Results 1,361-1,380 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: That is similar to what we proposed in our report on leaving certificate reform.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: I wish to ask a broad question about the importance of introducing STEM subjects or a conversation on STEM in primary and secondary school. I have asked many of our witnesses who attended our meetings over the past number of weeks the same question. Some people have replied that there is enough going on in the minds of children in primary school, and someone else said that there are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: I see it through my children going to school and their different ways of talking about STEM. They do more practical work and are given a few weeks to do little projects at home. I see it more in fourth, fifth and sixth class. It is interesting. Someone mentioned transition year. I am not sure who spoke about it. What more should we be doing or how can we do more to introduce more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: The SEC has seen a huge number of changes in recent years. Does it envisage further changes in the next few years when STEM becomes even more important? What challenges will that impose on the SEC?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee today. It was very much appreciated. Their contributions will feed into the work we are doing on the STEM issue. I acknowledge that each of the witnesses knows and understands the importance of the subject. As Ms O'Connor said, everyone has learned a huge amount from each other appearing before the committee. Thank you very much for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: The Deputy has about ten minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: I call Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: I have a small number of questions for Mr. Howard. On the importance of joined-up thinking, witnesses from the Department of Education were here earlier on. I am not sure if Mr. Howard heard their contribution but we spoke about that importance. From the point of view of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, because it is definitely more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: I wish to ask Mr. Brownlee a question, following up on one from Deputy O’Sullivan on the issue of cybersecurity. As he knows, this will be a huge space going into the future. Is there a scarcity of the number of first year cybersecurity places? I ask about the competition for it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: It will be a very important area. As a former Minister for Defence, I know the shortage of skilled personnel in the area of cybersecurity is huge.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: I have a question for Dr. Cullen on the QQI side of it and the number of courses, modules and everything like that being run at the moment. Where does QQI fit into that as an organisation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: In the broad range.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: Absolutely. Dr. Trant has been before the committee on a number of occasions. Apprenticeships are important and we can never promote them enough. We have visited a number of the new technological universities over the past 12 to 18 months. In our recent visit to Waterford to South East Technological University, SETU, on Friday, we learned they are doing fantastic work with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: Could Dr. Trant flesh that out even more? We can never start talking about STEM and apprenticeships too early but there are people who have different opinions. Witnesses have appeared before the committee in recent weeks saying there is enough going on in young people’s heads in primary school without troubling them more.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: I asked a question when I was in Waterford last week and found the reply interesting. We were in the motor mechanics section of the apprenticeships and it was all diesel engines. I asked where were the new electric cars we are all talking about. This probably comes in for QQI and warrants an arranged debate. They found it difficult because each maker does not want to let the others know...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: Will that be in one specific college?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: Will that be linked to one of the technological universities? Will it be run through an apprenticeship scheme?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: Does any other member wish to add anything? Some members had other commitments today and therefore not many were here. We had a number of apologies. I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee today. I thank them for their contributions. They were actually our last witnesses on this module of STEM. It has been very interesting over the past number of weeks. We appreciate all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed). (25 Apr 2023)

Paul Kehoe: On behalf of the committee, I welcome Dr. Mary-Liz Trant, director, the National Apprenticeship Office; Mr. Andrew Brownlee, CEO, SOLAS; Dr. Peter Cullen, head of research and innovation, Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI; Dr. Vivienne Patterson, head of skills, engagement, and statistics, the Higher Education Authority, HEA; and Mr. Paddy Howard, principal officer, innovation,...