Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee for raising this matter. Internships are an increasingly important element of higher education programmes and are a means of strengthening the link between higher education and the workplace. They afford students the opportunity to apply their learning to a work environment, thereby enriching both the student and the workplace. In particular, academic programmes that include an internship module provide students with an opportunity to put theory into practice, to acquire new skills and knowledge - personal and work related - and to enhance their employment potential on graduation.

The importance of work based learning in higher education is reflected in the new systems performance framework that was published in December 2017. The new framework that provides the strategic objectives for the higher education sector up to 2020 includes a high level target that all students will have the opportunity to undertake a work placement or a work-based project as part of their course by 2025. The Higher Education Authority will work with the higher education institutions to ensure that this target is achieved.

It is important to acknowledge that there is a cost to individual higher education institutions arising from the establishment of internship programmes, for example, students undertaking the internship element of their programme continue to have access to all institutional facilities. Institutions are also expected to support their students during the internship element of their programme through formative and summative evaluation. There are also costs associated with developing and sustaining links with employers.

It is also important to recognise that higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and my Department has a limited role in the day-to-day running of the operational affairs of the institutions. In particular, it is an issue for higher education institutions in the first instance to determine the level of fee applicable to particular programmes or to particular elements of academic programmes. The student contribution, which currently stands at €3,000, applies to all students who benefit from the Department's free fees initiative.The student contribution, which currently stands at €3,000, applies to all students who benefit from the Department's free fees initiative. The student contribution is paid by the Exchequer in respect of students who qualify under the Department's third level grant schemes. Tax relief is also available for second and subsequent siblings to alleviate the cost for families for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education.

The Senator will be aware that we are reinvesting in higher education for the first time in a decade. Ensuring a sustainable funding model for higher education is a key priority for me. To this end, I secured funding of €36.5 million in budget 2017. This was complemented by additional funding of €60 million for higher education in budget 2018. This additional funding will allow for targeted initiatives in higher education, including in respect of skills programmes, performance and innovation funding, technological university development, and apprenticeship costs in the sector. It will also allow for places to be provided for 2,100 and additional students in 2018. This means we are investing approximately €100 million more in higher education in 2018 by comparison with 2016.

To complement this work, I recently published an independent expert review of the current allocation model for funding higher education. It provides a roadmap for transitioning towards a reformed funding model that is more transparent, that is consistent across higher education institutions, that incentivises actions in key strategic areas, such as research and STEM provision, and that supports improved accountability while also respecting international autonomy. I will continue to work to provide a more sustainable funding model for the higher education sector in the years ahead while also recognising and respecting the autonomy of higher education institutions over key operational decisions. Again, I thank the Senator for affording me the opportunity to respond on this matter.