Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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11. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the adequacy of the school curriculum at primary and second level to cater for the creation of an education and skills base adequate to meet the requirements of a modern, competitive economy, with particular reference to the maximisation of access to opportunities in the workforce; if the third-level institutions in their turn are in a position to ensure graduates have the requisite skills and qualifications to meet the challenges globally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31753/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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This question seeks to ascertain the extent to which each stage in the education system dovetails into the next to give the students every advantage in extracting from it the requirements needed to meet the challenges they will face eventually in the workplace.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Durkan for tabling this question. The curriculum has to evolve if our schools are to successfully equip young people with the capacity to meet the requirements of a modern, competitive economy and the needs of a modern and changing society.

The Action Plan for Education details clear curriculum change and other commitments that will secure the step-change needed to equip learners with the skills necessary to participate in the modern economy. It includes: actions to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, at primary and post-primary levels; the introduction of a new leaving certificate computer science subject from September 2018; the development of a new primary mathematics curriculum that will support all children in the development of algorithmic and computational thinking, which form the basis of coding; and the implementation of a digital strategy in schools will seek to enrich the teaching, learning and assessment environment.

The entire thrust of junior cycle reform is to enrich the learning experience of pupils with new curricula, new opportunities for project work, team work, short courses and the new junior cycle profile of achievement, which can showcase this work. This approach puts a higher value on the competencies which employers seek.

As part of the framework for junior cycle, a new science specification was introduced in September 2016, while the new mathematics specification will be implemented from September 2018. A short course on coding is also in place.

The higher and further education systems are responding strongly to the challenge of meeting Ireland’s human capital needs. Graduate output increased by 7% over the past four years and there will be a further 3% increase in 2018. One thousand additional STEM graduates will graduate from the colleges in the next two years compared to 2016. Graduate employment is increasing, and employers report strong satisfaction levels with the quality of the graduates.

New opportunities are also being developed in regard to apprenticeships, and the curriculum for apprenticeships has been updated, and traineeships. Under Springboard+, 6.500 students will have opportunities this year to participate in upskilling their existing skills in areas such as ICT, advanced manufacturing, financial services, entrepreneurship and hospitality. The education system is responding robustly to the changing nature of expectations on young people.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I ask further about the degree to which any research takes place on the completion of each stage and induction into the next stage and the degree to which the student is best placed to progress to the following stage and, eventually, to third and fourth level and on into the workplace, whichever is the optimum.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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That is a crucial point. I mentioned earlier that the transition from preschool to primary level, from primary level to secondary level and from secondary level onwards is often the occasion when children fall by the wayside. It is a very important area. Research is ongoing and a group chaired by the Secretary General of the Department considers initiatives we can take in this area. There is increased emphasis on the hand over in terms of the emerging preschool area and primary level. The primary level curriculum is being re-assessed to try to have stages within it that allow those transitions to be more successful so that the early stages are more akin to preschool and at the late stage more akin to the expectations that will be in secondary school. A good deal of work is going into that, both on the curriculum side and on more practical issues as well such as access at third level for children who could fall by the wayside, either because of disadvantage or disability. All of those metrics are improving. We are seeing more successful transitions to third level.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Are any comparisons made with other jurisdictions in like-for-like cases? To what extent has information been gleaned from any such comparisons with a view to maximising the benefit from the point of view of the students?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Department participates in a number of international fora one of which, the Atlantic Rim Collaboratory, has been particularly useful in providing examples of successful educational reform. This is not rocket science. As Deputy Nolan said earlier, it is often around the leadership and the quality of teaching. There is no magic bullet in Marlborough Street. It is about equipping teachers to allow them do their job effectively. There are initiatives, but we could do more of what the Deputy suggests in terms of learning from international standards. That is the reason we set the standard that, within a decade, we would be the best in Europe, which forces us to examine those other international players.