Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the way she will support the further education sector to contribute to implementing the recommendations of the fifth report of the expert group on future skills needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10709/07]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Report of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, "Tomorrow's Skills: Towards a National Skills Strategy". It complements and reinforces policy for upskilling the workforce in accordance with the recommendations of the White Paper on Adult Education, "Learning for Life" (2000), the Report of the Task Force on Lifelong Learning (2002) and the OECD Report, "Promoting Adult Learning" (2005). Policy on adult and further education is based on the premise that raising the basic skills of all individuals can have a larger impact on economic growth than investing in improving the skills of a select group of high-skilled individuals. The objective is to increase participation in Lifelong Learning, in particular among the workforce categorised as low-skilled/low paid, by enhancing opportunities to access education and training, the development of new skills, the acquisition of recognised qualifications and progression to higher level qualifications to equip all individuals with the skills, capacity and potential to participate fully in the knowledge-based society and progress to better quality jobs.

Recent actions and commitments in this area, arising from the social partnership document "Towards 2016", the National Development Plan 2007-2013 and the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, have identified another group where investing in further support measures in the areas of further and higher education will enhance participation by those from disadvantaged backgrounds, in particular: socio-economically disadvantaged school leavers, members of the Traveller community and ethnic minorities, mature students, lone parents and students with a disability. These measures will include needs assessment, technology support, community-based strategies, child-care supports and access routes.

The aim of Adult and Further Education over the next 10 years will be in:

Prioritising adult literacy in the area of adult education, including workplace literacy. The proportion of the population aged 16-64 with restricted literacy will be reduced to between 10%-15% by 2016, from the level of 25% found in 1997. Vocational Education Committees will provide an additional 7,000 places in literacy by 2009, from the current level of 35,000 participants annually. There will be a particular focus on increasing the number of migrants receiving an English language service;

The provision of an additional 1,000 Youthreach places by 2009. €574 m. is being made available for Youthreach over the period 2007-2013;

The provision of guidance/counselling to literacy and language learners;

The Back to Education Initiative (BTEI), which will be expanded by 2,000 places by 2009;

Maximising the opportunities for older people to participate in education, employment and other aspects of economic and social life;

The post-leaving certificate sector, where a total of €1 billion will be invested over the period 2007-2013 to provide participants with specific vocational skills to enhance their prospects of securing employment and support progression to other studies;

Introducing an active case-management approach to support those on long-term social welfare into education, training and employment. The target is to support 50,000 such people, including lone-parents and the long-term unemployed, with an overall aim of reducing by 20% the number of those whose total income is derived from long-term social welfare payments by 2016.

Adult and Further Education policy will work towards achieving these aims.