Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit agus buíochas a ghabháil leis as an léiriú maith a thug sé ar chursaí oideachais agus traenála. I am sure we all read Mr. Brian Mooney's excellent article in The Irish Times yesterday, which considered an Seirbhísí Oideachais Leanúnaigh agus Scileanna, or SOLAS. He asked if SOLAS is the new FÁS, can it make a difference? He indicated that the challenges facing SOLAS and the new education and training boards are enormous. Senator Mooney referred to the fact that ¤1 billion per year was spent during the boom on courses by FÁS, and that was a time of full employment. Unfortunately, a great percentage of that money went on flights, accommodation and fine wines for board members. We cannot let that happen again.

There is the question of whether the teaching staff in the system have the necessary skills. How will we fuse trainers in the old FÁS with the teachers in the further education colleges, where there are different conditions of employment and holidays? In institutes of technology and colleges, there is ¤500 million of investment sitting idle for months every year, including at night and on Sundays, when they are closed completely. We should use these facilities for accelerated training programmes, whether aimed at the employed or unemployed. It is just as important to upskill people while they are employed as when they are unemployed. Most people have three different careers in their work life so when they have employment, we should keep reskilling them through courses and training. That would be plenty for SOLAS and the further education system to do under the new education boards.

With this new structure, we must align our skills with employment. Senator Mooney referred obliquely but kindly to the fact that the first generation of people brought in by PayPal, for example, may be brought in because language skills may not be the best in local recruits. I have discussed the issue in my local area and I hope to move on it. We should be educating our young people in Dundalk and its environs in language skills to suit the market for which PayPal is catering. The next generation of workers would be exclusively local as a result, meaning that they would come from the north east and raise the employment levels to where they should be.

The further education colleges, of which we have two fine institutions in Louth, O'Fiaich Institute of Further Education in Dundalk and Drogheda Institute of Further Education, can play their part with SOLAS. This is practical, not theoretical. I have spoken with the head of PayPal and she believes this will work, which will mean her company will stay in the area a little longer. I am glad to tell Senator Mooney that the recently announced 400 new jobs with eBay in Dundalk will be sourced locally.

We need to open colleges at off-peak times for everyone. We need them buzzing with education and training. The old ways - where one did a bit of training here and there, where one was meant to be trained for a week but was only trained for a day, where one went in at 10 a.m. and home at 3 p.m., where one did not learn any computer skills but learned how to brush the floor - are gone. This is a unique opportunity for us to give our people - not only our young people but people of all ages, as well as those beyond retirement age - new skills so they can contribute to the new Ireland and the new economy.

The Minister of State said the Further Education and Training Bill 2013 will be coming through to the House in the coming months. Will he be more specific as to when it will be before the House? I thank the Minister of State for attending the House for this important debate.