Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

223. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to develop post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses on a regional basis across two or more education and training boards, ETBs; his views on the fact that the absence of PLC provision in Dublin 15 is a serious restriction on persons seeking second chance education or a return to college and further education in the Dublin 15 area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32379/17]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

224. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress his Department has made in the development of a regional strategy on post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses with education and training boards, ETBs, offering PLC provision to a wide geographical area across two or more ETBs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32380/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 224 together.

Goal 4 of the Further Education and Training Strategy aims to improve and integrate the planning and funding of further education and training (FET) and commits SOLAS to organise and conduct a schedule of evaluations of FET programmes, including the national PLC programme.

Following a competitive tendering process, the ESRI was commissioned to conduct an independent evaluation of the PLC programme. The report of the evaluation along with the response of SOLAS has recently been submitted to my Department and is currently under consideration.

Details of the allocation and planned outputs for all FET programmes for 2017, including PLC, will shortly be published by SOLAS in the 2017 FET Services plan.