Ms Inez Bailey:

NALA welcomes the opportunity to present to the committee today on addressing deficiencies in adult literacy and numeracy in Ireland. NALA is committed to making sure people with literacy and numeracy difficulties can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs. We do this through providing innovative solutions, in policy and practice, to improve outcomes for adults with literacy or numeracy needs, working in partnership with a range of public and private stakeholders in Irish society.

Unmet adult literacy and numeracy needs have devastating consequences for individuals, communities and the economy. The recent OECD adult skills survey shows that one in six Irish adults, which is 521,550 people, find reading and understanding everyday texts - for example, a bus timetable or medicine instructions - difficult According to the survey, one in four or 754,000 people have difficulties in real world maths from basic addition and subtraction to calculating averages. The survey also showed that people who scored at the lowest literacy and numeracy levels often have no or low qualifications, earn less income, are unemployed and have poorer health. According to the Central Statistics Office, there is no statistical difference between the scores of adults in the 1994 international adult literacy survey and the 2012 adult skills survey.

The European Commission response highlights that the least skilled are caught in a low-skills trap which contributes to high unemployment and threatens growth and competitiveness. Irish evidence acknowledges that further education and training sector, FET, is not optimally aligned with labour market needs and significant development is required. The recent publication of the further education and training strategy holds promise if the required increased investment is forthcoming.

The national skills strategy, which was published in 2006, set a target of improving the skills of 70,000 people to level 3 by 2020, leaving only 7% of the workforce with, at most, lower secondary qualifications. The current figure is 15.6%, which means we are unlikely to meet the target of 7% by 2020. By contrast, we are set to meet or surpass all of the targets aimed at upskilling those who already have higher education as their lowest level of qualification.

Currently, a review of the national skills strategy is under way within the Department of Education and Skills. It presents an opportunity to reflect on why our performance has fallen so short of our ambitions in the particular area and what needs to done differently in the new national skills strategy to achieve such a target in the future. Participation rates in lifelong learning in Ireland further illustrate the challenge, with Ireland at 7.3%, which is consistently well behind the EU average of 10.5% and dramatically behind the highest-performing countries in the EU. Furthermore, those with the highest educational attainment are most in evidence in participating in lifelong learning.

Currently, the adult literacy services of the education and training boards provide more than 50,000 adults with between two and six hours of adult literacy tuition per week from its €30 million budget. Such a period is often insufficient to attain a level 3, or junior certificate equivalent, qualification. In fact, the number of hours or places available to learners has decreased since the OECD survey was published. There is also a particular gap in provision for the long-term unemployed and other cohorts with literacy, numeracy or ICT needs. For example, the MOMENTUM programme is aimed specifically at unemployed people, but it no longer funds certification for people at levels 3 and 4. Also, the educational supports within the community employment programmes, aimed at people with literacy and numeracy difficulties, were removed and have never been replaced.

Decision makers need to commit to addressing the unacceptable levels of literacy and numeracy difficulties among our adult population in a similar vein to the Youth Guarantee. Our greatest resource is people, and we must enable more adults address their literacy and numeracy needs and improve their skills through the following measures: restoring the previous levels of provision for adult literacy and basic skills within the ETB system; providing access to more intensive learning options, particularly for the long-term unemployed; customising provision to engage the low-skilled, such as youths and those returning to the labour force, using blended learning and technology - for example, NALA's free interactive learning website at www.writeon.ie, which supports independent and distance learning, expands learning time and achievement within existing programmes and includes the only form of recognition of prior learning that currently exists at this level in Ireland; and engaging employers to support low-skilled workers in line with international policy and practice, of which there are numerous examples in the UK, New Zealand and the United States of America.

While unemployment rates are falling generally, people with low qualifications or skills remain particularly vulnerable. Early school leavers are over three times more likely to be unemployed than their counterparts with higher qualifications. We believe we can promote equality in our education and training system by ensuring that all adults can achieve a basic education. By targeting people caught in the low-skills trap, we can tackle some of the inequality of the current system and wider society. We believe that all unemployed people with no or low qualifications should have access, on a guaranteed basis, to an intensive basic education course that leads to a level 3 or junior certificate equivalent qualification. We further believe that all adults with less than a level 4 or leaving certificate equivalent qualification should have access to an intensive basic education course that enables then to move up at least one level.

The Irish education system is seen as one of the finest in the world and as one that serves most people well. If one has the basics, there are great opportunities and supports available. However, if an adult needs the basics, he or she is consigned at best to part-time provision with no support. We believe that access to education and training in Ireland should be fair and equitable. We also believe it is important to target initiatives at groups who would most benefit and who are most at risk of being left behind. This has been the successful intent behind ensuring that children's literacy and numeracy is a national priority. At present, the literacy and numeracy strategy for children and young people is also under review within the Department of Education and Skills. This intent must be extended to adults. NALA believes that literacy is a human right and a tool for change that enables people to participate more fully in society. NALA believes that the Government should commit to providing a guarantee of support to all adults with less than a level 4 qualification who wish go back to learning and an intensive basic education course at level 3 to unemployed people with low qualifications. These programmes could be funded through the National Training Fund, as we need to boost the current adult literacy budget to at least €50 million. In conclusion, NALA believes that there are not enough programmes or programmes of sufficient quality across the system to raise adult literacy and numeracy levels by the level required.