James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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135. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the implementation of the Future FET: Transforming Learning 2020-2024 strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6377/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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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, the range of upskilling and reskilling opportunities have been broadened 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. eCollege has also been expanded and eCollege courses have been temporarily made available free of charge as additional supports to those impacted by Covid-19.Since 2020 there has been over 11,500 learners availing of Skills to Advance and over 13,000 learners have availed of Skills to Compete.Very significantly, the new Action Plan for Apprenticeships was launched last year with a target of 10,000 new apprentices registering every year by 2025. The Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme was extended to end December 2021 and there were over 8,600 new apprentices registered across the 62 national apprenticeship programmes currently operational.

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 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.

SOLAS has published a 2021 Progress Update on the Implementation of the FET strategy which is available on their website.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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136. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding allocated in 2021 for the student assistance fund; the amount envisaged to support students in 2022 by institute; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6326/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Student Assistance Fund is a critical support which is allocated by my Department to higher education institutions. The fund has a dual focus. It is designed to support students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds with ongoing needs for financial support and also to provide emergency financial assistance for other students. Students can apply for supports from this fund through their Access Office.

The core funding for the Student Assistance Fund pre-Covid is €9.1 million per annum. This includes €1 million which was added to the fund in 2017 for part-time students who are lone parents or members of the other access target groups under the National Access Plan. Prior to that the fund supported full-time students only.

From the start of the pandemic, I have listened to the perspectives of students and their families who have told me of the significant impact which the pandemic has had on the financial situation of many learners.

That is why, as part of my Department’s response to the issues affecting students arising from the pandemic, I have allocated significantly higher amounts to the Fund over the past two academic years. In total, €18.2 million was allocated for the 2020/2021 academic year.

Last week, I announced the allocation of an additional €1.3 million of once off further funding for this year, which brings the allocation for the 2021/22 academic year to €18.5 million. In addition €1.9 million has also been allocated in Covid-19 funding to a contingency fund for access services.

This increased funding allocation has assisted more students who have found themselves in the situation of being unable to meet the costs associated with day-to-day participation in higher education. It has helped students in paying bills, buying food, books and other classroom materials and has assisted students with the costs of childcare as they return to campus. It has supported people remaining in higher education who otherwise would have been under too much financial pressure to do so.

The core funding allocation to the Student Assistant Fund for the 2022/23 academic year is €9.1 million. This funding will be allocated to institutions in Quarter 3 of 2022, so the breakdown of funding per institution will not be known until then.

However, currently the standard allocation model that is used to calculate each (HEIs) Student Assistance Fund core allocation is as follows:

- 40% is based on the number of Full Time Equivalent students in the HEI.

- 60% based on Deprivation Index Scores (DIS) data. Where DIS data is not available, the sectoral average is used.

The changes I announced in Budget 2022 which will come into effect for the 2022/2023 academic year have introduced measures to address the cost of living. These measures include a €200 increase to all maintenance grants, increasing certain income thresholds by €1000 and reducing the qualifying distance criteria for the non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant from 45km to 30km which will significantly increase the maintenance grant rate for students, who were previously entitled to the adjacent rate of maintenance grant, due to the distance between their place of residence and their college falling between 30km and 45km.

These changes will mean that more students will be entitled to receive a SUSI grant and that this grant will be worth more to students. These are very important measures that will assist in tackling the cost of College Education for students who are in most need of assistance.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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137. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made to encourage and support students of DEIS schools to access further and higher education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6373/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Inclusion is one of the core strategic goals for my Department. My ambition is to ensure that we provide supports and opportunities for learning to all. This means recognising the needs of vulnerable learners, the most marginalised and those with special and additional needs.

The vision of the Third National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2021 (NAP) is that the student body entering, participating in, and completing higher education at all levels reflects the diversity and social mix of Ireland’s population. The plan set out five goals and more than thirty actions, developed following widespread consultation with stakeholders, with the aim of supporting increased access and participation in higher education by six main target groups. Those groups include entrants from socio-economic groups that have low participation in higher education; first-time mature students, students with disabilities, part-time/flexible learners, further education and training award holders; and Irish Travellers. The plan also indicated subgroups that require support, including lone parents, teen parents and ethnic minorities. Improving equity of access to higher education is an ongoing objective. The NAP identified a number of indicators that help to inform progress on NAP implementation and the delivery of increased equity of access. These include entry to higher education from students who have attended DEIS schools, students in receipt of the special rate of grant and data based on postcodes. At the commencement of the NAP there were 3,959 new entrants to higher education from DEIS schools. This data is recorded through the HEA Student Record System (SRS). As we develop the new National Access Plan 2022-2026, which is currently underway, and continue to gather data on this particular group, a notable increase is evident in 2020/21, with 5,320 new entrants from DEIS schools attending higher education. This finding is in line with a Department of Education & Skills (2021) report which noted an increase in the transition rates of those attending DEIS schools to higher education in 2020. We will continue to measure entry to higher education for those attending DEIS schools over the lifetime of the new Plan.

DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) Initiative is the most significant national (and centrally funded) initiative that targets support at disadvantaged communities, particularly those located in urban areas, the Departments work collaboratively to support successful educational transitions to further and higher education. Early intervention and early educational experiences are crucial – Access to further and higher education starts early, and earlier inclusive experiences of students in education is crucial influencing factor.

Engagement with DEIS schools also features in Strand 3 of the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH). PATH 3 supports HEI capacity in developing regional and community partnership strategies (including with DEIS schools) for increasing access to higher education by specified groups. A number of projects approved under PATH 3, including under the recent extension of a funding for another three years, include engagement with local DEIS schools.

Similarly, a number of projects supported under Strand 1 of PATH, which is committed to increasing the diversity of initial teacher education for new entrants, involve engagement with DEIS schools. For example, several Centres collaborate with DEIS schools in mentoring programmes to improve the reach of access to higher education and in particular, access to initial teacher education.

In addition, the PATH 2 bursaries now with three tiers of support take a wider range of indicators into consideration and students from DEIS schools can feature among the recipients.

My Department also provides funding to seven Special Disadvantage Initiatives located in areas of socio-economic disadvantage in Dublin and Limerick cities. These projects specifically target children and young people in primary and post primary DEIS schools who are generally at risk of not reaching their full academic potential. They also seek to direct further targeted activities at children and young people who demonstrate high academic potential but may be at risk of not progressing to further or higher education for a variety of reasons.

The Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) Supporting DEIS Learners Transition to FET Steering Group was established in 2018 at policy?development?level under ETBI structures to support collaboration amongst ETBs, continually improve practice and, develop draft proposals, policies, procedures, information and resources in areas of supporting DEIS learners transition to Further Education & Training (FET). Since 2018, the Group has supported the establishment of local networks providing information and clear pathways for DEIS learners transition to FET, mapped existing local initiatives to support the Transition of DEIS Learners to FET and shared best practice, developed a community of shared practice, facilitating learning and development and enhancing capacity within the membership and has established a communication channel facilitating the exchange of information between ETBI, ETBs, JMB and ACCS.

Work on the development of the new National Access Plan (NAP) 2022 - 2026 is at an advanced stage. Colleagues in my Department are working closely with the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education on the development of the new Plan with the intention of publishing the plan in early 2022.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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139. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the development of a capital application process for projects within the educational and training board sector; when new applications can be submitted for capital projects by organisations such as Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6363/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Development Plan (NDP) provides for a step up in capital funding and a significantly more ambitious phase of capital investment in the FET sector. My Department, in conjunction with SOLAS, is undertaking significant planning work to build up the governance, strategic framework and delivery capability required to underpin and support this major programme of FET investment.

I will shortly confirm a framework for applications for new FET capital projects, in line with the provisions of the Public Spending Code and the Future FET Strategy. This will provide the Education Training Boards (ETB) with a framework to put forward new projects that will both upgrade and enhance FET infrastructure and that will advance the priorities of the Future FET Strategy – building skills, fostering inclusion and facilitating pathways. All relevant details around the application process will be included as part of the programme call to the sector.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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140. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the level of support provided to further and higher education institutions to invest in capital equipment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6313/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A Devolved Capital Grant is provided to the higher and further education sectors with an allocation of just over €48m in 2021 (€40m higher education and just over €8m FET).

The purpose of the Devolved Capital Grant is to provide flexible capital funding to eligible higher education institutions and ETBs to support small-scale building works and equipment purchase or renewal, including ICT and non-apprenticeship equipment.

This is in addition to an apprenticeship-specific capital grant scheme, jointly administered by the HEA and SOLAS with an allocation of €20m (€10m FET and €10m higher education) in 2021/22.

On 22 July 2020, the Government approved a €168 million package of supports for the further and higher education sectors to deal with the impacts of COVID-19. €15 million of this was earmarked for devices to support disadvantaged students.

The decision to allocate funding in this area responded to concerns raised by higher and further education providers, and by student representatives, regarding the digital divide in the context of the shift to online and blended models of learning as a result of COVID-19. €10 million was provided to the higher education sector and €5 million to the further education sector. ICT devices, including 21,336 laptops, were procured under the scheme.