Results 9,421-9,440 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Medical Research and Training (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has advised that the total cost of educating an undergraduate medical student is estimated at c.€25,000 – €30,000 per student per annum. This cost is generally met from a variety of sources including state grant/fees/other income and therefore €25,000-€30,000 does not represent the total cost to the State.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that my officials have requested a copy of McHugh report on student nurse and midwife clinical placement allowances.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Chairman for inviting me, my Department and agencies of my Department to attend today. At the outset I want to commend this committee on the work it is undertaking in this area, which is hugely valuable. The way in which the committee is going about this work, in a very public and transparent way, is really helping with the important discourse that needs to happen now in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: There were loads of questions and I have little time to answer them. I want to both agree and disagree with Deputy Conway-Walsh on various matters. I will not drop the idea, as the Deputy said, that part of the issue around apprenticeships is not a lack of information, a snobbery or a cultural issue because I genuinely believe it is. That is not abdicating responsibility because I accept...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: More training on resilience would probably be useful in this game. The Senator raised a valid question. It is a point that I am trying to make here without being overly prescriptive or without crystal ball-gazing too much. There are skills that are transversal skills that I do not think our second level system as currently constructed is able to deliver on. That is not a criticism of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy made an important point. I meet people all the time who say that someone will do third level or an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is third level. The Deputy is right, in that it is a question of how we speak about it. Anything that someone does that is learning post school and is credentialled is third level.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: We do not talk about it like that, though. Instead, we ask whether we will go to third level or do an apprenticeship, but an apprenticeship is just a different way of doing third level.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I think the short answer is "Yes". We have a responsibility to build it up within our own sector as well. I am very struck by Dr. O'Connor's comments, which are hugely valid and probably broaden the discussion. If we talk about everything to do with 16- and 17-year-olds as being what happens within the school, we limit our options quite frankly. This is because schools can only do so much...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Can I make a brief point on retrofitting? I am conscious that Deputy Ó Cathasaigh raised this point. We are fully committed to it. However, I want to emphasise the point Mr. Brownlee made. It is a serious point from a policy perspective. We will not be found wanting as a Department, nor will SOLAS as an agency of our Department, in making sure we do everything we can to expand...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I endorse and agree with everything Senator Pauline O'Reilly has said. Earlier, I posed a question about climate skills in trying to help this committee with its deliberations on leaving certificate reform. While we have a role to do with third level in terms of climate and green skills, why are we retrofitting our citizens with those skills at that age when we could be doing it much...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is correct. I will ask the HEA to provide to the committee any data it has on numbers and percentages and maybe SOLAS also has some information. I will highlight two actions we are taking. One is on apprenticeships. We are setting targets for the public sector for the first time for 750 apprentices to be taken on in a year in the public sector by 2025, compared to an average of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Deputy Jim O'Callaghan's comments on the leaving certificate are very fair. The leaving certificate has its successes and for certain professions and people who wish to go a certain way in life, it works extremely well. Even for those for whom it works well - students who do extremely well in it - the sense I get from many of them is that they wished they had been exposed to other skills....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (21 Oct 2021)

Simon Harris: In Budget 2022 I secured €15 million to enhance our 2022 student grant scheme by increasing all maintenance grant payments (including the special rate of grant) by €200 per year thus benefitting circa 62,000 Students; expanding the income threshold by €1000 (with the exception of the special rate of grant) and extending the qualifying distance for the higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (21 Oct 2021)

Simon Harris: As part of Budget 2022, €22 million is being provided for the Green Skills Action programme.  This programme focuses on providing training to address climate and low carbon economy issues and is being funded under the SOLAS Recovery Skills Response Programme under Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Programme includes a focus on provision in Near Zero...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (21 Oct 2021)

Simon Harris: The €181m outlined under NRRP Priority 3 includes: 1. SOLAS skills - €114m 2. Technological University Transformation Fund ("TUTF") - €40m, and 3. The Department of Social Protection ("DSP") Work Place Experience Programme - €27m. For the SOLAS Skills – the €114m includes Programme 2021 2022 Total ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (21 Oct 2021)

Simon Harris: The National Grand Challenges Programme is a €71.6M programme running until the end of 2026 which is included in Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan(funded under the EU Recovery and Resilience facility).The programme will incentivise and facilitate researchers and innovators to employ interdisciplinary RD&I approaches to tackle national and global societal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (21 Oct 2021)

Simon Harris: The TU Transformation Fund (TUTF) is a €90 million fund (over 3 years), announced by government in Budget 2020, to assist the development and progression of TUs. The Fund was introduced in response to a recommendation in the report of the TU Research Network (TURN), Connectedness and Collaboration enabled by Connectivity (2019), which highlighted the importance of Exchequer investment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Oct 2021)

Simon Harris: The Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme was established to ensure that apprenticeship will play a key part in supporting economic recovery following COVID-19. It comprises a €2,000 payment when employers register a new apprentice, followed by an additional €1,000 payment one year later where that apprentice is retained.  The scheme has supported the continued recruitment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Strategies (21 Oct 2021)

Simon Harris: I was delighted to launch the Adult Literacy for Life Strategy on International Literacy Day, 8th September. This is a 10 year adult literacy, numeracy and digital literacy strategy which takes a whole of Government action orientated approach.  It is underpinned by one simple vision, to create an Ireland where every adult has the necessary literacy, numeracy and digital literacy to fully...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Oct 2021)

Simon Harris: It is a priority for my Department to support Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including University College Cork (UCC) and Munster Technological University (MTU), in their critical role as drivers of social and economic development in their regions.  Funding for capital works is generally distributed through the HEA to HEIs in the form of...