Vol. 558 No. 5
270 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will consider introducing a programme to promote excellence in leadership and communication skills during the transition year programme in second level schools; his views on whether such skills are valuable to the individual and society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25031/02]
Transition year is a one year, in-school programme, designed to bridge the gap between the highly structured, guided learning of the junior certificate and the more independent self-directed learning requirements of the leaving certificate and beyond. It is a programme which aims to promote the personal, social, vocational, technical and academic skills of the students so as to prepare them for their role as autonomous and participative members of society – Department of Education 1994-95.
Responding to the challenge of facilitating the development of such skills has necessitated the putting in place of a range of policy recommendations and strategies aimed at ensuring that not only are such skills identified, but also developed in the transition year classroom. This ongoing process is undertaken through a variety of transition year programmes, teaching and learning strategies, calendar events and links with outside agencies. Since social and personal development is seen as the cornerstone around which all other transition year competencies are developed, it follows that the cultivation of interpersonal and intra-personal skills would provide the optimum means of accomplishing this. The development of these generic, or soft skills as they are currently referred to, is essential to effective participation in contemporary society with its emphasis on teamwork and flexible collaborative practices. Facilitating the development of such participatory competence is one of the goals of transition year and is most frequently mediated through programmes and practices which include developing a proficiency in communication and leadership skills.
