Results 4,861-4,880 of 45,373 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department continues to prioritise strengthening our skills ecosystem to ensure it has the agility and flexibility to adapt to changing priorities in the skills and workforce development landscape, including increasingly rapid, technologically driven changes in the world of work. This focus is underpinned by the detailed and comprehensive OECD review of Ireland's National Skills Strategy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The quality of our researchers is fundamental to the quality of our research system and its collaboration with partners in industry and policymakers, both in Ireland and abroad. Under Pillar 4 of our national research and innovation strategy, Impact 2030, we have committed to ensuring that researchers have the right skills development and career opportunities so that they can make their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The government has set an ambitious target to retrofit 500,000 homes by 2030. Important steps towards delivering on this target are the increased numbers enrolling on NZEB [Near Zero Energy Building] courses and the establishment of the SOLAS Green Skills Programme Office. Education and training for retrofitting and construction sector skills are delivered through more than 50 programmes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I am actively addressing the difficulties faced by students in accessing affordable student accommodation. On 29 November 2022, I secured Government approval for funding of €1 million to support Technological Universities in the development of student accommodation strategies and feasibility studies. These will help inform the level demand and potential sources of supply of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Veterinary Services (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Ensuring a supply of qualified Vets to meet the demands of the sector is a priority for my Department. Workforce planning requirements for the veterinary medicine sector require advice from and consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Veterinary Council of Ireland, as the regulators of the profession. No decisions have been made at this stage in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The growth of offshore renewable energy is critical to meeting our climate action targets. The Government is committed to ensuring that the education and training system, including both higher and further education providers, is appropriately positioned to support the development of the skills required by this sector. In this context, my Department is participating on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department is committed to supporting equity of access, participation and success for Irish Travellers in Higher Education. The most recent National Access Plan sets out the situation starkly. 1% of Travellers have a third level qualification, compared to 55% of the population. Collectively, we need to do much better. Gathering accurate data on Irish Traveller participation in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I’d like to thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The quality of our researchers is fundamental to the quality of our research system and its collaboration with partners in industry and policymakers, both in Ireland and abroad. Under Pillar 4 of our national research and innovation strategy, Impact 2030, we have committed to ensuring that researchers have the right skills...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disability Services (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Some 12,500 learners who took part in Further Education and Training (FET) courses in 2022 declared themselves as having a disability. Some of these learners took part in programmes specifically designed for people with a disability such as the Specialist Training Provision programme, while others participated across the broader FET provision programmes. The provision of public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Integration of Carlow College, St. Patrick's into an autonomous higher education institution is in the first instance a matter for the respective governing authorities of Carlow College and any potential partner higher education institution. In this context, the College is continuing to engage with the South East Technological University (SETU) on potential incorporation. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified graduates to meet the critical skills needs in healthcare, education and engineering is a priority for my Department. My Department is strongly committed to supporting the tertiary education sector in supplying graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective to meet the professional demand in these areas. Officials from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: In May 2022, I launched Funding the Future, a landmark funding and reform framework for higher education. I also set out my intention to advance a progressive range of measures to address cost as a barrier to education, in the context of overall budgetary decision-making. The Government has now made important decisions about a sustainable model of funding for the higher education into the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I’d like to thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The quality of our researchers is fundamental to the quality of our research system and its collaboration with partners in industry and policymakers, both in Ireland and abroad. Under Pillar 4 of our national research and innovation strategy, Impact 2030, we have committed to ensuring that researchers have the right skills...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Veterinary Services (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science does not place a quota on the number of places on veterinary medicine courses offered by higher education institutions, and as such the number of places provided each year is determined by the institutions themselves in line with their capacity. The HEA is currently running an expression of interest process...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: At the end of 2022, of the total apprentice population of 26,109, there were approximately 320 apprentices registered with public service employers such as the Civil Service, the Defence Forces, and Local Authorities. These apprentices were registered across over 16 different apprenticeship programmes in areas as diverse as cyber-security, accounting technician, recruitment, heavy vehicle...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: At the end of last year, I was delighted to announce that Galway and Roscommon ETB’s strategic proposal was successful at the first stage of the assessment process under the FET College of the Future Major Projects Fund. This proposal will now move to the next stage of the process which will entail the development of a preliminary business case in line with public spending code...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disability Services (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. Significant engagement is ongoing between my Department, the Department of Health, the Department of Children,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Mar 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. The Plan seeks to deliver on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum, across a wide range of programmes, by 2025. Apprenticeship has undergone transformation over the past 7...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: A core objective for my Department is to ensure that individuals and businesses are offered supports and pathways to quality education, upskilling and reskilling opportunities in order to address changes in to world of work including the digital revolution and climate transformation. Lifelong Learning could not be more important as we leverage these alterations in how we live and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Addressing the cost of education is a key priority for me. As part of the Government's cost of living measures, every SUSI maintenance grant recipient received an additional once-off extra maintenance payment paid by the end of December 2022. This included PLC, undergraduate and Postgraduate Students who are in receipt of the Special Rate of Grant. All higher education students who are...