Results 1,421-1,440 of 3,895 for speaker:John Halligan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (30 May 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. The purpose...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Data (30 May 2017)

John Halligan: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available.  I have asked SOLAS to compile the data and it will be sent to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Data (25 May 2017)

John Halligan: There are currently five new apprenticeship programmes that have been developed by the Apprenticeship Council following its first call for proposals in 2015. Last year the Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship launched in September and the Industrial Electrical Engineering Apprenticeship got underway in November. Three further new programmes are currently recruiting apprentices and will...

Priority Questions: Skills Development (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: I thank Deputy Durkan for this very important question. The National Skills Council, which was established in April and had its first meeting on 15 May, will oversee research and provide advice on the prioritisation and delivery of identified skills needs. As part of the Action Plan for Education, €36.5 million has been committed to the expansion of higher education in 2017 and...

Priority Questions: Skills Development (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: The regional skills fora, RSF, operate under the National Skills Council. To help foster stronger links between employers and the education and training sector, the Department of Education and Skills has established a network of nine regional skills fora, each with a forum manager. The fora have been established to align with wider Government policy initiatives on regional economic...

Priority Questions: Skills Development (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: Employers are represented on the regional skills forecasting group. The Department is in constant contact with employers through the nine regional skills fora regarding skills development and the situation in terms of the call-out for skills. The Department has been kept up to date with the needs and development of skills throughout the country by the nine regional fora, each of which has a...

Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: I thank the Deputy and I would welcome a further meeting with him on that suggestion. I regularly meet companies that are interested in apprenticeships. If we look at the basic apprenticeships we usually would have spoken about, such as for plasterers, bricklayers, carpenters and so on, it is interesting that we are now moving into apprenticeships for industrial electrical engineers,...

Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: To take the second question, a new funding mechanism is being discussed with employers at present and I will keep the Deputy informed as to how that is progressing. On the first question, there is already a new call out for apprenticeships and perhaps the valuable proposal the Deputy makes will come into that. Given the previous position of apprenticeships, which had reduced in number to...

Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: The Deputy has a keen interest in apprenticeships. The programme for Government commits to providing 31,000 apprenticeship places by 2020, and the Action Plan for Education states that we will enrol 50,000 people on apprenticeship and traineeship programmes in the period to 2020. This represents more than a doubling of the 2016 activity. The Apprenticeship Council is overseeing the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. The purpose...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. The purpose...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: As the Deputy is aware, in order to be registered as an apprentice by SOLAS, a person must be employed by an approved employer in one of the craft trades. Recruitment to apprenticeship is therefore driven by employers rather than by SOLAS or by education and training providers. The 2014 Review of Apprenticeship in Ireland acknowledged the number of women employed in craft...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: As the Deputy is aware, in order to be registered as an apprentice by SOLAS, a person must be employed by an approved employer in one of the craft trades. Recruitment to apprenticeship is therefore driven by employers rather than by SOLAS or by education and training providers. The 2014 Review of Apprenticeship in Ireland acknowledged the number of women employed in craft...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Skills Shortages (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: The education and training system at all levels has a number of strategies in place to ensure we meet existing and future skills needs identified by data from sources such as the SLMRU. Among those strategies are the National Skills Strategy 2025 and the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019. The Action Plan for Education 2016 – 2019 provides a key statement on the reform agenda...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: In January of this year, I launched the Action Plan to expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland 2016-2020, setting out how state agencies, education and training providers and employers will work together to deliver on the Programme for Government commitments on the expansion of apprenticeship and traineeship in the period to 2020. The Plan sets out how we will manage the pipeline of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Review (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (24 May 2017)

John Halligan: The education and training system at all levels has a number of strategies in place to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands in the workplace. Among those strategies are the National Skills Strategy 2025 and the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019. The Action Plan for Education 2016 – 2019 provides a key statement on the reform agenda across the education and training...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (23 May 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 May 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Bus Éireann is responsible for a range of activity regarding the operation of the school transport system including the procurement of contractors to provide transport services. Safety of children travelling on the school transport service is of paramount importance to my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 May 2017)

John Halligan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 257 to 263, inclusive, together. I have been informed by SOLAS that in 2009, following consultation with industry representative stakeholders, it was agreed to amalgamate the apprenticeships of cabinet making, wood machining and wood finishing into a new apprenticeship Wood Manufacturing and Finishing, which reflects the knowledge, skill and competency needs...