Results 4,201-4,220 of 46,260 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department is focused on aligning planning within the higher education sector with the workforce requirements and skills needs of the country. Our approach to addressing these challenges is firmly rooted in collaborative partnership with enterprise and other stakeholders and is central to our economic and social ambitions. Planning for current and future public sector workforce and skills...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department have a number of measures in place to make education more accessible for parents returning or continuing education. One of the priorities for Budget 2024 and for the Taoiseach is reducing child poverty. From September 2024 a part-time fee grant scheme will provide support for eligible students who are undertaking specified undergraduate part-time programmes leading to a major...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies, as set out in legislation, and as such the management of their academic affairs, including the awards offered, are a matter for each individual institution. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), in its role as the state agency responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training in Ireland, is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I am actively prioritising the supply and affordability of student accommodation, in recognition of the challenges our students are facing. Through “Housing for All”, the Government has approved development of policy and funding to increase the supply of student accommodation. I have to date secured Government approval of up to €61m in funding to unlock the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: One of the five overarching objectives of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 is "Apprenticeship for All". That is, ensuring that the profile of the apprenticeship population more closely reflects the profile of the general population. The Plan promotes general access, diversity, and inclusion in apprenticeship by offering targeted supports to encourage participation from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Ensuring a supply of qualified vets is an important issue for me and my Department. Officials in my Department have been engaging closely with colleagues in Minister McConalogue's Department in relation to these graduate supply requirements. A number of institutions put forward proposals, following the recent HEA Expression of Interest process, outlining options for the expansion of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Being demand-led in nature, there are no restrictions on the number of apprentices that can be registered. The current buoyant labour market, coupled with the recognition of apprenticeship as a valuable employment and skills development opportunity, is a welcome endorsement of this Government’s support of, and ambitions for, Apprenticeships in the tertiary sector The ‘Action...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship more accessible to employers and learners. Expansion to date has widened the impact of apprenticeship to areas of skills shortage such as engineering, technology skills, logistics, and fintech. The ambition of the Plan is to reach 10,000...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Strategies (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department is currently finalising work in relation to its new Statement of Strategy, which I expect to be published shortly. During March and April of this year, my Department engaged in a public and stakeholder consultation exercise, where submissions and representations on the development of a new Statement of Strategy were invited. The Department received 84 such submissions through...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I am actively prioritising the supply and affordability of student accommodation, in recognition of the challenges our students are facing. Through “Housing for All”, the Government has approved development of policy and provision of funding to increase the supply of purpose-built student accommodation. I have to date secured Government approval of up to €61m in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Currently, Phase 2 Pipe fitting training is delivered in Cork ETB and LMETB by two instructors. Phase 4 is currently delivered in LMETB and there is currently one workshop with one instructor delivering the training. As the Co-ordinating Provider for the apprenticeship, the NAO and SOLAS are actively engaging with the Collaborating Providers and employers of pipe fitting apprentices to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: In Budget 2024, I am once again providing a significant package of measures to support students and made it a priority to reduce the cost of third level education. I acknowledge that cost is a barrier to education and I am continuing to break down that barrier and make further and higher education more accessible for more people. For the second year in a row, I have reduced the student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Since last November I have secured Government approval of up to €61m in funding to unlock the development of approximately 1,000 new and additional student accommodation beds across four universities. These projects are being progressed as immediate response measures to unlock supply of affordable accommodation in partnership with our University sector. This measure is being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The National Development Plan (NDP) published in 2021 provided clarity on Departmental capital ceilings for the period 2022 – 2025. A dedicated capital envelope was established for the Further Education and Training (FET) sector, amounting to €300m over the decade 2018-2027. Available funding has increased from €5.5 million in 2018 to €17.5 million in 2020 and a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The issue of academic career precarity is and will remain an important element of the work of my Department. As announced in the recent Budget, an additional €193 million in funding is being provided over 2023 and 2024 to the Higher Education sector. This includes some €60m under the Funding the Future policy framework to build capacity and to ensure the sector is funded...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2024 (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: In Budget 2024, I am once again providing a significant package of measures to support students. Cost should never be a barrier when it comes to education. It should never be a barrier to someone reaching their full potential or pursuing their goals and getting to where they want to in life. For the second year in a row, I have reduced the student contribution fee by €1,000 for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The Climate Action Plan 2023 provides for an actionable response to support and accelerate the design, development and implementation of apprenticeships meeting green skills needs for the future. Development of transferable green skills for life, through to specific skills requirements for emerging green sectors of the economy including Near Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB)/ retrofit, offshore...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The impact that the cost of living is having on our apprentices continues to be a concern. For my part, in addition to the more broad measures taken by this government, apprentices will specifically benefit from funding of €3.8m for a one-third reduction in the Apprenticeship Student Contribution Fee for those attending Higher Education Institutions in the 2023/24 academic year. This...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that Budget 2024 contains a package of measures to support households with the cost of living. These include a number of measures targeted at further and higher education students and their families. These include:A €1,000 reduction in the student contribution fee for higher education students eligible for the free fees initiative;An increase to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: There are no restrictions on the number of apprentices that can be registered each year, as the system is demand-led. The current buoyant labour market and the recognition of apprenticeship as a valuable employment and skills development opportunity, is a welcome endorsement of this Government’s support of, and ambitions for, Apprenticeships in the tertiary sector. The apprenticeship...