Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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1036. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans, if any, to increase the number of third level courses for urban and rural planners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63990/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There are a range of courses which include a focus on urban and rural planning, including courses in architecture and urban planning. In the 2021/2022 academic year, there were c. 50 relevant courses available at levels 8-10 on the National Framework for Qualifications, with student enrollments rising by over 19% since the 2017/2018 academic year. Please find attached list of programmes for further information.

Under two of the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 3 projects Higher Education provision in Urban and Rural planning is being innovatively developed. 

The TU Dublin project Resilient Design Curricula for 21st Century professionals is developing architectural education to prioritise sustainable development. All six Schools of Architecture in the Republic of Ireland have partnered on this project. 

Each Higher Education Institution (HEI) partner will strengthen their academic delivery with local and city councils who are invested in sustainable planning and building in their jurisdictions. The National Planning Framework 2040 Plan with its overarching region-by-region sustainability principles places a new and clear emphasis on a series of goals such as compact cities, strengthened rural environments, increased connectivity, a focus on heritage, wellness and healthcare and a sustainable management of water, waste and other environmental resources. These are all spatial and material in nature and are typical of the subject areas architecture schools work on and the building (and planning) industry as a whole is engaged with.

There is a newly developed micro-credential in planning currently in development under the TCD "Next generation teaching and learning for the changing needs of society and industry" project. The TCD Transport Modelling and Planning micro-credential is a 12-week course. 

This Department recently published a Report on the Analysis of Skills for Residential Construction and Retrofitting 2023-2030, which indicates that the annual supply of graduates at levels 7-8, with regard to planners, is broadly in line with the forecast demand for this sector.See www.gov.ie/en/publication/10ae6-report-on-the-analysis-of-skills-for-residential-construction-retrofitting-2023-to-2030/ for further details.

">List of Courses

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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1037. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans in place to dramatically increase the number of third level courses for marine planners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63991/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There are a range of courses available at Level 8 - Level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications relevant to marine planning, including courses such as, but not limited to, Bachelor of Science (Marine Science), MSc in Applied Coastal Marine Management, Bachelor of Science (Hons) Environmental Planning and Management, MPlan (Planning and Sustainable Development) and Master of Science Spatial Planning. 

Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006, and the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such they are autonomous in relation to their administrative and academic affairs, and the courses offered by any institution, and the level at which they are offered, are a matter for the individual institutions to determine. 

However, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Innovation & Science (DFHERIS) fosters and develops a responsive education and skills system. The identification of skills priorities to help inform and shape planning for graduate output from higher education is guided by the National Skills Strategy 2016-2025, as the framework for skills development. The National Skills Council (NSC) and nine Regional Skills Fora (RSF), created under the National Skills Strategy, foster engagement and collaboration between relevant Government Departments and agencies, the education and training system, and enterprise. The broader skills ecosystem also encompasses entities including the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU, hosted in SOLAS), the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment) and the National Training Fund Advisory Group (NTFAG, DFHERIS). While DFHERIS has responsibility for skills policy, this broader skills ecosystem informs and drives responsive, flexible forecasting, planning, and provision.  

My Department is focused on and will continue to focus on driving a skills ecosystem and skills agenda in Ireland which is agile and flexible to priority skill needs, including those arising from the twin digital and green transitions, to ensure Ireland has a skilled and productive workforce prepared for the challenges ahead.