Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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162. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the consideration that has been given to prioritising the reopening of training courses for professions deemed essential. [13612/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Continuity for the most part of further and higher education and research has been maintained throughout the pandemic, despite the suspension of most on-site activities. Over time a blended model of learning has become the dominant mode with varying levels of onsite and online delivery aligned to public health advice and to the needs of different disciplines and different learner cohorts.

Level 5 measures designate higher and further education as essential insofar as onsite presence is required for education and training activities that cannot be held remotely. In January 2021, the sector rapidly adjusted again to the prevailing public health situation by moving the vast majority of their provision online.

The priority activities which can continue on-site, subject to the appropriate protective measures, guidelines and local assessment include practical tuition, workshops and skills-based learning (including in relation to apprenticeships) and engagement with vulnerable learners. Institutions and providers will use their existing discretion, taking account of the public health situation nationally and locally to ensure that only the most essential work is taking place onsite. Local assessment will focus on activities that are not capable of being delivered through alternative means, and are time-critical for students and learners during this period. Reflecting the scale and diversity of third-level provision, further and higher education institutions are best equipped to determine where onsite presence is required.