Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I move:

That Seanad Éireann:

commends the Government for its commitment to lifelong learning and upskilling;

commends its commitment to implementing the national skills strategy and improving accessibility to further education; and

endorses the Government objectives set out in the social partnership document Towards 2016, the National Development Plan 2007-2013 and the national action plan for social inclusion which identify in particular the benefits of further education for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit tráthnóna inniu. Tá lúcháir orm go bhfuil an Teachta Haughey freagrach as cúrsaí oideachais, foghlaim fad-saoil, an córas iompair do phaisinéirí scoile agus, ar ndóigh, an clár oibre don óige. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil a intinn agus a chroí istigh san ábhar sin agus go bhfuil sé ag deanamh jab maith thar ceann an Rialtais.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Deputy Haughey is certainly a very able Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, working diligently to promote the issues of lifelong learning, youth work and school transport. I am delighted to move the motion.

Provision for the educational needs of adults who wish to study outside the higher education sector is the responsibility of two Departments, namely, the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment. The principal target groups for the further education section in the Department of Education and Science are young early school leavers; school leavers who, on completion of senior cycle in post-primary, want additional education and training which will provide them with an alternative route to employment and-or higher education; adults who left school without qualifications and who are seeking a second chance in education in a variety of settings and contexts, including formal, non-formal and informal; as well as labour market entrants and re-entrants who want to upskill and gain accreditation.

Further education provision addresses the educational needs of all adult learners, but it particularly addresses the needs of disadvantaged groups, including Travellers, the unemployed, lone parents, migrants, the disabled, adults with less than an upper secondary education, recipients of welfare benefits and people in employment with low skills. It aims to give adult learners a second-chance education in a non-threatening environment that is centred on the learner. The suite of available programmes provides learners with options that cater for their particular needs. Further education aims to ensure that adults have the knowledge, skills and competence to partake in a socially cohesive society and be actively involved as participants in our knowledge economy, where everyone has access to lifelong learning and opportunities to upskill. Further education plays a central role in promoting people's life chances in the context of lifelong learning.

The lifelong learning programme will be a cornerstone in enabling Irish participants to engage in the pursuit of continued education and training on a lifelong basis. Ireland's participation in the programme can only enhance and contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy.

An adult education guidance initiative is available to support existing and potential learners. It provides them with the knowledge and advice to make informed decisions and choose programmes that will address their particular needs. Support towards the cost of child care is also available and will enable learners with child care responsibilities to re-embark on their lifelong learning journeys.

Distinct features of further education include its learner-centred approach, diversity and breadth of provision and linkages with other services such as employment, training, other educational institutions, welfare, youth, area partnerships and schools, as well as the justice, community and voluntary sectors. A wide range of governmental and non-governmental organisations are involved in the provision of services for students participating in further education.

This issue also falls within the remit of the aforementioned Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It aims to invest further in training those in employment, targeting low- skilled workers especially. Two key agencies, namely, FÁS and Skillnets, work to maintain and increase the investment in the training of the employed. The overall objective is to ensure the provisions for the development across the economy of skills that match anticipated requirements provide a co-ordinated, user-friendly and easily accessible system of workplace learning and upskilling, and are geared to employability and competitiveness.

FÁS and Skillnets have a number of key initiatives focusing on specific areas of educational development and the provision of opportunities for those with lower skill sets. Towards 2016, the National Development Plan 2007-2013 and the national action plan for social inclusion all allow for an expansion of the programmes, which will result in a more flexible and appropriate means of delivery.

The further education sector will receive unprecedented levels of funding in 2007. The allocation of €169 million constitutes an increase of €19 million, or 12%, on the 2006 provision and I commend the Minister of State in this respect. As part of the Government's social partnership agreement, Towards 2016: Ten-Year Framework Social Partnership Agreement 2006-2015, the further education sector received 1,000 additional places for Youthreach in 2008, 7,000 additional places in adult literacy by 2009, 2,000 additional places in the back to education initiative by 2009, and additional funding for the development of the post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses sector.

The Department can continue to be proactive in ensuring the services provided are those most appropriate to addressing the needs of the learners through working partnership arrangements with key players such as the Irish Vocational Education Association, IVEA, the 33 vocational education committees, VECs, the National Adult Literacy Agency, NALA, and AONTAS. It is worth mentioning the 33 VECs that serve education in Ireland to commend them on their ongoing commitment to education and the approach they take. In particular, I commend the work of the County Donegal VEC and its chief executive, Seán Ó Longáin, who is to the forefront in developing further education initiatives in Donegal in conjunction with the Department.

Through partnership, those with the lowest levels of educational achievement will be targeted and encouraged to re-engage in learning in order that they can move along the lifelong learning spectrum and, in the process, gain the knowledge skills, competence and confidence to become active citizens in their own knowledge communities and to adapt to the changing labour market, thereby becoming key participants in the knowledge economy. Such a dual approach will ensure Ireland will achieve social cohesion and will become globally competitive, thereby achieving the Lisbon Agenda goal.

The establishment of the national framework of qualifications, NFQ, in October 2003 has created a single coherent award system for learners. The framework is a structure of ten levels that facilitates access, transfer and progression by learners in a highly transparent manner. It enables and encourages all learners to achieve accreditation throughout their lives at a level that is appropriate to them. Awards at NFQ levels one to six are available to adult learners from the Further Education and Training Awards Council, FETAC, upon successful completion of validated programmes.

The report of the expert group on future skills needs published in 2007, Tomorrow's Skills: Towards a National Skills Strategy, has set out its vision to 2020 of the skills profile needed for our knowledge economy. For Ireland to remain competitive in a global market, the group emphasises that the skills levels of the current workforce must be enhanced. It notes that by 2020, 7% of the labour force should have an education equivalent of NFQ levels one to three, 45% should be at levels four to five and the remaining 48% should have achieved qualifications at levels six to ten. The participation of learners in the suite of programmes available in the further education sector will assist in enabling this vision to be realised, especially at levels one to six.

Improved participation by adults in lifelong learning has two purposes. It benefits the learners and enables them to become active citizens in a socially cohesive society. Moreover, it allows adults to improve their skills through participation in different further education programmes. This is also good for the economy as it enhances the learner's employment prospects. In addition, it has a social and personal development dimension.

Increasing participation by adults in further education has been highlighted in Towards 2016: Ten-Year Framework Social Partnership Agreement 2006-2015. It has also been described in the National Development Plan 2007-2013, which states that for people of working age, "top priorities will be to address the low literacy levels of the Irish adult population and the large numbers of Irish adults who have not completed upper second-level education".

The programme for Government emphasises the development, provision and funding of further education. The Government is playing a pivotal role in allowing citizens to obtain second-chance education where it was not freely available to them. I acknowledge the Minister of State's input in this regard. From speaking to participants in such programmes, I understand it is enormously advantageous and beneficial to them in terms of self-confidence, gaining alternative or better employment and their future life prospects. I commend the motion to the House and thank the Minister of State for his attendance.