Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I am delighted to raise this issue of importance in my constituency and, I am sure, across the country. It has been raised time and again by a number of my constituents who are affected by it.

Our student grant scheme, which was set out in the Student Support Act 2011 and SI 305/2011 and amended in previous years, has a flaw that has become particularly visible during the present economic problems and employment challenges. This is the stipulation that an applicant must always be progressing to a higher level on the National Qualifications Framework - from level 6, diploma or certificate, to level 7, ordinary degree, to level 8, honours degree, and so forth. These restrictive stipulations are developed in sections 14 to 16 of the statutory instrument. In ordinary circumstances it is entirely understandable that the State would direct its educational assistance resources to encourage deeper and more comprehensive learning. However, we are experiencing a very turbulent time for employment and jobs. Sectors and industries which appeared buoyant four or five years ago are now devoid of employment opportunities. This has very serious ramifications for persons who have put all the investment and effort into obtaining a degree at level 7 or 8 in these areas.

The sensible option is to find another sector with better employment prospects and enrol in a training or educational course. This invariably means undertaking a course at a lower level on the national qualifications framework, such as a diploma or certificate. I have been contacted by many people in Galway who have tried to take this route only to find to their dismay that they are ineligible for a grant or assistance because they have a previous qualification. They are caught in a trap. They are unable to improve their chances of obtaining employment and therefore must remain dependent on the social welfare system.

I acknowledge, and warmly welcome, several initiatives from the Government which have already commenced, chiefly the Springboard initiative and the recently announced ICT conversion courses as part of the new ICT action plan. However, Springboard is not without its problems. There must be greater flexibility in terms of courses offered, the location of courses and the practicality of the courses. For example, a three year course is not much use to somebody who has already spent several years in college or university. They are unemployed now and need targeted, specific, skills-based, short-term education now, not in September or in September 2013.

FÁS is in the process of changing to become SOLAS and this is an ideal opportunity for greater co-operation and innovation between the old FÁS organisation, the universities and the institutes of technology to provide relevant, intensive short-term courses to fill the employment gaps we currently have. In Galway, for example, there are dozens of IT related vacancies which managers are struggling to fill. We, unfortunately, have an unacceptable rate of unemployment but few jobseekers with the required skills, yet when a jobseeker who has a qualification in a different sector attempts to re-skill, he or she cannot because of the progression stipulation in the student grant legislation.

I appeal to the Minister to think more creatively and innovatively on this matter. I accept the financial difficulties facing the education budget and acknowledge that the Minister's task is the most challenging to face a Minister with responsibility for education in recent decades. However, there are some steps we could take. We could, for example, make an allowance for persons attempting to change career direction and re-skill in a designated industry with employment opportunities - a one-off opportunity to re-skill and receive assistance to access a course which will enable entry to a new industry. This would be on top of the Springboard initiative and could encompass a wider range of areas, including IT and second level teaching. We could also examine key areas within sectors, such as software programming, coding and application building and, in conjunction with FÁS, universities such as National University of Ireland Galway, NUIG, and institutes of technology such as Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, GMIT, offer short, skills-based courses in these areas.

Ultimately, we must change the student grant scheme from its current rigid set-up to having a more flexible, fluid, common-sense approach that is better able to address the challenges of today's job market and meet the needs of jobseekers throughout the country, especially in the Galway area which is of particular concern to me.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I am replying on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue.

Springboard is a specific initiative to provide free part-time higher education places targeted at unemployed people who have lost their jobs as a result of the recession and who would benefit from upskilling or re-skilling to get back into sustainable employment. Places on Springboard courses are open to unemployed people who have a previous history of employment and there is no requirement that a person be progressing on the national framework of qualifications.

Since Springboard was first launched in May 2011, more than 4,300 unemployed people have been supported to undertake higher education programmes in areas of employment growth such as ICT, pharma-chem and the green economy. An analysis of the outputs to date shows that the programme has been very successful in reaching its target cohorts. A total of 77% of participants are aged between 25 and 49 years, 60% had been out of work for more than one year and 20%, the largest single group, were previously employed in the construction sector. Earlier this month the initial Springboard programme was expanded to provide an additional 500 places on 15 courses that had exceptionally high demand when they first ran in 2011. In addition, a further €10 million has been made available for the roll-out of a second programme of Springboard places in 2012. Details of the courses being funded and the number of places being supported will be available in May following a competitive tender process.

In response to specific skills shortages in the ICT sector, earlier this year my Department published a joint Government-industry ICT action plan aimed at building the supply of high level ICT graduates, a matter raised by Deputy Kyne in his contribution. One measure included in the plan is provision of more than 750 free places on 17 new graduate skills conversion programmes throughout the country. The programmes allow those with the appropriate qualifications to convert their skills during an intensive course of study in a higher education institute and a corresponding work placement in a collaborative company. Further details are available on bluebrick.ie.

Progression requirements are in place in respect of eligibility for student grants for general full-time higher education programmes. Students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for student grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment. To satisfy the terms and conditions relating to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. The objective of this policy is to help as many students as possible to obtain one qualification at each level of study.

Given the high level of demand on the student grant budget from first-time students and students who are progressing with their studies to a higher level, there are no plans to change these general arrangements. However, the provision of free targeted places under the Springboard initiative addresses the concern raised by the Deputy regarding re-skilling opportunities for unemployed persons.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his response and I appreciate the positive initiatives that have been put in place by the Government, such as Springboard and the ICT action plan. However, I am disappointed that there are no plans to change the progression requirements to facilitate people who have already achieved qualifications. I ask the Minister to consider this in future budgets. It is very important.

I have been contacted about this by a number of people. They are, for example, people who have a qualification but are now in teacher training college. They are in danger of dropping out because of this rule. I have also been contacted by managerial people who are undertaking a course in university and would like to be able to transfer to Springboard but they are, unfortunately, precluded from doing so. Perhaps the Minister might consider these situations in future budgets. People are caught in a trap. Due to the economic situation they are unable to secure employment in their chosen career but there are other opportunities through undertaking other courses. This issue must be examined.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I will take on board the suggestions made by the Deputy. I believe our Department is not particularly dogmatic on any aspect of policy development. The Springboard programme is proof of that. It is an innovative programme that seeks to support those who are unemployed and need to re-skill and to offer them another career choice in another career direction. The programme was developed as a specific response to enable unemployed people to access higher skills levels. It is free and the places available in it are free. There is no cost for the participants. The participants are also entitled to keep their existing social welfare supports while they are accessing the Springboard course.

An evaluation of the Springboard process and the outputs to date has been completed by the Higher Education Authority. It shows the programme has been very successful in reaching its target groups. It also identifies a number of improvements for the next phase of Springboard and these are being fed into the roll-out of Springboard 2012. The Deputy correctly mentioned the significant skills shortages in the ICT sector. We are now providing ICT conversion programmes, providing a further flexible learning opportunity to those who are qualified in one area and who would require little intervention to allow them to work in the ICT sector. We are targeting a number of places for that cohort over the next 12 months.