Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Under the national development plan published last October, the Government has committed to a significant and much needed step-up in investment in further education and training, FET, infrastructure, including the realisation of what we call FET Colleges of the Future and expansion of apprenticeship delivery.

In the context of this commitment, I was very pleased to announce in February the parameters of this ambitious new phase of capital investment in the further education and training sector. This investment will include a FET College of the Future major projects fund, supporting projects to drive reform of the FET sector, including consolidation of provision in high quality facilities, integration of further education and training and realisation of centres of excellence. It is open to every ETB now to put forward ideas. I know from my visit to Deputy Calleary's county that there are already ideas coming from Mayo in this regard. That is the futuristic piece; what we want to do in terms of a new way of delivering and having a modern, fit for purpose FET college. The second funding call for FET is equally important. It is a strategic infrastructure upgrade fund, supporting smaller-scale investments in existing FET infrastructure which are also aligned with FET College of the Future principles. We are all very proud of the work that FET does but we also know it has been starved of capital for far too long. This is for the projects that might needed to be done for which there has not been funding in the past. Those two competitive calls are now open. It is up to each ETB to prioritise and put forward their projects.

Overall, as the Deputy has said, capital investment in the FET sector is expected to increase from expenditure of less than €20 million in 2020 to over €100 million a year by 2025. That is a very significant increase. The sector is excited about it. We need to build capacity in the sector not just to identify projects but to deliver them as well. The next phase of investment will position the sector to cater for rising demand, offering a comprehensive range of complementary options for learners. There will also be a specific focus on apprenticeship facilities and the ability to ramp up apprenticeship provision, particularly in provincial Ireland.

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