Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 156: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the level of interaction between her Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with regard to work-based learning initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13332/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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There is regular contact and co-ordination between my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with regard to work-based learning initiatives, the identification of skills needs and the formulation of appropriate responses to these needs. This co-ordination is achieved through regular interaction between officials in a number of fora and on a day-to-day basis. The following examples represent the position.

In terms of policy development, officials of both Departments serve as advisers to the expert group on future skills needs. This is one of the principal fora dedicated to addressing skills issues at the nexus of the education and training strands of policy. In that context, there is ongoing discussion, involving both Department officials and representatives from their respective agencies — Forfás, FÁS and the HEA — leading to agreed policy advice to me and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment on a range of skills-related issues.

Officials from both Departments are also participating on an interdepartmental group on lifelong learning to further the lifelong learning agenda. Both Departments also participate in the ongoing work in supporting the implementation of national workplace of the future strategy. An official from each Department is designated as a Director General for vocational training and together they attend European Union meetings on vocational training. Both Departments, or their respective agencies, have representatives appointed either by me or the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment on a number of boards, councils or other bodies. For instance, the Department of Education and Science and-or its agencies are represented on the FÁS board, FÁS committees at local and national level, ESF committees and CEB structures. The Department Enterprise, Trade and Employment and-or its agencies are represented on the HEA, the NQAI, HETAC and FETAC.

In addition, there is significant ongoing interaction on skills-related topics between the respective Departments and agencies under their aegis. For example, the Council of Directors of the Institutes of Technology is currently preparing a proposal in the context of the FÁS one step up programme and this will be submitted to and discussed with the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment shortly. In 2005, and again in 2006, FÁS was allocated €2 million for workplace literacy by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment. The education sector is represented on the working group that oversees its expenditure.

These examples give some sense of the degree to which there exists a regular flow of information and joint participation in policy development processes involving the two Departments. Such interaction ensures that the needs of learners involved in work-based learning initiatives are dealt with in a coherent fashion.