Rónán Mullen (Independent)

The Minister of State is greatly respected for his commitment to and championing of adult education, and I welcome him to the House. I fear, however, that his efforts have not always been as successful here as the porters would wish. Henry Ford once said that anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80.. It was true when he said it and it is even more true now. The nature of work in a modern society demands that all of us continually learn new skills if we are to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing economy. I am often asked to give talks to transition year students and also leaving certificate candidates preparing to fill out their CAO forms. One of the points I make to them is that society has changed rapidly. Once upon a time people embarked on a particular career and many stayed on the same track throughout life. Now, as Patrick Kavanagh would say, it is a matter of testing and tasting. People who leave school and embark on third level education have a choice, but they must be ready to twist and turn in the world ahead, to upgrade their qualifications, perhaps change direction, avail of opportunities and respond to changes in the job market. It is very important that the education system prepares people for that future reality because it is crucial that people are able to discern at the earliest stage possible the talents they have been given, what natural aptitude they have and how they may best strive for an occupation that will bring satisfaction and help them to serve their families and communities as well as their own aptitude.

Very few people now, on leaving college and entering the workforce, will stay in the same line of work for the duration of their working careers. The era of the safe pensionable job for life is now a thing of the past. We therefore need an education system that is open to participants at any time in their career and which is capable of delivering education when and where needed to suit the student, not the educator. We do not have such a system, however, and this is a particular problem in rural Ireland where 42% of the national population resides. Rural areas account for a mere 28% of total employment opportunities and the virtual annihilation of the construction sector has been a key driver of unemployment there. The simple fact is that many young people left education during the boom to earn good money in the construction sector and now find themselves without a job, skills or educational qualifications. We need a targeted approach to help these people and a speedy response from Government.

In 2009 adult education accounted for just 4.3% of the overall education budget. This amounts to 0.22% of GDP and 0.27% of GNP. Spending has increased only marginally since 2000 and does not take the current demand into account. This is putting providers under extreme pressure, while for learners the demand for adult education means increased competition for places. We need to put in place a properly funded and structured approach for dealing with this challenge. In the absence of a national co-ordinating body a lightweight structured forum should be created with the aim of facilitating partnership, collaboration and sharing best practice while informing policy development on an ongoing basis. Such a forum could comprise the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, the Irish Vocational Education Association and Aontas, the national adult literacy agency, at the outset with inputs from other stakeholders as appropriate. This would ensure funding earmarked for activation measures would benefit participants while stimulating economic recovery.

As a final comment on what Senator Quinn had to say about attitudes, it is very important, I believe, as someone teaching in third level, that we do as much as possible to guarantee quality education and also to ensure retention. People vary in their attitudes to what they are getting. That is true. There is a phrase in Irish, "An rud a fhaightear go bog, caitear go bog é", and I often wonder whether things have been too easy in the past. We need to get people to value the education experience they are going through as well, and that concern is all the more pressing given the international competition we face and the concerns that have been expressed about the quality of our graduate qualifications. We need to motivate people in all sectors, including the student population, to make the most of the education opportunity so that we may best serve ourselves and our community in the years ahead.