Written answers
Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Department of Education and Skills
Further Education and Training Colleges
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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211. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of all alternative further educations facilities in the capital investment plan 1 January 2016 to 2021 in counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary and Waterford in tabular form; and the date listed. [49042/17]
John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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Further Education and Training (FET) provides learners with key intermediate level skills, enhancing the productivity and adaptability of the Irish workforce. It is delivered in a range of settings throughout the country, with FET providers firmly embedded in local communities. A priority for my Department, is to improve the quality of the settings in which FET is delivered, in order to better respond to the needs of learners and employers. It is intended that an enhanced capital programme will be rolled out for the FET sector from 2020.
The total planned allocation for Further Education and Training purposes in the Capital Investment plan 2016 to 2021 is outlined as follows:
| SUBHEAD | 2016 (€m) | 2017 (€m) | 2018 (€m) | 2019 (€m) | 2020 (€m) | 2021 (€m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.5 - Further Education | 3.000 | 3.000 | 6.000 | 13.000 | 18.000 | 28.000 |
In the immediate term, the upgrade of apprenticeship equipment, including to meet the requirements of new syllabi, is a priority. There is also investment required in equipment to deliver the wide range of new apprenticeships being developed and rolled out through the national calls from the Apprenticeship Council.
While the SOLAS capital allocation to Education and Training Boards (ETBs) is not available by county as requested, I attach a breakdown of the capital allocation to each of the ETBs in the counties requested.
| - | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Funds Disbursed | Funds to be Disbursed | |
| ETB | € | € |
| Galway, Roscommon (GRETB) | 245,817 | 251,091 |
| Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim (MSLETB) | 453,934 | 268,635 |
| Tipperary (TETB) | 0 | 0 |
| Waterford, Wexford (WWETB) | 359,810 | 208,168 |
Please note, up until recently Tipperary ETB had no training centre, which is why there has been no further education capital expenditure in the years listed. Tipperary have recently leased a unit in Thurles as a dedicated Further Education and Training Centre for the County and it is expected costs will be incurred in future years. Solas is engaging with individual ETBs to identify the necessary capital requirements for the remaining term of the investment plan.
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