Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Further Education and Training Bill 2013, which comes before the House at a time of severe fiscal and economic adjustment. This adjustment is further complicated by a process of major restructuring in the labour market, particularly in respect of employment opportunities. This seismic shift has resulted in mass unemployment in almost every EU country and has given rise to a range of issues relating to socioeconomic policy, employment and work opportunities and labour-market-oriented training. This Bill is part of a systematic effort to implement unprecedented reforms which are intended to streamline and improve the further education sector in Ireland. This Second Stage debate takes place in the same week that the Oireachtas finalised the Education and Training Boards Bill 2012.

This Bill provides the basis for the new local education and training board system. The Bills are complementary, with the Further Education and Training Bill designed to assign a broad range of functions to the newly established education and training authority, SOLAS, which will be responsible for co-ordinating and funding further education and training. The Bill has been described as one element of a wider programme of institutional reform of the further education and training sector and is part of a joined-up approach that involves three separate pieces of primary legislation, as well as the establishment of a range of bodies that are part of a radical process of rationalisation and amalgamation.

The enactment of the Bill is happening at a time when a significant number of citizens have been laid low by an unprecedented economic meltdown that can only be reversed in part by stimulating job creation and enhanced employment opportunities. The Further Education and Training Bill is part of a broader strategy that links a number of initiatives being implemented to meet the increased demand for education and training that has resulted from rising unemployment. Its importance in overseeing funding and driving forward policy across the further education sector cannot be overstated.

The establishment of SOLAS under the Further Education and Training Bill will, I hope, bring closure to one of the worst scandals arising from the workings of a State body since the formation of the State. The scandalous misuse of funds and expenditure in FÁS, dating back to 2004, was common within the higher echelons of FÁS, when spending controls were routinely bypassed and there was a serious failure to implement good corporate governance procedures. In some of the most appalling examples of unaccountability, incompetence and wastage, characteristic of some of the worst excesses of the so-called Celtic tiger era, the activities of certain senior personal within FÁS greatly undermined the capacity of that organisation to discharge its duties at a time when labour activation measures through training and learning were badly needed. Their actions discredited an organisation that had done much good work in helping to generate employment since its inception in the 1980s. During that period the organisation was spending almost €1 billion of taxpayers' money annually, even at a time of full employment. It was a time of decadence and wastage and in 2011, when reviewing the extent of the scandal that had become fully apparent in 2008, the director of employment with the OECD labelled what had happened "a national disaster". In the same year the ESRI found that FÁS-provided activation interviews for unemployed persons had a negative impact on their prospects, leading to a 17% lower chance of securing employment than for those who did not undergo an activation interview.

It is against this dark legacy and culture of recklessness and irresponsibility that SOLAS is tasked with funding the delivery of services from the 16 new education and training boards. The establishment of SOLAS is part of a reform agenda designed to revitalise the further education sector and enhance the State's labour market activism strategy. There is a large and diverse further education sector, with a wide range of providers and courses that have been described as unwieldy and inefficient, not least because they have evolved in an unplanned and relatively unstructured fashion over many decades.

Together, VECs and FÁS deliver over 70% of FETAC awards annually, but, unlike most other OECD countries, further education and training in Ireland have grown in an organic and unco-ordinated way and are delivered by numerous organisations and providers. It is, therefore, highly unlikely that taxpayers have been getting value for money under the current arrangements and one of the most pressing issues that must be addressed in the time ahead is the duplication of courses at a regional level, both within the PLC sector and the parallel FÁS training system. Equally important is the capacity of teaching staff within further education and FÁS training services to deliver the standards required by high tech industries.

Crucially, we need to address the crisis we face within the Iemployment sector that, in part, stems from a lack of suitably qualified workers in key areas such as technology and the service industry. The importance of ICT, foreign language skills and expertise in business, engineering and technology requires very specialised courses that can only be delivered by motivated staff who are experts in their respective fields. This can only be achieved through adequate investment throughout the education system, where preparation to meet ever-evolving and diverse employability criteria is dependent on the standard of education delivered from preschool onwards. One of the first challenges to be faced is how to fully integrate FÁS with the further education sector, where the terms and conditions of employment vary greatly. Put simply, at a time when we need to develop a more efficient and effective system, we cannot afford a further education and training service that is closed down for half the year. For too long, we have had a dysfunctional training system that has contributed greatly to a disastrous waste of potential talent in people who, if provided with the proper assistance, could play an integral part in helping to kick-start our economic revival.

In order to enhance the delivery of further education and training, we need to establish a more integrated and coherent system that can meet the future needs of the labour market. AONTAS has proposed that the starting point for this reform be the development of an integrated quality service that is able to cater for a wide range of learning needs for the labour market. This should include a capacity to deliver a diverse range of skill sets that include personal, social, cultural and civic development. In its submission in response to the Bill AONTAS has also expressed the view that the definition of what is meant by further education, as proposed in the legislation, is extremely narrow and fails to reflect the complexity and scope of what we mean by training and learning. There are also concerns that the functions of SOLAS have been limited by the narrowness of their scope, which, while identifying employers as key stakeholders, has neglected to engage in a meaningful way with providers of further education and training and adult learners.

Current labour market programmes are limited in the way they cater for people with literacy and numeracy needs. All too often, they fail to address the needs of the long-term unemployed. We need to acknowledge this and the fact that when people with literacy and numeracy difficulties participate, the relative benefits when compared to other groups are much greater. Adequate funding is also needed to advance the capacity of further education and training providers to deliver the learning programmes that reflect the complex demands of the labour market. In addition to these aims, we need robust systems in place to monitor the quality and outcomes to ensure the qualitative delivery of programmes that are fit for purpose. All of this must be underpinned by an ethos that seeks to promote and appreciate the value of further education and training. There is much merit in the proposal to develop a learner charter that would be adopted by all further education and training providers.

Section 9 outlines how SOLAS will consult and prepare the further education and training strategy which will inform and shape the delivery of services. To be creditable, this strategy must be carried out after close consultation with providers and adult learners, where there is a creditable learner-centred theme that reflects the diversity of learners. In other words, the diverse perspectives and interests within the further education and training sector must be represented on the board of SOLAS. NGOs such as AONTAS and NALA are well placed to fulfil this role. This is essential if we are serious about addressing the appalling rates of literacy and numeracy.

As we attempt to see a new further education and training system emerge, we need a strategic and co-ordinated response to address this problem. SOLAS should be required, therefore, to consult adult learners in the development of the further education and training strategy. Sinn Féin supports the proposals brought forward by NALA that there be a dedicated adult learner perspective on the board of SOLAS. This would ensure learners had a voice and an input into the decision on the governance of SOLAS and the development of further education and training policies which would improve the quality and effectiveness of education authorities.

There is little doubt that in order to improve and develop the further education sector, a holistic approach is needed, with the type of joined-up strategy that links the primary and post-primary school curriculums, when preparing young people for adulthood. Of paramount importance is the promotion of equality of opportunity for all social groups to ensure the optimum impact of further education and training that has a key role to play in tackling social disadvantage.

Therefore, our priority must be to assist those who most need help. Unfortunately, they are often the least likely to receive assistance. The educational needs and requirements of adult learners are very complex. Many adult learners had negative early experiences with the education system. Teachers, instructors and administrators must make a serious effort to address this issue. It is imperative that innovative and creative course offerings are made available to prospective students. Courses should be well structured and thought out, and should be designed in a way that incorporates a process of active learning. This is of vital importance in any further education strategy.

While I acknowledge that thousands of adults have benefited from PLC courses, I wonder why the Government showed such a lack of foresight when it decided to increase the pupil-teacher ratio in the further education sector from 17:1 to 19:1. People who return to further education, particularly the long-term unemployed and the poor, often need extra attention in areas such as literacy and numeracy. The increase in the pupil-teacher ratio flies in the face of the need to assist such people. It will put serious pressure on the learning outcomes achieved by the students of even the most committed teachers. It goes without saying that such cuts pose yet another educational challenge, even for the most dedicated adult learners.

If we are genuinely interested in assisting people to increase their skills and retrain so they can access scarce employment opportunities and improve their human capital, we must ensure the needs and requirements of adult students are core priorities in our further education system. At a time when unemployment, under-employment and emigration are harsh realities of life for thousands of Irish people, elected representatives have a duty to ensure that the education system is properly funded and resourced and that the needs and requirements of the recipients of education are at its core.

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