Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the power of higher education, research and skills as economic enablers. My predecessor, former Deputy Seán Sherlock, was a champion of research and skills when he served as a Minister of State.

It is often said that education is a great leveller, meaning that further education qualifications can enable those with the least in our society to make good careers and comfortable lives for themselves and that they can overcome social and economic disadvantage. I am a believer in this theory. However, I do not believe our current education system provides that option for a broad enough base. Education cannot enable economic prosperity if costs prevent many from entering further or higher education. I refer here not only registration costs or course fees but also to living costs in a country where everything is becoming more expensive.

National school and secondary school are supposed to be free to all children. However, parents are paying significant amounts for school materials, uniforms and trips and on voluntary contributions. These costs put unnecessary economic barriers in the way of many students and their families. The costs only increase as students progress through their education and move towards obtaining qualifications. College fees constitute another barrier. College accommodation and remuneration obtained on foot of part-time work and from apprenticeships are also barriers. These are all economic barriers that people have to overcome in order to access the great leveller.

When it comes to student housing, funding for the technological university sector needs to be unlocked. This sector needs to be allowed to borrow money to either purchase or arrange for the construction of purpose-built student accommodation. It is important that the types of housing available in our university cities, including my city of Cork, are diverse. Students need to live within a reasonable distance of their third level institutions. It is a failure of housing planning if students are competing in the rental market with couples, families and single people who work in our cities and towns. This is the reality in Ireland. Everyone is competing in the same rental market, with piecemeal options for students. Many of these necessary education-related elements are available for free or at least at a cost that is much more affordable across Europe. This should be our goal for the sector here too.

We heard many statements last week celebrating the prosperity that European Union membership has brought Ireland. I suggest that when it comes to further and higher education, we need much more alignment with how those sectors are being run by our EU neighbours in order that we might continue to grow prosperity here. If we compare ourselves with Finland, where third level education tuition is free and the average age that young adults move out of the family home is 21, we can see that have a hell of a long way to go.

It is often stated that third level education is not everything, that we should not get so obsessed about it and that we should get rid of some of the stigmas attached to other forms of further and higher education. I agree wholeheartedly, but if the Minister speaks to any apprentice across the country, he will find that going down this route to qualification is not free of its own economic barriers. Scrapping the fees would certainly be welcome, as would ensuring that apprentices have a living wage, because we need to keep people in apprenticeships and in the sector. For a start, it is my belief that a minimum wage should not be undercut by anything. Under-18s who are legally eligible to work should be at least paid the minimum wage. An apprentice learning his or her trade should be paid at least the minimum wage. The core principle of a minimum wage is that no one can be paid less than the rate. That should be the case. How can an apprentice run a car, pay rent and bills or have any disposable income when he or she is being paid below minimum wage? All these factors contribute to adults living with their parents well into their thirties. Their contribution to their local economies and personal prosperity is significantly hampered as a result. These are the reasons so many look to other avenues, particularly overseas.

Apprenticeships in the public sector must be varied and diverse. If the State and local authorities are not a driver behind this, then we are once again passing the buck to a private sector that has no obligations in the context of either wider society or creating a diverse workforce. I see this when someone who is more than likely living in council accommodation contacts my office because they are looking for a plumber or carpenter to come to their home. They are often have to wait weeks for the work to be completed because local authorities simply do not have the workers.

Community-based vocational education, training and adult education courses are vital parts of our education system for securing a well-skilled workforce and providing new opportunities for people when other routes are not accessible or appropriate. The further education and training sector provides valuable and distinctive pathways for school leavers, workers seeking to upskill, lifelong learners, those marginalised and looking to re-engage in education and local employers, community groups and schemes.

I welcome the fact that the SUSI grant system is made available to more people each year. We need to continue progress in that regard. The Minister will agree with me on that. The system needs significant reform to reflect the lived reality of students by recognising estranged students, those in international protection and part-time students.

When we look at international students in further and higher education, we can see the significant contribution they make to our economy and society. Universities across Ireland are conducting vital research through the hard work and dedication of international students, yet those students face barriers. Registration fees for international students must be looked at in view of the fact that they already have to pay considerable amounts to get places in our universities. They then face the same housing and cost-of-living barriers as domestic students. Also in this regard, we must extend the duration of visas for international students for the length of their course programmes rather than obliging them to renew those visas annually. The requirement to do so puts students under unnecessary pressure. It also means more administrative work for college admissions staff. It is pure common sense. If a course is going to last four or five years, a student must be given a visa that will last for that period rather than one that has to be renewed each year. One person who contacted me stated that he was only given a visa for eight months even though he has another two years to go on his apprenticeship.

I commend the contribution of Youth Work Ireland and youth groups across the country. The services and courses they provide are a vital facet in ensuring that those furthest from mainstream education have the opportunity to upskill and contribute to our economy. Further and higher education is indeed an economic enabler for our economy. It must be accessible, affordable and a right for any person who desires it for it to be an economic enabler for them. It cannot be an enabler unless the social and economic barriers to further and higher education that are in place are removed.

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