Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the work being carried out to create a single application process for apprenticeships, further and higher education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54993/25]

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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My Department, in partnership with our agencies and the sector, has been undertaking significant work over recent years to increase the range of education and training pathways available to students.

There is now an unprecedented range of options available to learners, spanning further and higher education, tertiary programmes and apprenticeships.

While this increased diversity is hugely beneficial, I recognise it can also make it more complex for students and their families to research, understand and navigate the range of options and supports available to them and ultimately make the best decision for themselves.

There has already been good progress made. For example, CAO.ie now links to resources on apprenticeships and further education and training courses and Qualifax.ie has information on the full range of programmes available to learners across further and higher education and apprenticeships.

Still, I believe there is more that can be done and, as a first step, I have instructed my Department to examine the sources of information available on third-level pathways and courses, with a view to working with the sector to improve the quality of information, and identifying opportunities for consolidation of information in the interests of learners.

In doing so, they will be conscious of wider public sector reform objectives and to make more services available online and ensure services are designed around the needs of the citizen.

This should improve and streamline the information available to learners, but should also provide a better indication of what more might need to be done in terms of improved application processes across the sector.

To complement and inform this work, my Department has also commissioned a two-year programme of research on student decision-making which is being undertaken with the ESRI which will help us to identify what matters most to learners and their families when making these important decisions.

I am therefore confident that these initial will improve the journey into further and higher education and apprenticeships.