Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy O'Sullivan, to the House and note that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Reilly, will also be participating in this debate later. It is great that two high profile Ministers have taken an interest in this Bill and that it is to be accepted.

The purpose of this Bill is to ensure children remain in formal education as long as possible. For those who are interested in education and want to have a leaving certificate behind them or go on to college, this Bill will have no affect at all. It is highly unlikely that children as young as 16 years would sit the leaving certificate examination. Ensuring children continue in education and training until the age of 17 could bring about positive results. This will incentivise our young people to stay in school and further their education so that they will have an opportunity to enter the knowledge-based economy. A further year spent in education, on a vocational course, on an apprenticeship or in a job with a certain amount of training will help ensure that young people who stay in school until they are 17 years of age will have better prospects and will be better prepared and equipped for their journey towards meaningful employment.

Earlier today we dealt with the Chid Care (Amendment) Bill 2015 and during the debate, the Minister, Deputy Reilly, said that children who sit the leaving certificate examination or go on to third level education have better employment opportunities and, generally, better prospects in life. However, there are children who drop out of education. These are the children we must protect and help. We must put in place programmes and supports that will entice them to remain in education. These young teenagers have no income as they cannot access social welfare benefits until they are 18 years of age. Some, of course, may be lucky enough to find employment but there are those who do not. Having nothing to do and all day to do it can lead to multiple problems for these children. Some may experience mental health issues, others may resort to petty crime and, often, more serious crime while others may delve in drugs or alcohol. I am not suggesting that all early school-leavers will end up going down this road but, unfortunately, many do. I hope that by ensuring they remain in formal education for as long as possible, they will see education as the best route out of poverty and the best way to enhance their prospects and to equip themselves with the skills needed for their future lives.

According to a McKinsey report, the primary reason young people are held back is because some of them lack the skills relevant to the workplace. There are school-leavers who are not academically inclined. Our concern over the years has been that young people who leave compulsory education will enter the labour market without adequate skills and basic qualifications. This problem needs to be tackled. We are now in an era where unskilled jobs are slowly ceasing to exist. Manual labour and manufacturing is on a decline. Based on a study from the expert group on future skills, there is an increasing growth in the demand for skilled labour. These skilled jobs that are reasonably well paid require a level of skill and education. The Department of Education and Skills Youthreach programme has so far been successful in leading early school-leavers aged 15 to 20 back into education. It is a fact that not all students are academically-minded. I know a young teenager who is not academically-minded but could cook for Ireland. I have been encouraging him to train as a chef. The Minister and I recently visited the Kerry College of Further Education in Tralee which runs a chef training course which is accessible to students outside of the CAO process. There is something out there for everyone. The provision of education and training in all areas is key to ensuring all people have access to education.

According to Dr. John Bamber, there is a need to recognise and value non-formal learning in a creative and innovative way, raising the visibility of skills acquired outside the formal system and fostering complementarity between non-formal and formal learning, while at the same time promoting equal opportunities. Youthreach provides young people with opportunities for basic education, personal development, vocational training and work experience in respect of which they acquire certification, following which they can then choose a career that best suits them. The programme, which operates full-time and throughout the year and has a continuous intake policy also gives the school-leaver the opportunity to participate in any leaving certificate applied course or to take up an apprenticeship. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Kerry Diocesan Youth Service which operates four Youthreach programmes, each of which caters for 25 students. It is doing fantastic work. During my engagement with those involved, I asked about the progression rate in respect of people who participate in its Youthreach programmes. The following are data in relation to only one of its programmes. One student progressed into PLC level 5, sports and recreation in Tralee; eight young people went on to do the leaving certificate applied; four moved into PLC courses in the Kerry College of Further Education; three moved into level 4 in Tralee community training centre; one became a new mother but rather than give up on her educational plan took up night classes with KETB in the area of beauty and will follow this up in 2016 with a full-time course; one gained employment and one had a baby and decided to stay at home parenting for the next year. One can see from this information just how valuable Youthreach programmes are. It is important they are supported in continuing their work. I understand Youthreach programmes and apprenticeship providers receive a small amount of funding. We must ensure that education-type training leads to employment. I welcome that under this Bill children of 16 and 17 years of age who take up an apprenticeship will be deemed to be furthering their education.