Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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2102. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the programme of research undertaken by his officials in partnership with the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, to better understand student decision-making and influencing factors [58194/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My Department works to provide diverse and flexible education pathways that help people reach their full potential, while meeting the needs of employers and society. Encouraging lifelong learning across all tertiary educational pathways, including vocational training, apprenticeships, and university courses is a key enabler of this.

A recent review by the OECD for Ireland found that participation in lifelong learning in Ireland, while above the EU average, falls behind other top EU performers.

My Department is conducting a behavioural research programme to understand how learners of all ages make decisions about their education. This programme will deliver actionable insights into the decision-making processes of learners to inform policy and communication strategies to encourage upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning.

The research programme is being carried out by the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit over two years.

Phase One of the project, the literature review, concluded in August 2025 and the outputs are being used to design the first of two diagnostic studies to better understand learner decision making (Phase Two).

Phase Three of the project will test a number of potential interventions to identify the most successful.

All outputs from the programme, which is due to conclude mid 2027, will be published in the form of journal articles, policy papers and/or books/book chapters.