Results 5,741-5,760 of 46,260 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I fully agree with the Deputy. As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, one of the key areas where we can do a great deal more to embed peace and to try to create economic prosperity, well-being, good jobs and skills is in the cross-Border area. It makes sense, for example, to undertake medical education. Without deviating too much from the question, it makes...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for her question. Increasing the number of people availing of apprenticeships is a key priority for me and my Department. The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 sets out the vision for apprenticeships. This includes new ways of structuring, funding and promoting apprenticeships to make them more accessible to employers and, crucially, to learners. To...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: First, we have never had more apprentice registrations than we saw in 2021. Registrations that year were the highest ever. That said, I appreciate the point the Deputy made. We obviously had the global pandemic but we are seeing a very significant acceleration of apprenticeships. The Deputy does not have to take my word for that. She can ask business groups around the country, the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I am not reopening another debate on housing but I would just point out that the Housing for All targets were met in the last calendar year. There are precisely 320 public sector apprenticeships as of now, with 100 more planned for this year. If we include the semi-State sector as well, the total is 938 apprenticeships. There are 938 apprentices in the public and semi-State sectors...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Yes, absolutely.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (30 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: I am actively working to address the supply of student accommodation. Indeed, that is probably an understatement. A unit has been established within my Department and there is really good engagement going on with both the traditional and the technological universities. We all know the challenges involved. The increasing costs of construction and financing are impacting on viability and as...

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

Simon Harris: According the HEA's Student Record System, in the 2021/22 academic year in total there were 7,200 students enrolled across all years of medicine programmes. Of these, 3,600 were non-EU students. The 2021/22 statistics are the most recent available. However, since this time, a significant agreement has been reached with the medical schools to increase the number of places for Irish and EU...

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...