Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to speak on this important Bill, the main provision of which is the establishment of SOLAS and the dissolution of FÁS, and the transfer of the staff and property of the FÁS training division to the newly formed education and training boards.

The recent Central Statistics Office, CSO, figures are important and indicative that we, as a nation, are on the right path in terms of slowly but surely recovering from the economic collapse which struck us in the past decade. Employment is growing and jobs are being created but, unfortunately, a large number of jobs, particularly in IT, are not being filled.

Being unemployed has serious and far-reaching consequences. Societies throughout the world have developed in such a way that a person's self worth and value can often be bound up with one's job or role in the community. Throughout our history, a hierarchy of importance has been attached to professions. It is unwise and unhealthy to adopt such an approach. Every citizen possesses particular qualities and skills suited to certain areas of work and our everyday lives bear out this fact. Some of our friends, acquaintances and families are studious and are very much at home with theorising and problem-solving while others are much more practical and suited to working with their hands, have a gift working with the people in a leading, caring or managing capacity or have a wondrous grasp of technology, IT programming and so forth. It is the role of the State to recognise this and to support and nurture citizens to reach their potential.

Education and training are essential for this. We must realise we cannot continue with a one size fits all approach and it is out of this realisation that the further education and training sector has grown. A proportion of people will excel in a university setting but for others it is a complete waste of time and resources. Other more practical or skills focused avenues, such as the institutes of technology or the part-time learning environment, are much more beneficial to those individuals.

In my county of Galway, we have an abundance of educational opportunities, from my alma materof NUIG, with its vibrant campus in the city and its nationally important Ollscoil in Connemara, to GMIT with its innovation hub on the Dublin Road and its very important centre in Letterfrack. Third and fourth level education is flourishing in the west but we are also very fortunate to have a thriving further education and training sector with a number of reputable course providers offering a different, but no less valuable, educational experience which is often able to respond more quickly to the needs of citizens at different life stages. The Galway Technical Institute is but one example.

A previous Department of Education and Skills consultation paper noted how our further education and training sector has evolved organically in an unco-ordinated fashion and while it is true that at times a deeper relevancy and effectiveness can emerge organically, it is more often the case that strategic thinking and direction are required, and no more so than when financial resources are constrained.

It is worth looking at a snapshot of the further education and training sector in Ireland. Currently, there is an annual investment of €900 million in FET and this provides for approximately 270,000 full-time or part-time places. It is provided in a large variety of centres and currently 450 centres deliver formal further education and training, including FÁS training centres, VECs and Youthreach centres. Hundreds of large and small centres deliver formal and informal courses to different cohorts of learners and 9,000 staff are employed to deliver these thousands of courses. The courses include technical and vocational training, leading to a specific career, including apprenticeships and post-leaving certificate courses. It also includes courses in basic literacy, numeracy and adult education.

Seirbhísí Oideachais Leanunaigh agus Scileanna will provide this co-ordination and funding. It will, as its Irish acronym suggests, shed a new light on the further education and training sector to ensure it is responsive and flexible and meets the education and training needs of Ireland in the 21st century.

The SOLAS action plan, launched in October 2012, aims to reform radically and restructure the further education and training sector so it can enjoy restored public confidence and promote courses which are relevant to learners, industry and society. The action plan for SOLAS crucially noted that a revitalised FET sector must promote access for all learners who wish to avail of programmes - the unemployed, the employed, school leavers, early school leavers, those with disabilities, job changers and those who want to pursue particular interests through part-time learning.

FÁS was more about providing courses for jobseekers and, to a large extent, it achieved that goal but with varying degrees of success. For example, a web design course run by FÁS in Galway a number of years ago was imparting web design skills using software that was obsolete by approximately ten years. Such was the change between the older of edition of the software and the newer editions, the course was rather pointless, albeit well-intentioned and run by friendly and competent staff. This is one example where an education and training course became out of touch and obsolete and needed to change with the times and the changing technologies.

In all aspects of life, it is vital to recognise when something has outlived its usefulness. FÁS has served us well but it was established in the 1980s to meet the challenges of that particular time and recession. The world has moved on. Technological advancement has transformed both the education sector and the workplace. Much greater flexibility and responsiveness is required if we are to maximise the potential not only of the taxpayers' contribution but also that of our people. The focus of FÁS on jobseekers was suited to an era of its creation. Lifelong learning and constant skills updating were not as appreciated or deemed as necessary as they are now. As many people now realise, it is imperative to keep up to date, to keep one's skills sharp and to engage with and understand the most recent developments in industry. It is a sad reality for all of us that people, as with technology, can become obsolete in terms of the skills they have. To a great extent, further education and training is as vital for those in employment as it is for jobseekers.

Furthermore it is a regrettable fact that the reputation of FÁS has been tarnished in recent years with unusual or irregular practices, in particular concerning expenses. Confidence in any State agency or Department is paramount. FÁS has experienced a decline in the confidence people once had in it, which is regrettable but factual.

I am heartened to see that SOLAS will be underpinned by four key principles, specifically that the organisation will be learner-centred, outcome based, strategically focused and integrated. These aims are clearly rooted in common sense and will maximise the effectiveness of public funding while ensuring the learner is placed at the heart of the State's further education and training policy.

From this Bill, it is evident that SOLAS will be bestowed with a wider responsibility. One of its chief functions will be the creation and implementation every three years of a national strategy which will ultimately benefit the FET sector, citizens, the taxpayer and the course providers. In preparing these three year strategies, huge priority is being attached to co-operation and consultation with the other stakeholders, most notably the Departments of Social Protection, Education and Skills and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Enterprise Ireland, Teagasc and employer groups. Co-operation and collaboration with agencies such as Teagasc is crucial if we are to continue to benefit from the opportunities which exist in our most successful indigenous industry, namely, farming and agribusiness. In the past few years, Teagasc has experienced a substantial increase in the demand for its courses. Co-operation and collaboration with SOLAS is essential to ensure we can meet this growing demand and so harness the opportunities presented. A requirement for consultation with the various stakeholders will also guarantee relevancy is the top criterion in deciding the type of education and training courses to be funded from the public purse.

Importantly, SOLAS will have an oversight function and will monitor the quality and effectiveness of course providers and the educational courses. The Bill contains further provisions concerning board membership, corporate governance, accountability and whistleblowing which will rightly ensure SOLAS observes the highest organisational standards.

For almost 30 years, we have heard constant talk about the need for a one-stop-shop, to use the well worn phrase, for unemployed persons. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, this was touted at the best way forward in meeting the needs of jobseekers. This Government has moved beyond talk and is taking action. Today central locations with all the supports a jobseeker requires are being rolled out with the new Intreo service in the Department of Social Protection and this Further Education and Training Bill complements this and is part of a suite of legislative reforms which will include reform and revitalisation of the VEC structure into new streamlined education and training boards as well as a renewed emphasis on quality. We need to ensure all systems, supports and procedures are in place to facilitate getting people back to work.

Recently, I received a telephone call from a constituent about the back to work allowance. The individual had an idea to set up a company but their biggest fear was that they would not be entitled to social welfare supports should the company fail. That is a real and understandable concern which could put a person off setting up a small business. We need to ensure a system which encourages people to take up options, retraining or placements etc. I am confident this Bill along with other important reforms will ensure jobseekers can avail of the advice and support they need on education and training options ultimately to rejoin the workforce and realise their potential. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, and the Minister, Deputy Quinn, on their work on this very important Bill.

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