Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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114. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to support the creation of a national hospitality and training agency to provide new apprenticeships and training to ensure the development of the hospitality industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28836/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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There are no plans to establish a dedicated training organisation for the Hospitality Sector, but rather to deliver the required education and training through the mainstream higher and further education and training sectors, in line with provision for all other sectors.  The Government's basic position is not to establish new agencies to deal with new policy challenges, as was done at times in the past, but to deal with those challenges through existing structures.

Last year, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs carried out a study on the future skills needs of the sector. The objective was to assess demand arising within the sector in Ireland including hotels, restaurants, bars, canteens and catering over the period to 2020. The aim was to ensure that there will be the right supply of skills to help drive domestic hospitality sector business and employment growth. The report of the study was published in November 2015.

The report provides a clear and coherent framework for the development of talent in the Hospitality sector in the years ahead to help drive both hospitality business and employment growth which is one of the key goals of the Government’s Tourism Policy Statement – People, Place and Policy-Growing Tourism to 2025.  A key recommendation in the report was the need to set up a National Oversight and Advisory Group comprising all the key hospitality stakeholders. 

Established earlier this year, the Hospitality Skills Oversight Group is being chaired for the first year by SOLAS. Membership of the Group includes the Restaurants Association of Ireland, Irish Hotel Federation, Irish Hospitality Institute, Licensed Vintners Association, Vintners Federation of Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Department of Education and Skills, Department of Social Protection, Higher Education Authority, Skillnets, SOLAS, ETBs, IoTs, DIT and Quality and Qualifications Ireland. The role of the Group is to monitor progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the EGFSN and to provide a forum for on-going collaboration in addressing the skills needs of the sector and to identify and progress actions to overcome barriers on its implementation.

The Group has met several times since it was established and a number of key actions are being progressed including an audit of courses and culinary facilities within both the Further and Higher education sectors with a view to obtaining a complete overview of existing courses and facilities, with a view to identifying gaps in provision and encouraging collaboration and sharing of facilities where possible.

Since the EGFSN study has been carried out, new developments in providing for the skill needs of the sector have included:

- Approximately 220 free hospitality-related higher education places under the 2016 Springboard+ programme.

- A proposal to develop a new Commis Chef Apprenticeship is at an advanced stage and is due to commence in the coming months, with training courses taking place in Education and Training Boards (ETBs) along with a work placement component.

- A proposal to develop a Chef de Partie Apprenticeship has been approved for development funding by the Apprenticeship Council at its last meeting in September.

- New Career Traineeships in Hospitality are being rolled out by a number of ETBs on a pilot basis with over 100 participants engaging so far. These are shorter courses, typically of up to 12 months duration.

In addition, Skillnets Limited is  scoping opportunities to establish a dedicated network to serve the needs of the sector and has held a series of meetings with representatives of the industry.

The skill needs of the hospitality sector will also be addressed through the new skills architecture established under the Government’s National Skills Strategy 2025, which includes the 9 Regional Skills Fora.