Written answers

Tuesday, 30 November 2021

Department of Education and Skills

Departmental Strategies

Photo of Cathal CroweCathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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108. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made under the Future FET: Transforming Learning 2020-2024 strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58638/21]

Photo of Niall CollinsNiall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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The National FET Strategy Future FET, Transforming Learning 2020-2024launched in July 2020 concentrates on the three core pillars of building skills, fostering inclusion, and facilitating pathways to deliver a more strategic and integrated FET system.

Significant progress has been made to date across the three pillars. With regard to Building Skills, there has been a sizable increase in the number of upskilling and reskilling opportunities made available through Skills to Advance, focussed on upskilling for those in employment, and Skills to Compete, a key SOLAS initiative to support those who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19 to re-enter the workforce, and through the expansion of eCollege. Very significantly, the new Action Plan for Apprenticeships launched earlier this year sets a target of 10,000 new apprentices registering every year by 2025.

In the area of fostering inclusion, there have been two significant developments, namely the development of the Framework for Universal Design for Learning in FET and the launch and publication of the new 10 year adult literacy, numeracy and digital literacy strategy, Adult Literacy for Life. Both developments are significant and will help to enable every citizen to participate fully in society.

Turning to Creating Pathways, the enhancement of the CAO website for the 2022 CAO application process by the inclusion of links to information on, and applications for, FET programmes and to Apprenticeship information and employment opportunities is significant in enhancing the visibility of FET and apprenticeship options for school leavers.

Progress has also been made in the enabling themes identified in the FET Strategy - staffing, structures and capabilities, learner performance centred, digital transformation and capital infrastructure. The FET strategy will underpin the development of new strategic performance agreements between SOLAS and each of the ETBs for the next three years, from 2022-2024 and the provision in Budget 2022 will support building the required capacity within the ETBs.

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