Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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154. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the educational system at primary, second, third and fourth level continues to meet the skills challenges of the modern workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14652/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The education and training system at all levels has a number of strategies in place to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands in the workplace. Among those strategies are the National Skills Strategy 2025 and the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019.

The Action Plan for Education 2016 – 2019 provides a key statement on the reform agenda across the education and training system. The Plan contains a range of actions to be implemented with particular focus on disadvantage, skills needs, and continuous improvement within the education service.

The National Skills Strategy 2025 identifies Ireland’s current skills profile, provides a strategic vision and specific objectives for Ireland’s future skills requirements, and sets out a road map for how the vision and objectives can be achieved across the education and training sector.

With over 140 Actions, the Strategy sets out the Government's commitment to improving and using skills for sustainable economic growth and outlines how we can develop a well-skilled, adaptable workforce.

Included in the actions in the Strategy is the creation of a new National Skills Council. The Council, which was established in April 2017, will oversee research and advise on prioritisation and delivery of identified skills needs. Skills information from the EGFSN, the SLMRU and the Regional Skills Fora will feed into the work of the Council.

In the Higher Education Sector, the primary objective of Springboard+ in 2017 is to provide upskilling and reskilling courses to develop the talent base in Ireland in key growth sectors of the economy including ICT; hospitality; biopharma, medical device technologies and manufacturing; financial services; and entrepreneurship. In 2017 the eligibility criteria was expanded to include homemakers and those in employment who wish to upskill or reskill in specific high demand skills areas i.e. Biopharma/Med-tech.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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155. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he remains satisfied that graduates continue to be adequately equipped for a modern and highly competitive workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14653/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I am satisfied that graduates are equipped for a modern workplace and that the education sector will continue to evolve to meet the needs of today’s workplace.  At higher education level, I am continuing to progress the structural changes outlined under the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. Under this strategy, legislation allowing for the establishment of Technical Universities was signed into law in March of this year.  The creation of technological universities provides the opportunity to drive regional development and provide more opportunities for individuals, enterprise and the community. These institutions will have significant impact and influence regionally, nationally and internationally.

The System Performance Framework 2018-2020 was published in January 2018.  This provides an outline, including targets and deliverables, for the delivery of higher education to 2020.  One of the key objectives of the framework is to provide a strong talent pipeline which responds effectively to the needs of enterprise, public service and community sectors.  Examples of targets under the student enterprise and employability indicator of this objective include the extension of employability statements to all disciplines in all HEIs by 2020 and giving all students the opportunity to undertake a work placement or work-based project as part of their course by 2025.

To help foster stronger links between employers and the education and training sector, my Department has established a network of nine Regional Skills Fora. Each forum provides robust labour market information to inform programme development while encouraging greater collaboration between enterprise and education and training providers to identify and respond to existing and future regional skills needs.

Graduate transfer into the workforce is tracked though the Higher Education Authority (HEA) annual first destinations survey.  The most recent survey ‘What do Graduates do? The Class of 2016 First Destinations of University Graduates’, was published in January 2018.  Nine months after graduation, almost 70% of the 18,200 third level graduates surveyed from the class of 2016 were in employment.  This was up from 68% the previous year and continues the increasing trend of the last 5 years.  The proportion of graduates going overseas to gain employment was down – the first significant decline in 3 years. Entry salaries are rising and there is an added salary premium for those graduating with a postgraduate qualification.

The Higher Education Outcomes Research Report, published in February, 2018 was a result of combining HEA graduate records of approximately 70,000 graduates with CSO administrative data.  The report considered graduates from Irish HEIs from 2010 to 2014 and explored variations of graduate outcomes after 1, 3 and 5 years in terms of employment and workforce participation levels.  66% of the 2010 graduates were in substantial employment in the first year after graduation. This proportion increased to 76% for 2014 graduates.