Mr. Tom Boland:

Senator Clune asked about the connection between higher education and enterprise and how one could know what the other was doing. It is a complex issue, to state the obvious. My experience in the Higher Education Authority suggests that, by and large, if the demand exists the higher education system will meet it, whether in one or multiple institutions. ICT is a good example of this. During the slowdown in demand for ICT skills, the system left in place a large part of the infrastructure which meant the institutions were ready to respond quickly when demand picked up again. In respect of languages, there is little point in the institutions providing places by themselves if there is insufficient demand elsewhere. Senator Cullinane spoke about a whole of education approach. In that context, the issue of guidance is important. I cannot comment on the cuts because I do not know enough about them but getting information to young people and, more importantly, their parents on potential opportunities is important in these disciplines. I do not want to be overly confident but there are positive signs in the ICT area. Judging by the growth in demand the message that good careers can be developed appears to be reaching home. A similar exercise needs to be done in regard to languages but it is probably a slow process. It is a question of taking a whole of education approach. Overall, the higher education system tends to be flexible in responding to emerging needs.

In regard to the implied criticism of the HEA's efforts on enterprise liaison, it would be fair to criticise us if we had done nothing before now. In fact, however, the HEA is represented on the expert group for future skills and we have a close relationship with IBEC, with which we are developing a national employer survey. We also manage the ICT skills conversion, Springboard, courses and we invest considerably in the higher education system through the programme for research in third level institutions, PRTI, and the Irish Research Council. A considerable amount of work is both informed by and supportive of enterprise. I envisage that in our new role we will have an even bigger impact on this area by bringing it together in a more co-ordinated way. Rather than inventing something that is entirely new we are trying to increase our impact.