Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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Before I address the issue at hand I wish to pay tribute my friend, mentor and colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I would not be in this Chamber today if it were not for the constant support, guidance and example of the Minister who announced today that he will shortly exit the Government benches and leave the political stage. He is a Titan of the Labour movement and a liberalising and modernising force in Irish society. I am proud to say he is a political hero of mine. He can look back on his career safe in the knowledge that he has changed Ireland and Irish society for the better.

There is a very serious and troubling shortage of SOLAS-led courses available in the immediate Drogheda area, which the agency must address. All of us who are interested in ensuring people who have lost their jobs get back to work as quickly possible want to see them given the route back to work that they need. The unemployment rate in Drogheda, Ireland’s largest town, has dropped by approximately 20% over the past three years, since this Government took office. The Louth and Drogheda area in general have done extremely well through a range of Government initiatives such as the provision of MOMENTUM and Springboard places and other schemes.

Local stakeholders who are involved in job facilitation and job coaching and guiding people through the system, and constituents have drawn my attention the fact that there are very few direct SOLAS courses available in the Drogheda area. There is no SOLAS training centre. That regional training centre is located in Dundalk. A mere six of the 150 SOLAS courses available in the north east are available in Drogheda. This is incongruous and unacceptable for the sixth largest urban area in the country. We need to ensure courses are available as close as possible to those who wish to access them. Travelling to the local FÁS regional centre in Dundalk can be problematic and expensive for a person from Drogheda, all the more so if the person lives in Laytown or Bettystown because that involves taking two or three buses. It is even more complicated for those attending evening courses because the last bus for Drogheda leaves Dundalk before the classes end. That is a practical problem that needs to be addressed with some imagination.

The unavailability of courses in the Drogheda area is a real problem and I am concerned that it can act as a real barrier to participation for people who should be in a position to take up courses to allow them get back to work quickly, and to equip them with the type of skills that the Minister wants to equip them with and that I want them to develop, to enable them get back into work as quickly as possible. The Department, SOLAS and all the other stakeholders need to work closely together to ensure all those issues are addressed, the obstacles removed and that there are many practical SOLAS courses available in the locality for people from the Drogheda area.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I echo Deputy Nash’s sentiments about the announcement by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, today that he does not intend to remain in his position. It has been a privilege and honour to work beside the Minister over the past three years. He has been exceptionally supportive of the work I do and we have achieved a great deal together in a short time. It was very encouraging to work beside someone who has been in the political sphere for over 40 years but never lost his zeal and passion for reform. The programme for reform that he instigated over the past three years has put the learner, children and adult learners at the heart of that reform programme. I wish him every success in the future.

As of yesterday SOLAS is no longer involved in the direct provision of training, other than for certain national programmes. This comes about as a result of the radical reform of the further education and training sector undertaken by this Government. Thirty-three vocational education committees have been replaced by 16 education and training boards which have full responsibility for the planning and delivery of education and training in their areas.

To achieve that integration between education and training delivery, the former FÁS training centres have been transferred in two tranches. The second round of moves took effect on 1 July and included the transfer of the Dundalk training centre, and all the training activity contracted from there, to Louth-Meath ETB. The process of reform, however, involves more than changing structures and re-organising institutions. The Further Education and Training Strategy 2014-2019, the first such strategy published for this country, published by SOLAS in April, sets out a way forward for the sector through five key objectives: to deliver skills for the economy; to support active participation by citizens; to improve how further education and training, FET, is planned and delivered; to raise the quality of FET, and to improve standing of FET as a strong option in the overall education and training sector.

One of the key initiatives under the strategy is the production each year of an integrated FET service plan. The first of these plans was produced this year and is available on the SOLAS website. It brings together all the FET activity across the 16 ETBs and sets a range of targets in respect of participation and certification. The annual planning process will be informed by an analysis of need in each ETB area and includes engagement with the Department of Social Protection, Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, enterprise boards, employers and other key stakeholders. A comprehensive analysis of available statistical data will also be undertaken considering unemployment trends, vacancies, local job opportunities and regional labour market reports. This process helps to determine the regional and local course types with a focus on providing market-led education and training opportunities, while also supporting early school leavers and others who are further away from the labour market.

This is the context in which the Louth-Meath ETB will plan its provision in Drogheda and other areas for 2015 and subsequent years. I understand there will be 554 training places delivered in Drogheda in 2014 across a range of programmes, including traineeships, specific skills training and local training initiatives. There will also be places delivered under the MOMENTUM programme. This is in addition to the range of former VEC provision available, including Youthreach, vocational training opportunities scheme and post-leaving certificate provision. I am confident the new ETB service planning process will ensure Drogheda is well served with further education and training options developed on a fully informed basis.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response. I have great faith in the service providers and State agencies working in this area. They have stepped up to the mark in recent years and have shown significant determination and imagination and a personal commitment to getting people back to work. They include SOLAS, local employment service, and Intreo staff in the offices in Drogheda and across Louth and elsewhere, and all manner of jobs facilitators who are extremely passionate about their work.

The ETB arrangement is very interesting and can lead to further integration and enhancement of the training opportunities available in real time. It is very important that the agencies are responsive and flexible enough to respond to the needs as they see them on the ground almost in real time. There is a gap in the availability of SOLAS courses in the Drogheda area. That is clear on the website. It is important that the ETB responds to that. I am confident that under the FET plan it will be enabled to do that. I look forward to the provision of 554 training places in the Drogheda area in 2014.

Of course that is in addition to the many other opportunities that are available through other agencies and local initiatives. I think the prospects for those who are seeking training in this area are very positive. There are opportunities in the wider context of further education and training service plans to develop a more responsive system. I look forward to working with the education and training boards to make sure the system meets the needs of people who need support and training in order to move into employment.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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We are investing over €800 million, which is a very significant amount of money, in further education and training each year. We have put in place a framework to secure the best possible results for the more than 200,000 learners who engage with the system every year. These are all unique individuals with unique personal challenges. They have a diverse set of backgrounds, needs and aspirations. A wide range of good quality provision, driven by a desire to service these unique individual needs, is required at this time if the achievements of each of those individuals is to match his or her potential and if each of them is to play a valuable part in society and the economy. In its five-year strategy, SOLAS has set out how the sector can raise its game. Like Deputy Nash, I am confident that the sector is raising its game as we speak. There is significant passion and commitment in SOLAS and within the education and training board structure at national and regional levels. There is significant collaboration between the Department of Social Protection, through its Intreo network, and the education and training boards at local level. That involves proper planning, targeting, provision and evaluation of the education and training offered by a range of providers. It does not and it will not involve the passive provision of funding to a system that changes little from year to year. Changes in provision will be made in towns like Drogheda on an ongoing basis arising from changes in the circumstances of those towns. The Louth-Meath education and training board will plan the provision for the various groups of learners in Drogheda in an informed and consultative manner. This will lead to the best possible use of the resources that are available to the board. I encourage the Deputy and all Members of the House to engage actively with education and training boards at regional and local levels in the future. This will best serve the interests of their constituents with regard to the provision of further education and training.