Professor Brian Norton:

On the food side, we have strong engagement with the food industry through Skillnets and we work with it to develop programmes. I presume this co-operation is the outworking of earlier decisions as to what skills would be needed. We have existing provisions in management of technology and innovation and new programmes are coming on stream in the area of logistics and supply chain management.

It is important that appropriate guidance be provided at second level but how best to provide it is a decision that needs to be taken in the context of second level education overall. Whether it should involve one set of guidance counsellors or permeate the curriculum more broadly is a moot question because if one corrals guidance to one area it does not permeate the curriculum. The curriculum should set subject context and application. One application of knowledge is career development. We also need a much broader range of guidance because often the reason individuals pursue certain careers is because of role models, including parents, uncles and brothers. That can have as great an influence on where people study as formal guidance.

In terms of links with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, we offer a number of programmes for Enterprise Ireland and are actively involved in our technology transfer programme. We have strong engagement with inward investors through IDA and organisations like the American Chamber of Commerce and other chambers of commerce in respect of construction programmes. Companies actively participate in the committees that work on the inception and development of new programmes. It is a critical part of our work. No programme exists in DIT unless there is demand for it.

On the broader issue of employment, issues arise in terms of addressing social and educational disadvantage which can appear at a wide variety of points in life. These issues are not simply confined to teenagers but discussing them would take more time than is available to us. I draw members' attention to our mature student access programme, which assists those who would not normally expect to participate in higher education. We currently fund the programme by recycling the resources we obtain from international students. Previously it was supported by philanthropy. The programme has not been a burden on the State, therefore. It gives access to courses at a variety of levels and enables students to find their own levels. It is oriented towards a redirection and reinvigoration of where people are coming from.

The numbers involved in the built environment programme has decreased by approximately 700 in the past several years. DIT is the largest provider of built environment education in the State.