Seanad debates

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Further Education and Training Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages

 

11:50 am

Photo of Averil PowerAveril Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the passage of this Bill. It is the third Bill on further education we have taken in recent months as part of a process of improving co-ordination across the sector and ensuring that individuals can access education and courses that meet their employment and personal development needs.

As we conclude, I would like to mention the importance of community education. It is very important to get people on the first rung of the ladder so that they can then progress through the education system. It is important that people get basic skills such as literacy and numeracy. It is very positive that this Bill is passed today. About €900 million is spent in the sector and we need to ensure that the focus is on the learner and on constantly changing the services we provide to make sure that they meet current needs. The strategy to be put in place by SOLAS when it is planning for the full sector gives us the potential to do that.

I welcome the fact that the Bill is being passed. As we head into the budget process, I would ask the Minister of State to be cognisant of the importance of this sector and to fight for it. It is all very well to have the right framework and strategies in place, but we also need to have the finances on the ground to be able to deliver programmes. I have one word of criticism for the Government, rather than for the Minister of State. The PTR cuts that were brought in at the last budget have had a very negative impact. PLC colleges and further education colleges are finding it difficult to deliver important courses at a time when they are most needed. That is not just the responsibility of the Minister of State; I would like to see the Cabinet prioritising education for the next budget. Education will help people who are currently unemployed but will also plan for the future. If we are going to turn the country around, it will be through education. While welcoming the Bill and congratulating the Minister of State, I would plead with him to fight for the sector at the budget table, and to ensure that the Minister for Education and Skills does so as well.

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