Written answers
Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Department of Education and Skills
Education Policy
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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1811. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will set out how he intends to differentiate between community education facilitators working directly in the area of community education, and other employees of education and training boards who have the title of community education facilitator but work in other areas of further education and training, having regard to Government strategy for higher education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16734/23]
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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1812. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will set out in tabular form, the number of employees of education and training boards working directly in the area of community education; the number of employees of education and training boards with the title of community education facilitator; the number of employees of education and training boards with the title of community education facilitator who work in areas outside of community education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16735/23]
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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1813. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the process he plans to undertake in the grade realignment of community education facilitators employed by education and training boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16736/23]
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1811 to 1813, inclusive, together.
As of 17 April 2023, Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) have advised my Department that there are 120 people employed as Community Education Facilitators across the ETBs as set out in the following table:
| CEFs working directly in Community Education | CEFs working outside the area of community education | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 80 | 120 |
ETBI are compiling data in respect of the number of ETB employees working directly in the area of community education, and this will data will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.
The grade of Community Education Facilitator (CEF) was introduced in the context of the then Department of Education and Science’s White Paper on Adult Education, “Learning for Life” in 2002. The role of a CEF was to assist the planning, development and management of the ETB’s local community education service.
There was agreement subsequently with the Unions that cross cutting FET roles could be filled using the CEF grade within the context of the Organisational Design review process to be undertaken for the ETBs. The management side agreed to only fill such cross-cutting roles on a temporary basis with the permanent filling of these roles to be subject to discussion with the Unions and approval from DPER.
My Department together with the Department of Education, which retains regulatory responsibility for the ETB sector, along with the ETBs and SOLAS, are committed to engaging with the Unions on the second phase of the Organisational Design (ODII) of the ETBs.
A dedicated FET Transformation Unit has been established by my Department to examine the issues flagged by the sector around FET staffing structures and to assess the business case for a strategic transformation of FET practitioner staffing against the background of the FET College of the Future.An initial project will collect baseline data on current FET staffing across the 16 ETBs and mapping of grades and responsibilities assigned.
ETB management has held a number of workshops on ODII to facilitate their input into a joint management paper which will issue to the staff side to facilitate discussions between the parties.
The realignment and differentiation of such cross-cutting FET roles, at the grade of Community Education Facilitator and other grades if relevant, will be explored in the context of ODII.
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