Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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258. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if this jurisdiction is likely to experience a shortage of graduates in the future within a particular area to meet the demand of the corresponding workforce; his plans to address same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15888/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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260. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he continues to liaise with the technical sector with a view to ensuring adequate provision in respect of graduates in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15890/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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261. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he continues to liaise with the academic sector with a view to ensuring adequate provision in respect of graduates in this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15891/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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262. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he continues to research future requirements in the education sector with a view to ensuring an adequate supply of graduates throughout; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15892/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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263. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will indicate, arising from his discussions with the academic and technical sectors, the extent to which he is satisfied that adequate provision continues to be made in both areas with a view to meeting demand and job specifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15893/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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264. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which his Department is focused on the health sector in terms of ensuring a steady supply of graduates with a view to ensuring the filling of the maximum possible number of posts in the health services in the coming years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15894/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 258 and 260 to 264, inclusive, together.

My Department is focused on aligning planning within the higher education sector with the skills needs of the country. Our approach to addressing these challenges is firmly rooted in collaborative partnership with enterprise and other stakeholders and is central to our economic and social ambitions. Planning for current and future public sector skills needs is a priority for my department. Officials are engaging with a number of government departments to determine the needs of their sectors in respect of crucial skill areas.

The National Skills Council within its remit advises on the prioritisation of identified skills needs and on how to secure delivery of these needs. Key high-level trends identified at recent National Skills Council meetings include automation and digitisation, digital literacy and transversal skills. Information on these trends is then used to formulate our skills strategies and initiatives such as the National Skills Strategy 2025; Technology Skills 2022; Springboard+ and the Human Capital Initiative.

Funding the Future was launched in May 2022. It provides the policy basis for the vision and direction of higher education funding in a sustainable way. A key element of this policy framework is a focus on driving skills and engagement, with a particular focus on essential public services. Through this policy framework my Department and the HEA will strengthen planning for provision, and alignment between the sector and the national skills architecture, including workforce planning for key public services.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Higher Education Authority is close to concluding a process to identify where additional capacity could be built in the higher education sector in a number of key disciplines including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and veterinary. Through the process, the HEA is examining opportunities for new programme provision as well as the expansion of current programmes, and will determine a final list of options. It is the intention that further such processes for other disciplines will be run later in the year.

The HEA appointed an Expert Advisory Panel to review new programme proposals. The panel was comprised of representatives from Government Departments and regulatory and professional bodies that have direct professional experience and/or academic expertise in the relevant disciplines, or knowledge of the higher education system at a senior level.

The Deputy will understand that, before making any determinations regarding additional places on existing or new programmes, my Department must first consider potential options having regard to workforce plans and projected demand for graduates from relevant line Departments. As such, on receiving recommendations from the HEA, I will engage with my colleagues the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister for Health in relation to those Department's assessments of the scale of the demand for graduates in their specific area.

I look forward to receiving the final report of options from the HEA for my Department to review in the coming days.

My Department will continue to advance efforts to ensure that Ireland offers learning opportunities to all who wish to pursue them and produces the graduates the workforce needs with the skills that our economy and society require.