Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

I welcome these statements on the importance of higher education. A cornerstone of Ireland's economic success has been the availability of a highly skilled and educated workforce. Since we embraced foreign direct investment and enabled access to second level education for all, knowledge and talent have been the pillars of our economic strategy. Ongoing investment in further and higher education is core to our ambition of delivering sustained economic growth. The Government must ensure that investment offers opportunity for everyone while remaining agile to address the key challenges faced by our country as well as the new and emerging technology and work practices.

Fianna Fáil has a proud tradition in education. Expanding access and excellence in further and higher education has been a core priority for our party for many years. Our continued social and economic progress relies on a skilled workforce, and we in Fianna Fáil are focused on equipping young people and those returning to education with the necessary tools and skills to achieve this. This is why in 2020 Fianna Fáil established a dedicated Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It is why we have an ambitious programme for Government.

It is a skilled and educated workforce that has allowed our economy to become the success story it is today, while still, of course, facing challenges. It is why we have been so attractive in terms of foreign direct investment. Taxation and our corporation tax were key to this, and so is the fact we are an English-speaking country. Far beyond these basic examples there is the fact we have such a skilled and educated workforce. While tariffs will obviously continue to be a challenge for our economy, it is our education and skills that will prove to be the success story in weathering the storm. Our workforce is educated for the companies that have come here and invested billions in our economy. It is continued investment and dedication to our education system and, in particular, our higher education system that will allow us to continue to be attractive to foreign direct investment for many years to come.

In my constituency third level education and higher education are very important. We have Mary Immaculate College in Thurles educating teachers. We have TUS in Thurles and in Clonmel in the south of the county, and we have the national apprenticeship centre in Archerstown in Thurles. They provide employment but they are also providing education at home where it is accessible to more and more people. Recently, I was delighted to attend the launch of the department of business and accounting in Mary Immaculate College, which continues to turn out more and more teachers for secondary education, whom we so desperately need in this country.

With regard to apprenticeship numbers, I am glad to see a renewed focus on this. It is very important. We need more and more skilled employees in our workforce if we are to build the houses we desperately need. I particularly welcome the shift in mindset we have seen in the past decade on apprenticeships in this country. I think particularly of the class of 2014, of which I was part, and the class of 2015, when there was essentially no focus or ambition to send young people into apprenticeships or skills. We are paying the price for that today. Higher education or third level education is extremely important but for those who do not have the ability or skill set, there are other options providing incredibly beneficial employment. We need to focus on equipping our young people in this country with the skills they need and the skills that suit them and their abilities.

We are seeing an historic reform of the leaving certificate, which is very important and welcome but it needs to be done right. It will bring enormous benefits. It will bring critical thinking skills and analytical skills to young people. We need to constantly move away from the rote learning model of education in this country. It is something that becomes a massive challenge for young people, particularly when they enter tertiary education. The focus must also be put back on schools and the education of young people, and getting them into the mindset that tertiary education does not have to be the be-all and end-all for how they succeed in life.

I will give the example of my own case. I am a college dropout. I did go to UCD afterwards but coming out of secondary education in the class of 2014, the entire focus and drive was on going to university. We could look at a level 6 or 7 qualification but only as a stepping stone if we could not get a level 8 qualification. We have moved away from that. We have to be able to convince young people, particularly with the pressures of the leaving certificate at present, that there are alternative routes to success and alternative routes to education, skills and employment. This will be very important, particularly in terms of challenging the stresses and strains on young people. There are other alternatives out there. I welcome that. The introduction of the Department in 2020 has been key to that and will be key in this battle.

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