Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, last year my colleague the Minister for Education announced a programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education which will, in time, include changes in the final assessment procedure. Officials in my Department have been engaging closely with officials in the Department of Education around the issue of transitions and Senior Cycle reform. This includes ongoing participation by my Department in the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Partners’ Forum, a representative stakeholder engagement group established by Minister Foley in April this year which underpins the collaboration necessary to support implementation and, where appropriate, further developments under the programme.

My objective as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is to ensure that school leavers have as many routes as possible to progress to the career of their choosing, and to make sure that they understand the full range of options that are available to them in the further and higher education system. I strongly believe that the points a student receives in their Leaving Certificate should not make or break their future success, and that is why my Department strives to ensure that there are a multiplicity of pathways available to students outside of the traditional CAO system.

To highlight the range of learning and qualification options available to school leavers, my Department has enhanced the visibility of further education and training (FET) and apprenticeship options for school leavers by allowing school leavers to explore options across higher education, further education and apprenticeships, on the CAO website.

Within the FET sector, a central portal has been developed to enable learners to apply for their chosen courses. FET is available in every community in Ireland, and provides programmes on both a full and part-time basis. There is a broad and diverse range of over 700 courses, programmes and supports on offer within FET at levels 1-6 of the NFQ, providing learning and upskilling.

For apprenticeship options, the CAO website links to www.apprenticeship.ie, a one-stop-shop website for information and guidance on apprenticeships. There are currently 69 national apprenticeship programmes available in sectors such as ICT, retail, and biopharma. 2022 saw 8,286 new apprenticeship registrations, an increase of 34% on the pre-Covid figure in 2019. At the end of 2022 there were over 26,000 people at various stages of their apprenticeship.

Although the Leaving Certificate is the terminal exam for post-primary education, not an entrance exam for third level, many students see it as their only gateway to higher education, and consequently feel under significant pressure to perform well in the exams. To combat this unnecessary stress, my Department and I recently launched new tertiary programmes, which allow students to commence their degree study in their local Further Education College and progress seamlessly onto a higher education institution. These programmes are an important new development in tertiary provision, providing pathways to learners outside of the points race. With the launch of these courses, we are making a significant change to how our third level system works and, most importantly, we are creating a more inclusive society in which students will have many opportunities to pursue a career that interests them and reach their full potential.