Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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368. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he is taking to obtain additional college places for the 2021-2022 academic year given the rise in CAO applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32549/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the high number of CAO applications this year, and officials from my Department are engaging regularly with representatives from the higher education sector in relation to the 2021/22 academic year and demand for places.

€18 million has been provided in Budget 2021 which will build additional capacity in the system and address demographic growth pressures. This is in addition to additional places commencing in 2021, funded through the Human Capital Initiative Pillar 2, which will be on undergraduate courses in areas of identified skills needs.

The CAO process applications for undergraduate courses on behalf of the Higher Education Institutions. Decisions on admissions are made by the HEIs who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. As such, neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO.

However, my Department is monitoring the situation as it develops and my officials are working with the HEA and the Higher Education Institutions to identify where there is scope for additional places to be provided. In addition to higher education, I would like to highlight the range of options available in further education and training and apprenticeships. These options can serve both as an alternate pathway to a chosen career or an alternate pathway into higher education. For students who are not successful in gaining an offer for their course of choice in the first instance, there are alternate routes available to them to reach their preferred option.

All bodies involved will continue to work to ensure the availability of a full range of further and higher education options for applicants in 2021 and in future years.