Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are a doing a terrible job of teaching languages. Ms Barbara Nolan from the European Commission spoke about language skills at the conference and I was struck hard by the following figure. I learned that only 30% of the staff in Google are Irish graduates because we do not have the languages and more than one language is needed. Therefore, languages is a vital area for investment.

Of course, they are not going to be studying languages at third level, unless the investment is made at upper primary and second level.

There are apprenticeship models available, for example, in Germany where students can advance to level 10, the equivalent of a PhD. There are many students for whom the academic track is not suitable, but they are nonetheless very fine young people who are innovative and have the capacity to work hard and set up their own businesses. As they need more options, I urge the Minister to examine the German apprenticeship model. I believe she has already made a commitment in that regard. Therefore, I ask her to build the level 5 to level 10 structure into our apprenticeship system in order that people can obtain good qualifications. There should be at least one institution in Ireland, if not more, offering apprenticeships up to PhD level. What is wrong with our businesses that need young people working with them that they do not have this apprenticeship model running alongside third level qualifications? In that way, students could interface with local academic institutions and attain qualifications through an apprenticeship framework.

The transition from second to third level is particularly problematic. There are very high drop-out levels in the first semester and first year. I have worked out in a very rough way that between 2011 and 2012 approximately €15 million was lost by the State as a result of students dropping out. That was a travesty because if that money had been invested earlier in school-based career guidance services, the drop-out rates would have been lower. I refer specifically to school-based rather than private career guidance services. My experience with young boys at second level is that they want to be the same as their peers; they do not like to be made to feel they are different. They like career guidance to be available within the school system, but the current provision is totally inadequate. There are 499 students per career guidance counsellor. On top of this, students require counselling for social and personal needs, which makes the job of career guidance counsellors virtually impossible. Serious investment is needed. Mr. Joe Treacy, an addiction counsellor, lifted the roof off the conference hall in NUIG when he spoke about students who had been brought to his office having been taken out of the river in Galway. These students have said to him that it is not the academic work that is hard but learning to cope in the university environment. They are struggling to manage the interpersonal and social pressures in their lives. We must invest properly in the career guidance and pastoral care roles to address these problems. We must prepare students for the transition to third level, including fostering independent learning capabilities. It was pointed out at the aforementioned conference that students had to unlearn how they had been taught at second level, which was based on cramming and how to get through the system. Students are not independent learners, but we need them to be at every level. They must be independent, academically, personally and socially in order that they will not be at risk of suicide because of a failure to meet expectations or at risk of being bullied.

I commend the Minister for investing in teaching heroes at third level. This is worthwhile, but the idea must also be introduced at primary and second level. Senator Ivana Bacik made reference to the recent gender equality case in Galway. I know a number of the people who were involved in that case, including Dr. Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, and believe we should have a stand-alone debate on that issue.

I refer to innovation vouchers. We are using the third level sector as a hotbed to feed back into society. In that context, innovation vouchers are wonderful in allowing entrepreneurs and business people to work with third level institutions. However, they are not available to sole traders; they are only available to those who run companies, which is a mistake. I am not directing this criticism at the Minister solely; it is also a matter for the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. We should not limit people in this way.

I agree with Senator Sean D. Barrett that the third level sector should be given more autonomy to solve its own problems and come up with creative financing models because funding is a real issue.