David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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214. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the overall non-progression rates at WIT, Waterford Institute of Technology, in each of the years 2006 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in both student numbers and percentage terms, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24256/17]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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215. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the overall non-progression rates at each higher education institute for each of the years 2007 to 2016 and to date in 2017 by institute, in both student numbers and percentage terms, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24257/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The following table details of the non-progression rates for the academic years 2007/08 to 2008/08; 2012/13 to 2013/14 and 2013/14 to 2014/15. Data is not available for all of the years requested.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has recently published (April 2017) it's latest Study of Progression in Irish Higher Education, which provides an analysis of data relating to non-progression of 2013/14 full-time undergraduate new entrants to HEA funded institutions. The study shows that the proportion of new entrants in 2013/14 who did not progress is 15% across all sectors and NFQ levels. This compares to 16% in 2012/13.The rates of non-progression vary within and between sectors.

Below average progression rates continue in the fields of Construction and Related Services, Computer Science and Engineering, with again variation between sectors and institutions.However, there is some improvement reported in progression rates for Computer Science with rates increasing from 80% to 84%. Institutes of Technology rates have increased from 74% to 80% compared to universities from 85% to 88%. This would indicate that the funding made available for retention measures is having a positive impact.

One of the key objectives which my Department has set for Higher Education is to improve equity of access and student pathways. The HEA works with the institutions to improve recruitment and to tackle early drop out. There are a wide range of initiatives which can contribute to better recruitment and retention. These include:

- Access Programmes

- Surveys of Student Experiences

- Extra tuition in areas of known difficulty

- Improvement in first year experience

The HEA is working to ensure that good practice in this area is disseminated and implemented across all institutions and disciplines.

The HEA have produced a discussion paper on the factors that contribute to ‘student success’. A Working Group has also been established, chaired by the HEA, and which comprises representatives from across the higher education sector. The intention is to identify the type of strategies and measures that have been shown to be successful in different institutional contexts. The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is currently facilitating a focused scoping exercise to inform the activities of the Working Group. The scoping exercise is being chaired by the Union of Students of Ireland. This will ensure that the student voice is central to this process. It is expected that the Working Group will produce its report by the end of 2017.

The research shows that there are certain factors consistently associated with non progression in courses. These include prior educational attainment and parental occupation. Colleges are encouraged to develop access and progress in their strategies. A role can also be played by broadening the choice of education and training paths available to students and my ambition is that 20% of pupils would have the option of apprenticeships or traineeships in the coming years.