Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important Bill. One of the main objectives for this Government is to get people back to work. There are thousands of people who need to get back to work but do not believe they have the necessary qualifications. Education is the great equaliser.

The Further Education and Training Bill 2013 provides for the establishment of an education and training authority, SOLAS, and the dissolution of its predecessor, FÁS. SOLAS will co-ordinate and fund further education and training throughout the country. The aims of SOLAS are complex and meeting them will be challenging. It will prepare and submit a five-year strategy for the provision of further education and training to determine what type of funding should be delivered to these programmes. It will also assess whether funded bodies have been performing their functions in an efficient and effective manner and establish systems to monitor these bodies. The concept of fit for purpose is critical in a training authority.

Among the new aims of SOLAS is the replacement of 33 vocational education committees with 16 new education and training boards, ETBs. FÁS will be disbanded and the existing centres will be transferred to the responsibility of these new ETBs. This Bill is part of a wider process of restructuring the Irish further education and training sector with the aim of radically reforming further education systems so that they can once more enjoy the full confidence and support of the public. The lavish waste that occurred in FÁS shattered public confidence in that state agency. Hundreds and thousands of euro were wasted while people on the ground were told there was no money for courses that would eventually get people back to work. The fact that the waste continued for so long unnoticed and unchecked was a stark reality that hit hard. How could a State agency specifically charged with getting people back to work and off the dole be so irresponsible in wasting public funds? However, it would be remiss of me not to state that the ordinary staff in FÁS carried out their duties in an exemplary manner. Estimates abound that FÁS was spending millions of euro at a time when this country was enjoying a boom and many more people were in full employment than is the case today. Fianna Fáil was in Government while this was happening but not only did it miss the reality of what was going on, it was also slow in reacting when it became aware of it. This is why SOLAS has to work. Its establishment is a positive step but new safeguards must be put in place so that history is not repeated.

More people are in need of help in this country than ever before. The demands of the current employment market are ever-changing and further education bodies will need to react rapidly to these trends. Ireland needs to be able to tell the international labour market we have a labour force that can react swiftly to market changes, especially in the information technology sector. An ongoing evaluation and assessment system should built into the new board, with the needs of the employment market matched with the training provided so that the right talents and skill sets are made available. If we can confront the ghosts of the past now we can avoid repeating mistakes, but if we do not get it right now we will regret another wasted opportunity. This Bill presents a great opportunity to get the people of Ireland back to work and restore their self-respect. There is a shortage of suitably qualified workers in certain areas, such as technology. When people have been out of work for some time they can feel they are no use to society and SOLAS will need to guide them along the most appropriate paths while valuing what they have to offer.

However, the second and third level education system faces wider challenges than those who are out of work or in need of skills improvement. The curriculum must be able to change quickly. For several years there has been a decline in the number of people studying science subjects at second and third level, which has led to shortages of technical and scientific expertise. Languages are also a cause for concern. FÁS notably failed in this regard. We need to be able to offer prospective jobseekers the possibility of learning another language. As a result of the digital era, the entire labour force has changed and business has become global. These are the market shifts we need to be aware of and react to if the world's leading firms are to continue to beat a path to our door. Ireland has enjoyed the highest of international reputations for our educated workforce, but we need to maintain its quality. Although it is a shame that Irish people have to emigrate, they are able to find high-quality employment wherever they go and they are treated extremely well. Of course, our international reputation should not be our sole concern. We must also look after the people who through no fault of their own have lost their jobs and are now looking for employment in a depressed global economy. It is soul-destroying to send application after application only to be told that one is not wanted.

We continue to see the green shoots of recovery and thanks to the work of this Government, the IDA and other bodies, jobs are being created on a daily basis. However, we do not have a one-size-fits-all solution. As the Minister for Education and Skills has noted, it is more important than ever before that the sector is fit for everyone's purpose. While I was a councillor in Kilkenny County Council I conducted a study of the number of jobs lost in Ireland and found that 50 jobs had been lost every week since 2002. This decline began in the high technology sector with the loss of 50 jobs in Spectra in Tralee. The only person who raised this issue in the House was the Minister, Deputy Quinn. I commend the Bill to the House. I have great hope for SOLAS and the education and training boards.

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