Ms Roisin Doherty:

I will answer the Senator's question on how to have that consistent learner experience across all provision, given there is further education provision in nearly every community. It is a fairly complex process. As was said, it can be built through a rights and legislative base, but the approach we have taken is to bring people with us on that journey, and for us to go on a journey with practitioners in the system. That is where we move to the universal design approach. We fund and support the organisation AHEAD to support the sector. We find that really helps because we are able to build that support at local level. We have a resource there and that national thinking and national best practice. We worked for two or two and a half years with all our stakeholders to put in place those universal design guidelines. We find that is changing the dial, although there is certainly a lot more to be done. It is about how we can ensure that consistent approach, given that things are changing all the time.

The things we are doing include the universal design guidelines, as I said, and funding support organisations to build that capacity. We are also working with the Dyslexia Association of Ireland. Another example is Down Syndrome Ireland, as I mentioned, which, through SOLAS, funds a number of support workers who go out into every single ETB. They do two visits a year to all ETBs giving support and telling people what resources are available, and quite a lot of resources and support systems are available, to ensure, for example, that people with Down's syndrome have access to further education. That seems to be working quite well. Any guidelines we developed are part of the funding criteria for ETBs. Any best practice guidelines that are available, such as the intellectual disability guidelines for persons accessing adult literacy or the universal design guidelines, are all part of the funding requirements the ETBs report on.

We are working on a new initiative but, again, we are trying not to reinvent the wheel. We are working with higher education with regard to facilitating and accessing some of the great supports it has available, such as a universal design support badge for those outside teaching practice. This is not just for the person in front of the student but for those who are doing the payroll or accessing a learner the first day he or she comes to register. Staff in those areas can have a universal design support badge to indicate they are trained in this particular area. That is about getting at hearts and changing minds. There is also cross-department work. We mentioned the committee that has a number of pilots in Galway and Dublin. It is working with young people who wish to progress out of education to open up opportunities across all of their local communities, not just education but all the different options available. That is a very interesting pilot.

Our main task is to make sure there is a consistent learner experience across the sector. We are working on a framework guide. We are saying there should be a resource in every single ETB that is a learner support or learner experience hub where all learners can be supported. It is about deregulating the system as well. A good and very clear budget is available to ETBs. They should use that budget, which can be very flexibly delivered to learners. Many ETBs have set up learner support funds in order to support learners because a budget is there and if a learner needs something, it can just be put in place. It does not have to be a very complex process.

As I said, there is an awful lot more we can do. I would be very pleased, if members think there is anything else we should be doing, to link in with them.