Dáil debates

Thursday, 29 May 2014

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions

Further Education and Training Programmes Provision

11:00 am

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views that the recently published Further Education and Training Strategy 2014-2019 will neglect non-tech or non-business related further education. [23452/14]

Photo of Ciarán CannonCiarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I am confident that the recently launched five-year further education and training, FET, strategy, Ireland's first ever further education and training strategy, will provide the right balance between provision that has a primary focus on developing skills for the economy and courses that support core skills and personal development and are aimed at increasing equity, social inclusion and educational progression. There is a need to strike that balance. Of course, these latter programmes also assist learners on their journey to employment, and we should never try somehow to separate those two objectives. Of the programmes with an economic focus, investment priorities will be determined by good quality labour market intelligence that identifies sectors with skills requirements over time.

The strategy contains strategic goals, both on providing skills for the economy and on such active inclusion. All programmes, regardless of their focus, will be reviewed over the lifetime of the strategy. However, the strategy recommends, subject to overall budgetary constraints, sustaining the levels of funding relating to literacy and numeracy and adult education in the immediate term. That is the most immediate challenge that we face.

Therefore, I am not concerned that the FET strategy will neglect non-tech or non-business related further education in the future.

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State's comments because it is important that the strategy does not neglect non-tech and non-business related further education and training.

Having read the report, that balance seems to be more weighted towards those who are probably at an advanced personal development level and who are ready to upskill and get into high-tech jobs. I note that the strategy contains a number of initiatives for those who are not yet at that stage and whose further education and training is about enhancing their personal development. The local training initiatives, the specialist training providers and the community training centres all will play a key role in enhancing a persons' personal development.

In the strategy, there are a number of elements. One of them is that the relationship with the business community is paramount to the success of the strategy. I wonder how that will work out on the ground. Will there be forums established to allow members of the FET to relate to the business sector? Is it individual providers and employer representative groups who will sit on those forums? If possible, I want to tease that out.

Photo of Ciarán CannonCiarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The strategy has identified five high-level goals. Goal number two is to support the active inclusion of those of all abilities in society with special reference to literacy and numeracy. I suppose the best analogy I can draw in terms of what the strategy is setting to achieve is that on the national framework for qualifications, NFQ, there are ten levels or, if you like, ten different floors, and the lift needs to go to every floor. Every person who is on whatever level, from level one to level six, seven or eight, needs to be able to press the button and be assured that the lift arrives at his or her floor and allows him or her to access that NFQ at whatever point is appropriate for him or her.

I was fortunate to be able to engage with a significant number of learners in the run-up to the development of SOLAS and the strategy, and one of the overriding concerns of learners was that they needed to be able to access high quality educational opportunities in their community, home town or village. That is still very much at the heart of the strategy. That first engagement, that first support which people can find so difficult, will be supported and nurtured by SOLAS and the ETBs in future.

In terms of engagement with employers, it is exceptionally important that such engagement occurs so we can ensure the learning and training opportunities we are providing for people are up to date and respond directly to the needs of the employment market, right at this point in time and as it evolves over time as it is doing on a rapid basis.

As Deputy O'Brien will be aware, there are industry representatives on the board of SOLAS, but also there is provision in the legislation for similar representatives on the boards of the ETBs. Each education and training board, ETB, is currently determining how exactly it can provide for that engagement, but Deputy O'Brien's suggestion of a forum is worthwhile. In meeting some significant employers, I have already spoken to some CEOs who are going down that route. For example, in Galway city there are 8,000 employed in medical devices manufacturing who hold a significant key to the future success of that city and region and it would be reasonable to expect that they would have a role to play in determining the kinds of learning and training opportunities provided in that region. It will be done on a regional basis reflecting the needs of each individual region for which the ETB has responsibility.

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I have two brief questions. In relation to the ETBs, because they are such a new entity, some ETBs may be more successful at creating those forums. I wonder what facility is there in place for the individual CEOs to take best practice from each ETB area and how that will be managed.

As to my other question, one of the points in the report, on page 19, on how we measure the success of the strategy, is:

Everybody who engages with FET, whether employed or unemployed or wishing to engage with FET for the purpose of learning, can access a high quality career guidance, counselling and labour marketing information service.
Will the Minister of State give us some more information on how that will be achieved in practice rather than in theory?

Photo of Ciarán CannonCiarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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One of the benefits of the rationalisation, from 33 VECs to 16 ETBs, will be the opportunity for CEOs to share knowledge, experience and best practice. That sharing of best practice will be facilitated by SOLAS at national level. If we see examples of best practice occurring in any part of the country - I expect we will see it occurring in all parts of the country in terms of different kinds of provision and different kinds of training opportunities - it is the ambition of SOLAS to allow for that information and best practice to be shared across the system of 16 ETBs.

In terms of the engagement at local level, the primary engagement for the unemployed will be through their Intreo office. On approaching their Intreo office, they will be able to access two unique and distinct different kinds of advice: first, the advice from the Department of Social Protection as to what kind of social welfare supports are available for them while they find themselves in that difficult place of being unemployed; and second, expert guidance from staff from within the ETB as to what exactly are the job opportunities because there will be a forensic and ongoing analysis of job opportunities in each ETB region, and then guidance and advice as to how a person can access those opportunities. Those opportunities will be there. The provision of education and training in each region will reflect the skills demands in each region and will be up to date and responsive to the demands of the labour market at the time. There will be those opportunities and there will be guidance given as to how one can access those opportunities.