Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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314. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he proposes to facilitate the development of the sciences throughout the higher educational system with a view to the preparing of undergraduates for the competition that lies ahead with particular reference to job opportunities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27401/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The development of a country’s talent entails lifelong investment and commitment on the part of both the individual and the State. From pre-primary through to further and higher education and throughout an individual’s career, skills and knowledge need to be continuously enhanced if individuals, employers and countries are to realise their potential. My Department has a key role to play in enabling individuals to develop the skills that will allow them to have sustainable employment, which in turn contributes to a sustainable economy and society.

The challenge to deliver suitably qualified and adequate numbers of graduates to meet the demands of the workplace is a fundamental focus for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

With regard to the demands of the workplace, it is crucial to listen to employers and embed our responses and policies in evidence-informed skills forecasting, to seek truly inclusive policy development, and a national consensus on outcomes.

Strong collaborative links between the further and higher education system and enterprise have been developed and expanded over recent years. The National Skills Council, the Regional Skills Fora, the National Training Fund Advisory Group and the Apprenticeship Council are some of our partnership mechanisms, with the education and training system, and their industry representatives. These relationships allow us to gather insights and data directly from enterprise that feed into high level national policy decisions and allow us to know exactly what enterprise wants us to deliver.

Key measures:

- In 2019, there were 77,815 graduates from the Higher Education sector. Of these, 4,916 were in ICT, 8,116 in Engineering Manufacturing and Construction and 6,472 in Science and Maths.

- In 2018/2019, total enrolments at Research Masters and Ph.D. level was 10,529, the highest amount enrolled since the peak of 10,774 in 2009/10. Of those currently enrolled, approx. 62% are in STEM areas.

- Technology Skills 2022: Ireland’s Third ICT Skills Action Plan is a collaborative effort by Government, the higher and further education and training system and industry to meet Ireland’s high level ICT skills needs. The plan has devised measures that will boost the supply of ICT graduates to meet the ambitious level of demand forecast for the coming years. By 2022, the interventions outlined in this plan aim to deliver up to an additional 5,000 graduates per annum through indigenous supply, with the remainder serviced by inward migration.

- Innovation 2020, set the target of increasing 1st year enrolments in PhD and Research Masters courses by 500 by 2000, this was achieved in the 2018.2019 academic year with an additional 530 enrolments compared to the 2013/2014 baseline. Additionally, overall numbers of PhD and Research Masters graduates reached 2,017 in the class of 2019, the highest amount since the class of 2014.

- The Business Expenditure on R&D Survey 2019-20 found that 31.5% of enterprises have indicated they are quite likely or very likely to recruit at PhD level in the next 5 years. Furthermore, 62% of all enterprises have indicated they are quite likely or very likely to recruit at Masters level.

- In the IMD World Talent Rankings 2020, Ireland ranked 9^thout of 63 countries for workforce readiness, which encompasses the degree to which education meets the needs of employers, place of STEM in education, languages, availability of skilled labour as well as other factors related to the labour force.

- In last year’s European Innovation Scoreboard, in which Ireland is ranked the 9th most innovative Member State in the EU, Ireland performed well with its skilled workforce. Ireland came 7th overall and higher than the EU average in the Human Resources dimension, which measures the availability of a high-skilled and educated workforce. Within this, Ireland was 7th for New Doctorate Graduates, 2nd for Population completed tertiary education (aged 25-34) and 9th for Lifelong Learning.

We must continue to evolve and improve in order to meet the rapid changes and challenges of the future world of work, and to shape the economy and society that we want to have. I know that my Department, in collaboration with key stakeholders, will continue to do this work, to help ensure that we meet skills needs on an ongoing basis, and to support economic recovery and economic success.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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315. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which, through higher education he plans to use innovation as a means of advancing educational abilities and as a result, economic preparedness to meet the challenges of the modern educational and employment challenges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27402/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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316. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which he plans to further the capabilities of graduates in respect of research with particular reference to the need to maximise Ireland’s capabilities in that field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27403/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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322. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the areas in respect of which he through higher education plans to include innovation as a means of enhancing capability and reputation globally of Irish graduates on the global stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27409/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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323. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the higher education system incorporates research as a means of further advancing the capabilities of Irish graduates using research as a basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27410/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 315, 316, 322 and 323 together.

The development of a country’s talent entails lifelong investment and commitment on the part of both the individual and the State. From pre-primary through to further and higher education and throughout an individual’s career, skills and knowledge need to be continuously enhanced if individuals, employers and countries are to realise their potential. The centrality of the higher education and research systems in the innovation ecosystem and the availability of high-quality talent from the tertiary education system are core to Ireland’s competitive position.

The expansion of higher education has been a key enabling factor in the growth of the Irish economy over the past four decades. The availability and quality of graduates is essential if we are to maintain our attractiveness as a location for investment and grow our reputation as a destination for a successful research career.

The higher and further education sectors are critical sources of knowledge creation, innovation, skills and human capital development and critical to our ability to deal with current and future crises is ensuring we have a pipeline of talent coming through our higher education system that is fully equipped to make a valuable contribution to our economy and society.

In last year’s European Innovation Scoreboard, in which Ireland is ranked the 9th most innovative Member State in the EU, Ireland performed well with its skilled workforce. Ireland came 7th overall and higher than the EU average in the Human Resources dimension, which measures the availability of a high-skilled and educated workforce. Within this, Ireland was 7th for New Doctorate Graduates, 2nd for Population completed tertiary education (aged 25-34) and 9th for Lifelong Learning.

I and my department are determined to be the driver of a vibrant sector which produces individuals who are equipped with the skills that they need to progress in the way that they want to, and in a way that meets the needs of our evolving economy and contributes to an inclusive society. Not only will these individuals be equipped with expertise in research and innovation but I am also determined that the sector will continue to embrace and embed innovation in how it delivers and operates.

As international competition for talent, investment and innovation grows more intense as nations strive to improve their standing as knowledge based economies, the establishment of a new Department focused on talent and knowledge is an indication of the Government’s intent to position human capital and research as key enablers for our future economy and society.

It is imperative that we continue to develop a pipeline of research talent for academia, industry and the public sector if Ireland is to realise its ambitions under the new Programme for Government and Project Ireland 2040 and my officials will be exploring this as part of the development of the next national research and innovation strategy currently underway at my department.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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317. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he plans to make special provision to the advancement of the sciences with the higher educational system with a view to maximisation of opportunities for Irish graduates in order to enhance their opportunities against allcomers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27404/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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318. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which he continues to encourage the development of the sciences through higher education with a view to ensuring the availability of the highest possible number of scientists in the future and as a result, enhancing Ireland’s capability in that field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27405/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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319. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for an increase in student interest in the sciences through higher education; the extent to which this is manifesting itself; his hope for the future in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27406/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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320. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has carried out an evaluation of the level of interest in the sciences at third and fourth-level; if he plans to incentivise interest in the area in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27407/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 to 320, inclusive, together.

There are a number of key strategies in place at all levels to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands, including in the area of the sciences. These include policies designed to ensure a pipeline of suitably qualified science and technical graduates, and initiatives to equip young people and the working population more generally with the skills and capacity to meet these demands. These strategies and initiatives include: the National Skills Strategy 2025; Technology Skills 2022; Springboard+; the Human Capital Initiative and the July Stimulus package.

I am keenly aware of how crucial STEM education is to Ireland’s growth as a world-class centre of innovation and research. On 18th May Minister Foley and I announced a new partnership to support education and public engagement in STEM. This partnership contributes funding to projects under the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Discover Programme, which aims to support effective interventions in early STEM education, help students engage with science subjects at an early age and foster interest in STEM careers.

The number of students studying STEM at third level has been growing, with the number of yearly graduates in the field of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics increasing by 1,000 between 2014 and 2019, from 5,470 to 6,470. My Department will continue to engage with the Department of Education on their STEM Education Policy Statement to ensure that learners are given every opportunity to engage with the sciences, and ensure that pipeline of suitably qualified science graduates is maintained.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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321. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which higher education has embraced innovation as a means to enhance the cutting edge of higher education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27408/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Our society and the world of work are changing rapidly, and if anything, this will be accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Higher Education Institutions will have an important role in equipping us to manage this change. This will entail agility and innovation in how those institutions operate.

There are a number of key strategies in place at all levels to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands. These include policies designed to ensure a pipeline of suitably qualified science and technical graduates, and initiatives to equip young people and the working population more generally with the skills and capacity to meet these demands. These strategies and initiatives include the National Skills Strategy 2025, Technology Skills 2022, Springboard+, the Human Capital Initiative and the July Stimulus package.

Over the past three years the Department, through the Higher Education Authority and the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, has invested over €33 million in targeted innovation and enhancement initiatives across the higher education sector. National and local initiatives have included those focused on topics such as enhancing digital teaching and learning, entrepreneurship, curriculum innovation, simulation-based learning, and enterprise-academic partnerships. The HEA’s 2018 Innovation and Transformation Fund and the National Forum’s 2019 and 2020 Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) Fund have ensured Irish teaching and learning remains at the forefront of innovation and future-focused education in Europe.

With respect to the pandemic, although institutional closures were unforeseen, much of the work of the sector in the years leading to 2020 enabled and empowered the higher education community to respond in an informed and cohesive manner to the unexpected situation in which it found itself. Robust and relevant knowledge and experience had been developed which was transferred, re-purposed and re-imagined as necessary when the context of teaching and learning was suddenly transformed. The sector was in a far more advanced state with respect to assessment and technology-enhanced learning than it would have been had the crisis taken place some years previously. Local and national knowledge and understanding on these key topics had been built, informed by research and by the sharing of practice and expertise. Teaching and learning staff became the frontline workers of higher education.

The pandemic has taught us how quickly circumstances can change and the need for those who teach and those who learn to be confident in their knowledge and skills and supported in adapting their abilities to a variety of circumstances. With this in mind, the 2020 SATLE Fund focused on providing an opportunity for institutions to reflect on what they had learned in 2020 and consider what this meant for the future of education across face-to-face, blended, online and remote teaching and learning contexts. Funding allocated to institutions aligned with local needs and empowered institutions to take a strategic and cooperative step forward, focusing on topics such as innovative assessment practices, micro-credentials, learning analytics, and digital futures.

The Human Capital Initiative, which was announced by the Government in Budget 2019, is an initiative that provides a €300m investment of National Training Fund monies to enable our Higher Education system to respond more rapidly to the changes and challenges we face.

Pillar 3 of the initiative is focused on the core principle of embedding innovation and agility across a wide spectrum of undergraduate and postgraduate provision. A total budget of €206 million over a 5-year period has been provided to higher education institutions or groups of institutions to develop projects with potential application and impact across the full higher education system.

Twenty-two projects developing innovative, and responsive models of programme delivery, are underway. These projects will boost the higher education systems ability to respond rapidly to changes in both skills requirements and technology. The projects are aligning innovation and agility with national strategic objectives, key system objectives for the higher education system, and future skills needs for society and the economy.

Springboard+ runs an annual call in order to be in a position to provide the most up to date skills needs courses responding to advances in technology that are impacting the future world of work. Programmes recommended for funding under Springboard+ 2021 will continue to be delivered in a flexible manner ensuring that courses are open to participants regardless of their geographical location.

In July 2020, as part of the Government’s announcement on the July stimulus package, additional funding was provided for Higher Education skills-related programmes. This included an allocation for the provision of shorter, more focused courses/modules which could be offered in a flexible manner and allow people to gain important skills without taking a considerable period away from the labour market.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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324. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which his Department continues to observe the qualifications of third and fourth-level graduates in respect of their ability to avail of and take-up employment opportunities as they become available here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27411/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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325. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he remains satisfied that third and fourth-level education here has adequate access to research as a means of determining future qualifications and standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27412/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 325 together.

From pre-primary through to further and higher education and throughout an individual’s career, skills and knowledge need to be continuously enhanced if individuals, employers and countries are to realise their potential. The expansion of higher education has been a key enabling factor in the growth of the Irish economy over the past four decades. The availability and quality of graduates is essential if we are to maintain our attractiveness as a location for investment and grow our reputation as a knowledge based economy.. Equally, increased participation in higher education has resulted in significant contributions to society and has played a critical role in enriching our cultural life.

There are a number of key strategies in place at all levels to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands. These include policies designed to ensure a pipeline of suitably qualified science and technical graduates, and initiatives to equip young people and the working population more generally with the skills and capacity to meet these demands. These strategies and initiatives include: the National Skills Strategy 2025; Technology Skills 2022; Springboard+; the Human Capital Initiative and the July Stimulus package.

As international competition for talent, investment and innovation grows more intense as nations strive to improve their standing as knowledge based economies, the establishment of a new Department focused on talent and knowledge is an indication of the Government’s intent to position human capital and research as key enablers for our future economy and society.

Postgraduate education delivered by higher education institutions is critical to Ireland’s research system. In addition to contributing to knowledge, postgraduate researcher education drives participants to develop their own research and innovation skills that can be applied in a range of environments, in academia or industry, at home or abroad.

Launched in 2015, the National Framework for Doctoral Education underpins the drive for quality and consistency in the doctoral education experience across Ireland. It has four main objectives:

- Facilitate consistent excellence in the quality of postgraduate education and training, including research undertaken at Master’s and doctoral levels;

- Enable and encourage higher education institutions to work more closely in the delivery of an improved learner-experience and outcome;

- Maximise the employability of doctoral graduates across a broad range of employment sectors by ensuring that the acquisition of discipline-specific knowledge is complemented by the development of transferable skills;

- Underpin the international standing of the Irish doctoral award.

Advancement of the Framework is supported by the National Advisory Forum that is co-chaired by the HEA and QQI and whose membership includes all HEIs and research funders. The Framework sets out nine principles underpinning doctoral education in Ireland, to which the Forum members have all committed.

A priority for this Government is to support business, invest in the development of people and to enhance skills and develop and attract talent to ensure our education and training system is responsive to enterprise needs. We must ensure that we have accessible upskilling options and that our education and training providers offer relevant and up-to-date courses which meet the needs of enterprises and workers.

Higher Education institutions are constantly reviewing and updating their course curriculum in collaboration with enterprise to ensure that undergraduate and taught postgraduate course content is reflecting emerging trends in the future world of work and industry.

The Irish Research Council funds postgraduates across all disciplines and is an important component in the wider national strategic pursuit of a strong talent pipeline of research graduates. Science Foundation Ireland has commenced a programme to support advanced PhD skills and training, in collaboration with industry, for the new economy. There are currently six of these SFI Centres for Research Training supporting over 700 PhD students in ICT and data analytics. Through the CRTs, students will be equipped with transversal skills including entrepreneurship and innovation to enable them to adapt and react to rapidly evolving workplaces and making them a very attractive skills pipeline for industry. In addition, I recently announced a €23m joint investment between SFI and the IRC in Ireland’s top post-doctoral researchers, contributing to my department’s objective of fostering enhanced collaboration across our research ecosystem.

My Department will continue to align our further and higher education and research policies with what is required in the workplace. We will do this by working with industry to address current needs and, looking beyond the current world of work, by equipping individuals with the skills they need to succeed in the changing labour market.