Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senators Moran and Maloney, and the other Labour Senators on introducing this Private Members' Bill, the purpose of which is to increase the school-leaving age to 17. Many children for one reason or another do not thrive in the normal school setting and either drop out early or do not succeed in having a successful outcome to their secondary education.

For many years now the Irish education system was a pyramid with academic achievement at the top of that pyramid. Academic achievement is very commendable and for those with university degrees the outlook is usually good.The reality is that there are different paths to success and fulfilment, a point which the Government recognises. As a member of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, I was involved in the report by Mr. Piotr Wach of Poland, Raising the Status of Vocational Education and Training. In it he stated, "It is time for a strategic vision to restore vocational training to its rightful place, including urgent measures to improve its quality, increase its attractiveness and bring it into line with employers’ needs".

The Government has done great work in raising the status of vocational education and training, not least through the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 and the Further Education and Training Act 2013. I am pleased the Bill makes specific provision for the continuing education and training of young persons aged 16 and 17 years who have left school early to take up employment. It provides for the registration of early school leavers with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and for the agency to assist them in availing of appropriate educational and training opportunities.

There are different paths to success and fulfilment which have, historically, been underexplored in this country. It has been said we should aim for a third-level entry rate of 70% of secondary school leavers. In Germany, the largest and most successful economy in Europe, the figure is 50% with a corresponding higher rate of entry into the vocational, skills and apprenticeship sector. In Ireland, everyone aspires to third level as the summit of educational achievement. We need a change of attitude which values all forms of education equally, a point on which the Government has proactively pursued. In this respect, it is worth noting the skills and training sector has traditionally provided the entrepreneurs and wealth creators that our country so badly needs. In Finland, a country often lauded as the exemplar for good educational practice, about 50% of children move into the further education sector upon leaving secondary school as their first choice.

The raising of the school age to 17 will not work completely for positive outcomes for individual children unless the further education and training sector is expanded, with the consequent need for more resources. For several years, due to the significant economic downturn, we have been working within the limits and tolerances of the medium in the provision of resources. For example, there is still a cap on post-leaving certificate places, which should be removed shortly. We need to upgrade the status of vocational education and training to the level of esteem in which third level is held. We must increase the number of apprenticeships. Currently, we have 27 with a further 25 planned, while in Germany there are over 300 apprenticeships.

Another way to promote retention at school longer is through the provision of traineeships. Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board has a traineeship in engineering, developed and running in conjunction with Combilift, for an original equipment manufacturer technician. At the end of the course, the student can go into the workforce as a semi-skilled engineering operative or move on to an apprenticeship. Combilift awards a student bursary of €5,000 per year to successful applicants, paid weekly at €100, to each successful student. This is one way to encourage young people to stay in the system.

When the school leaving age is raised to 17, the challenge is to educate and train for the labour market, not because of the market. In that sense, course provision must be further expanded and resourced to ensure students stay at school because we have provided them with the opportunity to make suitable choices that lead to career progression opportunities, not because they are forced to stay. We want them to stay as it will offer them a bright future and contribute to Ireland’s future growth and development in a holistic way. We must ensure they want to stay because they will get access to the courses they want and need, and which will offer them the opportunity to transfer learning and skills. More importantly, these courses must offer them upward progression through the national framework of qualifications and career development. It should be about the provision of courses that people will want to do to ensure progression with proper supports to success in a choice-based system that leads to personal fulfilment and success.