Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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A series of measures and initiatives have been taken or are underway in relation to the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on the further education and training (FET) sector. In addition, supporting research and underpinning data has been examined by both officials in my Department and by SOLAS in relation to these activities. This will continue, in line with the ongoing response to Covid-19, and will be underpinned by the national FET Strategy 2020-2024: Future FET Transforming Learning.

The FET Strategy includes a commitment to ensure the impact of Covid-19 can be explored, including through a national learner engagement survey, as well as supported, through the Skills to Compete initiative. The Skills to Compete initiative, which is the national FET response to the upskilling and reskilling needs of people who may have been displaced from their employment as a result of the impact of Covid-19, and has been underway since July 2020, initially supported through the July Jobs Stimulus package. The initiative provides supports for learners in the areas of employability, digital skills and specific skills training.

There was a significant recovery in apprenticeship registration numbers following the introduction of the apprenticeship incentivisation scheme. This scheme is continuing in 2021. Over 1,200 companies are on board to provide places under the Skillnet Ireland Skills Connect initiative in a wide variety of sectors such as medtech, financial services and the sustainable economy.

Over 500 community education projects across Ireland have received funding under the Mitigating against Educational Disadvantage Fund. Last year I announced that this fund, provided for through Budget 2021, would be administered by SOLAS, the further education and training authority, and the 16 local Education and Training Boards (ETBs). The aim of the fund is to support community education for adult learners, who have the highest level of need, with a strong focus on building the digital infrastructure of community education providers to increase the capacity to deliver online learning. The projects benefitting from funding vary from projects to help support online learning, connect communities, providing essential travel, and providing social support to vulnerable people.

A fund of €5m for student devices was part of €168 million package for further and higher Education sectors to deal with the impacts of Covid-19 in the FET, which was provided to ETBs in accordance with allocation models agreed with SOLAS.

A Working Group for Student and Learner Wellbeing and Engagement (SLWE) was established in January 2021, chaired by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), and comprising representatives from across the further and higher education sectors. The purpose of the SLWE group has been to reflect on the challenges facing student and learner wellbeing and engagement as a result of Covid-19 and to identify existing and further measures to address these.

The new FET Strategy has increased its references to Learner Voice and reasserted its commitment to keep Learner Voice at the heart of FET Provision. This helps to ensure that FET remains learner-centred and that learner voice is valued as critical evidence that can inform the future of FET provision and this is especially relevant when considering the impacts of Covid-19 on the FET sector.