David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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81. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to promote and further develop the lifelong learning sector and increase participation numbers in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43149/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Increasing participation in lifelong learning is a key priority for this Government.

The National Skills Strategy 2025 set a target to increase the number of those aged 25-64 engaged in lifelong learning to 10% by 2020 and to 15% by 2025. Lifelong Learning figures for 2019 were just under 13%. If progress continues, we can expect to be on target to reach the 15% by 2025.

Lifelong learning, and continual investment in skills and human capital development, delivered by the Further and Higher Education system, is critical to sustainable employment creation, and to ensuring we deliver this on a balanced regional basis.

Lifelong learning is also particularly relevant to the Future Jobs Ireland agenda and has been identified as critical to enabling the transition of workers into new roles and sectors as automation and decarbonisation reshape the economy. Future Job Ireland 2019 set a target to increase the number of people engaged in Lifelong Learning to 18% by 2025.

I expect that a key deliverable under the forthcoming National Economic Plan, when finalised, will include a commitment to embed a culture of lifelong learning right across the workforce, which will reinvigorate and energise our workstreams already underway in this area.

Currently, increased funding is being provided for shorter, more focused courses that can be offered in a flexible manner and through blended or online learning to allow people to gain skills without taking a considerable period away from their workplace. This Modular provision will further enhance the delivery of flexible modules in a considered manner that meets the need of the economy and society and increase Ireland’s participation in Lifelong Learning.

A range of initiatives that enable flexible learning and encourage Lifelong Learning are currently in place in the further and higher education sector, these include Skills for Work, Skills, Skills to Advance Skills to Compete, ecollege, EXPLORE, Springboard+ and the Human Capital Initiative.

In addition, Skillnet Ireland, which is the national agency responsible for the promotion and facilitation of workforce learning in Ireland, currently provides training supports to 70,000 workers per year. It is expected that this will rise to 100,000 by 2025.

A range of non-formal and informal training programmes, which work to directly enhance lifelong learning, are also delivered through the further and higher education sector. Such courses focus on foundation or transversal skills development and build core capabilities which enable participants to move on to more advanced learning opportunities.