Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Further Education and Training Bill. This Bill is yet another step in the Government's reform agenda. We have found ourselves in a situation in which many areas of society and Departments are in need of reform.

The Bill takes a dramatic step forward in streamlining and updating the structures around further education and training. It is clear that the needs of the people have changed dramatically in this area in recent years. It is only right and proper that the structures change to meet these needs. There is a new cohort out of work, people who never envisaged they would find themselves in such a position. They want to get back to work; not working is an alien concept to them. The structures in place to support them in education and training must allow a training place to translate into a job interview and a job interview into a job.

In establishing SOLAS, Seirbhísí Oideachais Leanunaigh agus Scileanna, we are undertaking to build a more efficient, effective and better focused structure that will ensure the maximum amount possible from a budget of almost €1 billion will reach those who need it and be freed from bureaucracy. Despite the blather of other Members, it is important to remember the amount given by the Government in extra resources and places in further education and training in every constituency.

Structural reform is important and what the Bill does in this regard is welcome. However, I want to highlight two other important points on further education and training. The first concerns making people aware of the supports available in this area. I am constantly shocked by the number of people who attend my constituency clinics who are not linked with services and have no direct link with a course or training. While there is so much on offer, the actual awareness levels are low. I know the Department of Social Protection has taken a leadership role in that regard, but we need to examine the use of social media and national road shows to explain what is available in further education and training.

The second issue we need to address is the perception of what further education and training are and the supports on offer. There has been, sadly, a negative, if not snobby, attitude to what further education entails. Recently, as a member of the Oireachtas education committee, I met several Australian Senators visiting Ireland. In Australia they have this viewpoint that not everyone needs to have a third level education, but everybody needs to be trained in some expertise or skill. College and university will not be for everybody and there is no hierarchical need. Their system has been very much set up to reflect this. Whatever a person's skills set is, the state must support him or her. That is a worthy and important lesson we can learn from our Australian colleagues.

On Tuesday I saw a similar model which addressed these two issues at the Bray offices of the Department of Social Protection. It had linked in with a range of voluntary and statutory organisations such as FÁS, the MABS and the National Adult Literacy Agency, to put on an exhibition of what was on offer in further education and training. It was heartening to see the range of supports available and the number of voluntary organisations chipping in with the role they were playing. It was also great for someone to avail of the services of a one-stop shop. Great credit must go to the Bray offices of the Department for arranging this event.

The Bill dismantles the structures of FÁS. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae has pointed out that FÁS has done much good work, with which I agree. There are many in my constituency who work for FÁS and continue to provide a great range of services. Just like matters went wrong in the banks and politics, they went badly wrong in FÁS in terms of corporate governance. However, many of those working on the ground in various FÁS offices and training centres have done a very good job. I acknowledge this and have no doubt many of them will continue to make contributions in the new structures.

Yesterday we had very encouraging news on the jobs front for the first time when we saw employment trends move the right way. Unfortunately, there is a significant challenge when it comes to youth unemployment. It is appropriate that we are debating the Bill on the day the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, and the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, are meeting EU employment Ministers in Dublin. We need to make further education and night classes attractive. They cannot be seen as something someone's mother goes along to in the evening. These are programmes that someone in their 20s should be finding attractive.

We need to involve industry in further education and training, an issue in which I know the Minister of State, Deputy Ciarán Cannon, is involved. There is no point in having people taking flower arranging or basket making courses if industry's needs are different. It is about matching the needs of industry with the courses on offer. There are many high-end courses available, but we need to constantly ask what skills sets it needs. It comes back to my point that at the end training has to equate to a job.

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