Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit.

When I moved the motion, I omitted to apologise for the late commencement but I do that now. We regret that it happened.

I am pleased that this debate is taking place this evening. I will not go into the nitty-gritty of whether the motion or the amendment is necessarily the main flag-bearer of the debate. What we should look at, first, is the history of education here.

Most people would accept that it was precisely because of the high standard of education that we made such progress during the good years in Ireland. In many ways, it was education that led the Celtic tiger throughout those years as well. We have been credited, not only within the country but internationally, with being well ahead in the context of IT. It was because young people took so well to that revolution at that time and it prepared them, not only for the developments that were to take place in Ireland but, for those who decided of their own volition to leave Ireland and went to a country of their adoption, to be confident as compared to those who emigrated from Ireland in previous decades. We need only look at the success that many of those people attained when they went abroad. Some of them went into senior management positions. From time to time I have looked at the top 100 as presented by Irish America magazine and there one will find that many of these young people, as they moved on in life, are now listed among the top 100 because of their achievements and their success. That would not have happened only for their solid foundation.

In a practical sense, at home as well, there was a time when third level education was open only to the very wealthy and there was a particular class distinction about that. We all could identify the potential of those we knew for further education but, because the doors were not open to them for economic reasons, often they had to forego that potential and forego their ambitions as well.

Now we see an entirely new situation. As a result of the business structures in this country and the entrepreneurship which has come to the fore, young people are coming forward who are not from very wealthy backgrounds but who are successful because of their own ability. The opportunities provided to them have enabled them, over a number of decades, not only to open the door but to enter fully into the opportunities which presented themselves. These young people in turn have become role models for their own peer group and for other young people. This goes back to the education system which prepared them for whatever opportunities came their way.

This debate is considering the new challenges facing us as a result of the economic recession. Considerable numbers of people are no longer employed. Many of these people were quite skilled in particular areas when opportunities existed for those skills. We have always been good at responding to current needs. I look back at the success of the vocational education committees which provided pragmatic and practical training to suit the particular era. For those who had grown out of the education system at a particular age, night courses were available. I look back and see how many people came to the fore, learned new crafts in those vocational courses and were able to go out and create jobs for themselves. These jobs did not create significant statistics to put up on the noticeboard but they were self-sustaining crafts within the local community. Even when economic challenges came their way, those types of cottage industries were not affected, generally speaking, because they did not have the same overheads or international competition to contend with. This should be one of the guiding thoughts when talking about upskilling. We should not just think of upskilling in the pure academic sense but rather about upskilling to avail of new opportunities which may come our way.

Tourism is one area. It was one of the big revenue earners for this country although we have greater challenges now. I still think that in this year and future years, while there will be a percentage drop, tourism is still very important. The training in that case should be to dissect the tourism industry. It is one of the industries which spreads throughout the whole country. It is not centralised in areas of large population. Many of our main attractions are away from areas of large population and, therefore, the opportunities are being dispersed. It will not be sufficient to take for granted that people will automatically come like they did in the past because we had that generational connection, especially with America. This is changing and we have to be keen on becoming more professional and, in the best sense, exploit our strengths. We cannot just go with the tide. Our education must include not just university education but also practical education in other third level institutions. The vocational model can play a particular role.

The House discussed FÁS over the years and there have been a number of distractions from the great successes of FÁS and the potential that concept presented for the future. We often focused on a very small element of FÁS management but we did not look down into all the schemes operating within communities, each with its own evolution and organic development. I appeal to the Minister of State to keep in mind the potential of this type of training. I know of a number of schemes where FÁS training resulted in 98% job placement. This is a significant figure which was replicated in many other areas. The normal structured sense of education will not be able to offer urgent help to the 400,000 waiting to be serviced. I do not see any reason the FÁS model and the networks which exist locally and which are well managed and successful cannot be used urgently for providing training for at least 100,000 people from the live register. I hope, therefore, we do not just think long-term but also think short-term. I have done considerable research on this topic to see how we might avail of it.

With regard to the current structured education, everyone seems to be thinking about university, which is good in itself and is a sign of the times. Having obtained a primary degree, students then think about a masters degree and a doctorate, all of which are vital and correct because education is more than just a job and economics. If we are talking about providing more jobs, however, it is important to consider what young people are being prepared for in university or in any of the other colleges. I know of many areas where people are doing their four years' study and an extra one year but I am not clear if the opportunities for jobs will be there for them when they leave that educational structure. This comes back to career guidance in the schools. In the present recessionary times if we are thinking of education as a stepping stone to a job, our guidance counsellors should be trained to adapt to new situations. They should be preparing the people who come to their counselling sessions in the context of what jobs will be available for them and help them select the suitable courses. In addition to selecting the courses, we should consider whether existing courses will prepare them for the existing economic climate.

We should take hope that there has been very little slippage in our level of exports. We should consider industrial production, crafts and the products which can be sold abroad. We should also focus on the basis for that export business. If, for instance, it is one of our strengths, like tourism, then this is an area of focus. We should also look at the agriculture area. I was delighted years ago when I saw the development of agricultural colleges which produced young people well-trained in all aspects of the agricultural industry. I suggest we need to look at the area of organic farming and organic horticulture precisely because we have a good name and a clean environment and this is one of our strengths. I hope that in future, education will take that into the proper context. I am not getting into the nitty-gritty of the motion or the amendment, per se, because that will be well attended to by others. I am looking at the essentials of what education is for. It is about delivering a rounded character, but at the same time it is about preparing people for jobs that will become available.