David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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84. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made by students participating in local training initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26785/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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This question, in the name of Deputy Stanton, seeks to ascertain the progress made since the inception of the local training initiatives, LTIs, that is, how they have developed, the extent to which trainees have gone on to better things and a general profile of how the system is operating.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for the question. Local training initiatives, LTIs, are training and work experience programmes carried out in partnership with community and voluntary organisations. They provide a basis for the 16 education and training boards, ETBs, to contract with community bodies to provide a service initiative in a locality where there are identified community needs. Training provision is intended to be sufficiently flexible to address the identified need and is typically six to 12 months in duration.

Due to the impact of Covid-19, the further education and training system quickly enabled provision to be moved online, where possible, in collaboration with Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, and wider stakeholders. On-site provision was impacted as a result of the restrictions during 2020 and into 2021. However, guidance was issued regarding supporting some face-to-face provision for time-critical, practical elements of programmes where on-site attendance was necessary, as well as for learners from marginalised backgrounds. The provision of LTIs has been part of the overall response, and as a result of that response, I confirm that in 2020, 87.3% of unique learners participating in LTIs fully or partially completed their courses. This is a slight increase on the completion rates in 2018 and 2019, where 84% and 86%, respectively, of learners fully or partially completed their courses.

My Department is committed to the continuing development of LTIs and the important services they provide to learners within communities.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Will the number of participants, county-by-county, be made readily available? How many participants are involved now? Has the number fluctuated since the inception of LTIs? What reasons were given by those who did not complete their courses? Are there plans to improve, update or upgrade this scheme to attract the maximum number of participants with a view to graduation? In the same context, what did the participants do after completing their courses? Were they successful in moving on to third-level or to employment, for example?

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Durkan for his supplementary question. I do not have the county-by-county analysis which the Deputy is requesting, but we can ask for that and have the information furnished to him. Turning to the percentage of people who complete their courses, and despite the impact of Covid-19, as I mentioned in my initial reply, the numbers who completed or partially completed their courses were approximately 85% and upwards. That was consistent with previous years. Regarding why the remaining percentage of participants did not complete their courses, I do not have that information to hand.

We will furnish the Deputy with it.

In relation to the Deputy's query about further plans, the Deputy will be aware of the local training initiatives in his own constituency and I see them operating on the ground in my constituency. They are an organic initiative taken by our education and training boards, ETBs, in consultation with local community needs and desires. Where a need is identified, a local training initiative is introduced by the local ETB.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I will come back to the Minister of State in a moment.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. I ask whether it might be possible to identify the direction in which the participants go after completing a course. Do many of them come back for repeat courses? Can they come back for repeat courses?

In relation to the expansion, development and evolution of the courses for the participants, does the Minister of State have any proposals in mind with a view to maximising the benefits for the students and maximising financial returns following a cost-benefit analysis? To what degree are the Department and relevant authorities in contact with the communities in every constituency in the country with a view to expansion?

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Our Department continually liaises with the higher education authority and the ETBs in relation to the workings and runnings of our local training initiatives. As I stated in my earlier contribution, these initiatives are a recognition of local needs and they are a response to local needs. In the main, local training providers are also used to deliver them, so they are local collaborations to addressing an issue.

SOLAS is the authority responsible for providing the funding for our local training initiatives. In 2021, the allocation for local training initiatives is €18,963,000, which is a significant sum of money. That is projected to enable 2,295 learners to partake in 228 local training initiatives right across the country.