Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will not press it any further if it is not concluded. I would make the point that I had concerns that that is going to happen, and the witness has just said that it will happen.

The witness said in his opening statement that one area that received attention was the delivery of DIT programmes through third party providers. It was said that this is in keeping with national strategy and will increasingly become a feature into the future. I understand that a language institute has been contracted to deliver core modules on the international foundation programme and that the company is owned by an English language course provider. Whatever is done in terms of partnerships is something that must be evaluated by the college, but how does that impact on the people who are directly or potentially employed? I have been told that people are now on a year-to-year contract rather than on a longer-term contract or are employed on foot of the outsourcing of some of the teaching elements.