Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 9 Mar 2000

Vol. 516 No. 2

Written Answers. - Skills Needs.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

33 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the degree to which the educational system is capable of meeting the changing requirements in the workplace, with particular reference to industrial needs in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7183/00]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

The issue of raising the skills profile of people and of addressing the skills needs of the economy has been identified as a key priority in the Action Programme for the Millennium and in the national employment action plan. Over the past few years, a range of initiatives have been introduced to enhance co-operation between education and business and to ensure that our education system adequately responds to emerging labour market needs. These initiatives will be built upon in the planned educational investment outlined in the national development plan.

This Government is committed to ensuring an adequate supply of high quality output from the PLCs, Institutes of Technology and universities at sub-degree, degree and post-graduate levels in order to maintain and enhance our ability to attract and retain highly mobile international investment in an increasingly knowledge based global economy. The Government established the expert group on future skills needs as part of the business, education and training partnership set up to develop national strategies to tackle the issue of skills needs, manpower needs estimation, and education and training for business. In response to the first report of the expert group on future skills needs, this Government provided a £75 million investment plan to provide an additional 5,400 places predominantly in the engineering and computer hardware and software areas.

Another initiative in this area is the provision of some 1,500 post-graduate places on a skills conversion programme for 1999-2000 to meet skills needs in the ICT area as identified by the expert skills group.

Arising from the work of the joint education-industry task force to improve the supply of technicians to the high-technology sector, an industry-college initiative was introduced in 1998 to jointly recruit, educate and train technicians. The national certificate in manufacturing technology was initiated in January, 1998 in nine institutes of technology. The course involves structured work placement for six months as an integral part of the course and based on a partnership between industry and institutes with industrial involvement in course design, selection and placement. There are some 1,100 students currently on accelerated technician programmes in the institute of technology sector attending courses in the following skills shortage areas – manufacturing technology, computing IT support and industrial science.

Also at third level, the Irish Business and Employers' Confederation has developed formal links in the form of joint councils with both the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities and the Council of Directors of the Institutes of Technology.

Within the PLC sector, an applied languages and information technology, international teleservices programme has been introduced in collaboration with industry.

Investment in adult literacy services has increased ninefold since the Government took office in 1997, and the national development plan provides for £73.8 million in this critical area over the period 2000-06. A major back to education initiative has also been provided for, costing £1.027 billion, to encourage young people and adults, especially those who left the system with less than upper secondary education, to return to learning. An Adult ICT skills programme will be implemented as part of this initiative. The initiative will provide for a significant expansion of part-time options in further education which will be important in enabling those in employment, as well as adults in the population generally, to upgrade their skills on an ongoing basis.

At second level, the introduction of the transition year programme, the leaving certificate applied and the leaving certificate vocational programme has increased the workplace-education link through work experience and simulation. The revised syllabus for leaving certificate business places a great deal of emphasis on the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills.

In collaboration with teachers, IBEC has designed a pack called Altramas meaning fosterage in Irish, which aims to develop in students those personal, interpersonal and enterprise skills which will serve them well as they move from the school environment into the world of work. The business and education links programme, established by IBEC, aims to help pupils to appreciate the world of business and contributes to the development of pupils' work skills by means of classroom talks, company visits and linked activities.

Concerns about the uptake of physics and chemistry at leaving certificate link into the future supply of skills, particularly in the light of Ireland's evolution into a high technology economy. This issue is being addressed at second level through the modernisation of school laboratories, the revision of different science syllabi and the provision of extensive training for teachers.

In the light of these initiatives and the planned investment provided for in the national development plan, I am confident that our education system is capable of meeting the changing industrial needs of the economy.