These initiatives are in addition to a total of almost 465,000 training and education places currently available in 2011. Of those, 140,000 are training places, 168,000 are in the further education sector and 156,000 are in the higher education sector. We believe in the importance of providing training for people according to their own abilities. I hope to have the opportunity to debate further education in the near future. There is major potential to provide that upskilling in a good geographic spread because of the presence of our post leaving certificate colleges and our colleges of further education in areas where there is no easy access to institutes of technology or FÁS training centres.

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