Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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408. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for a more equitable lottery system with minimum points for CAO entry to third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56093/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The CAO is an independent, non-profit private company. Its function is to process applications for undergraduate courses and some postgraduate courses on behalf of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The CAO plays an important role in ensuring applications to higher education are processed in a centralised, efficient and impartial way. Every year over 80% of CAO applicants receive an offer in their top three choices. However, I recognise that the 'points race', in particular for high-demand, high-points courses, can result in stress for young people.

My Department is making great efforts to expand the number of places available in high-demand, high-points courses, and to further develop alternative pathways to higher education to ease the pressure on students. Since 2022, we have created over 1,000 additional places in high demand areas like medicine, nursing, and allied health professions, and we have plans to expand further.

My Department is also continuing to work to diversify and expand pathways into and through third-level education. In May this year, my Department launched the third iteration oftheTertiary Degree Programmes. This sees the number of programmesdoublecompared to last yearto 39, with new courses launched this year in occupational therapy, nursing, social care, and the creative arts, among others. Applications for tertiary courses are open until late September and are outside of the CAO points system. Details on tertiary degree programmes are available on the National Tertiary Office’s website at nto.hea.ie/courses.

These tertiary degree pathways provide people with greater opportunities beyond the traditional CAO points system. They allow students to begin their studies in a Further Education and Training College and progress to a guaranteed place in a higher education institution to complete their degree.

Additionally,this Department hasworked tosignificantly expand apprenticeships, and there are now almost 80 different programmes available across a wide range of disciplines, with more in development.Details on these programmes can be found at www.apprenticeship.ie, while details on further education and training courses can be found at www.fetchcourses.ie.

Close to 30,000 people (based on 2024 enrolments) will be funded to start a course in a further education college – a valuable qualification in its own right, but also one which provides a route into higher education, with 90% of higher education institutions offering progression pathways from QQI qualifications. Thousands of people will also start an apprenticeship this year, not just in traditional trades but also in areas such as social care, advanced manufacturing engineering, and digital marketing.

Overall, my Department is focusing policy efforts on interventions which will expand the pathways to further and higher education for students, so that they can achieve their academic and career goals, and also to ease the pressure which many of them experience in making the transition from second level to tertiary education.