Mr. Lewis Purser:

I thank the Chairman for this opportunity to present to the committee. In this statement I will draw out the salient points from the supporting documentation supplied to the committee which is much more comprehensive and which contains a number of graphics that I hope are helpful. I will address the contribution of the universities to the development of human capital in Ireland. This human capital is widely acknowledged as our single most important natural resource and is what our entire national economic strategy is developed around, for both indigenous and export-led growth. I will begin by looking at the growth in the numbers of university students over the last ten years at all levels - bachelor, master and doctorate - as well as the numbers in areas of specific national targets, including, for example, under-represented domestic student groups and international students.

The overall number of university students grew by 14% during the period 2004 to 2014, with an increase of 54% in PhD students. Additional overall growth of 5.5% is planned by 2016-17, in line with the strategic compacts agreed between the Higher Education Authority and each university. The number of students admitted to universities and other colleges through the DARE and HEAR schemes, which target students with disabilities and those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, has increased by over 200% during the period 2009 to 2014, to the extent that now one in every five applicants to the CAO is also applying to DARE or HEAR. Both these groups of students are national priority target groups. In addition, there has been an overall growth of 45% in the number of international students in Irish universities. There are three main categories of international student: full-time international students who come to Ireland for a full degree programme; offshore or distance students who are studying on a programme provided or accredited by an Irish university, but delivered outside Ireland; and short-term exchange and visiting students such as Erasmus students from other European countries, Junior Year Abroad students from the United States and, more recently, from countries like Brazil.

Following this discussion of student numbers, our submission looks at the quality of outputs from the university education process, using various indicators. The first is graduate employment and other graduate destinations. This looks at the success of graduates in obtaining employment and-or other successful destinations following completion of their degree programme. The next indicator is employer feedback on higher education outcomes which looks at employer satisfaction with the quality and employability of recent graduates, as well their future skills requirements. Another indicator is student engagement and student experience, which looks at the feedback from students regarding their educational experience and satisfaction. The final indicator is completion rates and average duration of studies, which looks at whether students completed their degree programme and whether they completed it on time.

In terms of graduate employment and other graduate destinations, the data gathered by the universities and published by the HEA shows that since 2008 the proportion of the honours bachelor level 8 graduate cohort in employment has remained stable - 50% in 2008; 51% in 2013 - while the proportion seeking employment in 2013 was 6% or half the national unemployment rate at that time. While the relative employability successes enjoyed by university graduates are clear compared to the general population, a number of challenges remain. For example, the proportion of recent graduates employed overseas has more than doubled from 5% in 2008 to 12% in 2013. Likewise, the numbers of level 8 graduates entering further studies or training has increased from 34% in 2008 to 40% in 2013. These figures reflect the difficulties in obtaining employment in Ireland but also the demand for more advanced or specialised education or training for specific sectors of the labour market.

In terms of employer feedback on the quality and employability of recent graduates, some key findings of the 2012 and 2014 national employer surveys by IBEC and the Higher Education Authority are relevant. The surveys found that over 75% of companies were confident that graduates have the right workplace and transferable skills and relevant subject or discipline knowledge. This confidence was particularly pronounced among foreign-owned employers, that is, among multinational companies in Ireland. The surveys further found that over 80% of companies were satisfied with the calibre of science and maths graduates.The majority of PhD graduates were employed because the job required doctorate-level skills or qualifications. However, large numbers of graduates - approximately 15% - from outside Ireland continue to be recruited by employers, both multinational and indigenous.

There are lower levels of satisfaction among employers with recent graduates’ foreign language capabilities and entrepreneurial skills. These are areas that can be addressed by the universities through better integration of skills and competences in internal curriculum development and quality assurance processes and through the continued promotion of study abroad opportunities and high-quality work placements.

In terms of feedback from the students themselves regarding their educational experiences, engagement and satisfaction, all Irish universities conduct surveys of their students on a range of specific issues such as course and module feedback, library usage, sports facilities and many other topics. In addition, for the past two years, all Irish higher education institutions - universities, institutes of technology and a number of other colleges - have conducted a national survey of student engagement to which nearly 20,000 students responded in 2014. The survey is aimed at first year undergraduate, final year undergraduate and taught post-graduate students. I will not go through all of the results, but some of the highlights are as follows: some 63% of all participating students selected "often" or "very often" when asked if they were improving knowledge and skills that would contribute to their employability; 67% of all participating students reported positive relationships with teaching staff, finding them to be available, helpful and sympathetic; 80% of all participating students selected good or excellent when asked how they would evaluate their entire educational experiences at their institutions; and 65% of all participating students selected "often" or "very often" when asked if they used an online learning system to complete an assignment.

The feedback from our Irish survey also allow us to compare what students in Ireland are telling us with the feedback from students in Australasian countries and the US, where similar surveys are conducted and where we have sourced and adapted our Irish survey tool. The results for Ireland are broadly favourable compared with those for Australasia - mostly Australia, but also New Zealand and a couple of smaller countries - but we still have some work to do to catch up with the US benchmark, the obvious leader in this field.

The feedback is important for universities that can use this information, often in detailed ways, in combination with other sources of feedback, for example, from employers and through the quality assurance processes, to take appropriate action. The data coming through the Irish survey provide a useful evidence base for further discussions at the level of each individual university, which is where the changes must occur, as well as at national level. This usefulness will increase over time following further iterations of the survey. We have conducted two already and are gathering an evidence base.

Regarding student completion rates and the average duration of studies in Irish universities, evidence shows that we compare favourably with other countries across Europe and the OECD. This is in terms of overall student completion rates and students completing their studies on time. The average time to completion in Ireland is 4.02 years while the EU average is 4.59 years and the OECD average is 4.4 years. This demonstrates that the system in place in Irish universities is more efficient, thereby encouraging students to complete their studies on time. This is better for individual students and the State, which contributes large amounts of public funding.

Our submission also provides a summary of quality assurance procedures used across the university sector to ensure and enhance quality in the education processes. We describe the variety and extent of these processes and mechanisms; they are designed to ensure the fitness for purpose of study programmes as well as academic and administrative structures. During the past ten years, all units of all universities have been reviewed, in most cases twice, by expert panels involving external international and Irish expertise as well as by students, resulting in quality enhancement plans with formal monitoring and follow-up. All of this information is on the websites of the individual universities.

In addition, all of the universities have been through two full rounds of institutional review by expert panels external to Ireland. These panels have made a series of useful suggestions and recommendations for each university, all of which are available on the website of Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, the State agency that organises these reviews. The institutional reviews have confirmed that each of the universities has been in full compliance with its quality assurance obligations under the Universities Act 1997 and, possibly more importantly, with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, the European benchmark in this regard. Irish universities are seen by other European partners as leaders in this area. These external validations of quality in our system provide confidence to the national authorities, students and national and international partners regarding the quality of academic programmes and other services provided by the universities.

I thank the Chairman and look forward to discussing these and other issues of concern to the committee.