apologise for missing the start of the meeting. We had the Minister for Education and Skills in the Seanad and I did not want to miss the opportunity to ask her questions.

I very much liked Mr. Cassells's summary of the issues, particularly his outlining of four areas on which we should focus into the future. As other speakers noted, we have heard some of this before, but it is important to build on prior knowledge.

Regarding the apprenticeship model, I welcome the establishment by the Minister of a committee to examine the issue. Everybody does not learn in the same way and there are very high attrition rates in first year at higher level, especially in the first term. As I understand it, we are losing up to 30% of students from some courses, made up of 19% in institutes of technology and 11% in universities. The word "apprenticeship" is anathema to some in the universities. It seems to be a repulsive concept, with the attitude being that it is not for them. In other countries, by contrast, PhDs are being offered at apprenticeship level. When will we see that happen here? We must have an education system that is for everybody, not just those who have an aptitude for academic learning. We must open our minds in this regard. As Mr. Cassells noted, honours degree graduates earn 100% more than those without a degree. We must ensure there is equality of opportunity.

I concur with Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell on the teaching qualifications of lecturers. Part of the reason for the high attrition rates is that young people are not being reached by good teaching. Is there a basic HDip qualification for lecturers? If there is, I do not know about it. Does the expert group have plans in that regard?

The next issue I want to raise is a personal bugbear of mine because I have a child in this age group, as have many of my peers. Among the 17 and 18 year olds starting college each year, there is a wide variation in maturity levels. Once students turn 18 years, universities and institutes of technology do not give their parents information on how they are doing, even though the parents are paying the bills. Something must be tweaked in this regard. Once a student gets past the date of 30 October, fees kick in and if he or she subsequently realises he or she has made the wrong course choice and drops out, as so many do because of poor career guidance, low maturity levels and so on, the parents must pay the fees the following year if the student chooses to take a different course. We must do something about this. There must be more streamlined and effective communication between colleges, students and parents.

One of the four areas identified by Mr. Cassells was improving the employability of graduates. When I take the train or bus to Galway, I am sometimes approached by young people who want to talk about internships. Participants in JobBridge were paid an additional €50 per week, but a person had to be in receipt of social welfare payments to qualify. Many of these young people are not actually receiving any social welfare payment.