Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Since the establishment of my Department in June 2020, a key objective has been the continuing enhancement of quality education provision at third level. My Department has worked to drive performance & governance reform and improved outcomes as we work towards creating a world-class tertiary education system that is accessible, adaptable and aligned with the evolving needs of society.

On May 4th 2022 the Government published Funding the Future, a landmark policy framework on the sustainable funding of the higher education system. It identified a funding gap of €307m to be closed by Government over successive budgets. The framework also identified five priority strands of work, which increased core funding could advance, including a strand in relation to enhancing the quality and international standing of the higher education system.

Budget 2023 saw €40.2m secured under Funding the Future while Budget 2024 saw an additional €65.5 million in core higher education funding. This brings the total additional core funding secured since the publication of Funding the Future in May 2022 to €105.7m. Core higher education funding remains a priority for my Department, and I will continue to work to secure right-sized funding for the sector.

Implementation of the Higher Education Authority Act 2022 continues to be a priority; through this new legislation we are able to bring additional support to the modernisation of governance and accountability mechanisms.

In September 2023, the HEA published a new System performance Framework, which sets out parameters under which higher education institutions demonstrate their unique contribution to the achievement of national strategic priorities and outcomes.

Regarding Further Education and Training, my Department continues to support SOLAS and the ETBs in implementing the FET Strategy: Transforming Learning. The provision of an additional €3m in Budget 2024 will consolidate and expand the progress made across the three core pillars of building skills, fostering inclusion, and facilitating pathways to deliver a more strategic and integrated FET system. The Sectoral Report on the inaugural review of Quality Assurance of FET in the ETB Sector was published in March 2023.

The implementation of the International Education Mark is also being progressed. This will serve to strengthen Ireland’s reputation as a trusted destination and an educational hub with excellent standards for international learners seeking a high quality education experience.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Apprenticeship

By the end of May this year there will be 75 national apprenticeships available, between NFQ levels 5 and 10. This is up from 53 national programmes in 2019, representing a very big increase in choice for learners and employers alike.

Adding to 25 traditional craft programmes, consortia-led apprenticeships were developed from 2016 onwards to which respond to emerging skills shortages, and are providing employment, career development and a pathway to a recognised qualification for apprentices across some 50 occupations. This model has grown significantly with registrations rising by 134% from 2019 to 2023.

These are now apprenticeships across Construction, Engineering, Healthcare, ICT, Accounting and Finance, and Beauty to name a few sectors.

A new NFQ Level 9 apprenticeship in Social Work is being launched in May 2024, and a new NFQ Level 9 apprenticeship in Software Solutions Architect is planned to go live in May 2024.

There are a further 14 apprenticeships in development for launch in the next 12 months.

Details on the programmes available, and how to apply, can be found at apprenticeship.ie.

Joint Tertiary Programmes

In December 2022, the establishment of a new National Tertiary Office (NTO) was announced, to support the development of new tertiary degree programmes which would allow learners to progress in a clear, seamless manner between further and higher education.

These programmes, which commenced in September 2023, allow students to commence their degree programme in a further education setting and then, provided they meet the relevant academic standards, progress seamlessly onwards to complete the degree in a higher education setting.

These degrees do not use CAO points as an entry mechanism and have tailored entry requirements to ensure that potential learners are a good fit for the programme they are looking to undertake. Students of tertiary degrees are, from day one, registered at both an ETB and partnered HEI giving them access to the small group learning and peer support of further education while also have access to higher education campus facilities and academic, health and wellbeing supports. No tuition fee or student contribution fee applies for the duration of the tuition delivered in the further education setting and, if they are entitled to the Student Grant, the higher education rate of the grant is paid for the duration of the course.

Additional tertiary programmes will be available from this September including nursing and social work programmes.

Details on the programmes available, and how to apply, can be found at www.nto.ie.