Mr. Andrew Brownlee:

On the finance issue, further education and training is funded differently from higher education. Higher education depends on international student fees and the €3,000 student contribution that Deputy Conway-Walsh mentioned. We are funded on a year-to-year basis so there is not a gap to fill. ETBs are almost 100% publicly funded so they can adapt and adjust to the changing circumstances. There is no operational finance issue and we have been very careful and at pains to stress to the ETBs that funding is available if they need more to support Covid-related costs.

On the lasting impact, when we launched the strategy we made a point of pushing the idea that FET needs to be for everyone. It is not just something for the marginalised of society. Of course, that is a critical role but it is not only for school leavers who want a technical education. It has to be relevant for everyone throughout their lifetimes and careers. That means making it smaller, more flexible and accessible in online formats, while allowing people to build up credits independent of time.