Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The launch of the European Year of Skills is designed to put skills centre stage, helping people get the right skills for quality jobs and helping companies, in particular small and medium enterprises, and to address skills shortages in the EU. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science website outlines the key features of the OECD skills strategies which include developing relevant skills over the life course, using skills effectively in work and in society and strengthening the governance of the skills system. These ambitions are welcome given that, according to the OECD, participation in lifelong learning to facilitate essential reskilling and upskilling in Ireland, while above the EU average, falls far behind top EU performers.

While the Minister, Deputy Harris, has called on everyone to put skills at the centre for this year and to take the opportunity to learn a new skill, which I wholeheartedly agree with, there is obviously an imbalance between this and the delay in resolving the issues that adult education tutors highlighted at the gates of Leinster House last month. If we have tutors who consider themselves as being treated as third class citizens with no public service contracts, no recognition of qualifications, no incremental salary scale and forced into unemployment five times a year, how does that align with what we are talking about today? I ask the Minister to update us on that. Only this afternoon a tutor outlined to me how four weeks after the Minister's promise about their contracts another deadline has been missed. That tutor went on to explain how, in little over a month adult education tutors will again be forced to rely on social welfare for the summer months. This is that tutor’s 15th year facing this situation, and with the increased cost of living, her standard of living has been eroded even further. I ask for the Minister's response to this and to show some urgency.

The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and Marine will today discuss proposals for a new school of veterinary medicine in Ireland. I note that expressions of interest have been submitted to provide increased availability of training and that those expressions are being assessed. One of the considerations is the development of such training at a regional level. This is clearly important, given the increased global demand for agrifood products in the future and increased demands for sustainable production methods, as well as addressing the issue of antimicrobial resistance. I acknowledge that the Department is working on meeting increased future demand for veterinary learning. Is consideration being given to just one regional learning space or will more than one base outside of UCD be considered?

The delivery of skills must be accompanied by a workplace that is attractive to work in. Health services are a particular case in point here. Children’s disabilities network teams have 4,953 children on their books, yet recruitment in this area is challenging to say the least, as is recruitment across the health sector. If we are to train our people in crucial skills that the workforce needs, we must do all we can to make future careers attractive enough for those graduates to stay here. That is the considerable challenge the Government needs to meet. I offer my support to the European Year of Skills and hope that the ambitions extend far beyond this year alone.

See this speech in context