Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Section 28 of the Technological Universities Act, 2018 sets out the eligibility criteria applicant institutes must meet to be granted Technological University status. There are a mix of requirements and demonstrable capabilities in relation to staff qualifications with regard to both masters or doctoral degrees, or to relevant staff having sufficient practical experience gained in the practice of a profession to which a programme leading to an award of at least at an honours bachelor degree level such that a terminal degree and experience together can reasonably be viewed as equivalent to a doctoral degree.

I understand that the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) raised this issue verbally at a recent meeting with my officials. However, I am not aware of any formal, empirical or documented case being presented to the Department in this regard by the TUI, or by any other sectoral stakeholder, nor by the technological universities themselves.

I would highlight that the relevant provisions relating to eligibility criteria including staff qualifications under the 2018 Act were extensively debated, including by way of comprehensive public consultations and as the then Technological Universities Bill went through the legislative process and was subsequently adopted by both Houses of the Oireachtas and enacted in the form it retains today.

While I have no plans at this time to amend the legislative provisions in question, the matter will be kept under review by the Department including in any consultations with the Higher Education Authority and the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland as may be deemed appropriate.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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TU Dublin is an autonomous Higher Education Institution (HEI) within the meaning of the Technological Universities Act 2018. Under this legislation technological universities (TUs) are academically independent and entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes including the number and type of programmes offered. It is to be expected the HEIs would periodically review and update their provision offering.

In terms of fostering strategic skills programmes, Section 9 of the 2018 Act legislatively requires a TU to support entrepreneurship, enterprise development and innovation in business through teaching and the conduct of research, to promote the involvement of stakeholders in the design and delivery of programmes of education and training and to support the development of a skilled labour force including in the education and training of apprentices in accordance with communicated Government policy.

As such, all TUs, including TU Dublin, are mandated to develop appropriate, strategic and sought after, skills focused programmes developed in conjunction with relevant stakeholders.

More broadly the tertiary education system plays a central role in ensuring that graduates from higher education including TUs, further education and training and apprenticeship are equipped with the cognitive skills, the essential transversal skills, and as appropriate the vocational and professional skills and competencies which will equip them for success in work and society.

Against the backdrop of the accelerating and intensifying digital and green transitions, it is essential that our skills ecosystem has the agility and flexibility to adapt to changing priorities in the skills and workforce development landscape. In this context, one of the key themes of the OECD Review of Ireland's National Skills Strategy published last May was the need to secure a balance in skills through a responsive, diversified supply of skills in Ireland.

The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and SOLAS's Skills and Labour Market Research Unit have a key role in assessing and forecasting for the skills and talent needs in our economy. Their analysis, for example in relation to green skills and digital transition is central to informing responsive planning across the tertiary system and flexible responses to changes in the employment environment.

The comprehensive roadmap provided by the OECD Review provides a strong basis for ensuring that we get skills policies right, ensuring societal well-being and sustainable growth in Ireland for the future and HEIs such as the TUs are pivotal in this context not least in terms of regional skills development and rebalancing.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that one of the key objectives of SALI is to strengthen gender diversity at the senior leadership level within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and to encourage the benefits that such diversity can deliver.

Championing equality and diversity is one of the key goals of my department. The Senior Academic Leadership Initiative (SALI) is an important initiative aimed at advancing gender equality at the highest levels in our higher education institutions.

The scheme is intended to provide funding for 45 prestigious senior leadership posts. Twenty of these posts were approved and filled in the first SALI cycle in 2020. In November 2021, my Department announced seven of our institutions had been successful under Cycle 2 of the SALI, securing an additional 10 posts at senior academic level in higher education. This brings the total number of posts awarded under SALI to 30.

The posts awarded span a range of disciplinary areas, from Biochemical Engineering to Sustainable Geoscience, Intersectional Humanities and Pharmaceutical Engineering. These posts will not only have a significant impact in terms of gender equality, but they will also contribute to wider societal goals through research and education. The posts were approved by an expert international assessment panel chaired by Professor Chantal Davies, Professor of Law, Equality and Diversity in the School of Law at the University of Chester.

TU Dublin were awarded 3 SALI posts across the 2 cycles:

SALI cycle 1:

• Professor of Public Trust in Media, Arts and Technology
• Professorship in Inclusive Computer Science

• Professor of Innovation and Sustainability in Engineering, Construction and Built Environment

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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616. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the policy concerning the use of the title 'Professor' by adjunct professors of university departments who are full-time public servants and not directly employed by the university; the policy concerning whether the title 'Professor' can be used by public servants outside their university roles on official documents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41331/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My department does not have a policy on the use of the term professor, but individual universities, as autonomous institutions, have developed and adopted their own policies in relation to academic titles. These are intended to ensure that such titles are meaningful to both an internal and external audience and accurately reflect the academic standing of an individual.

As the Deputy will be aware, the authority of a civil or public servant to perform their duties flows from the relevant legislation and the individual’s role within an organisation rather than from the use of any particular title.