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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 8 Oct 2024

Vol. 1059 No. 3

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Apprenticeship Programmes

Mairéad Farrell

Question:

1. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of craft apprentice instructors hired to date since the launch of the recruitment campaign, by type of craft instruction. [40345/24]

How many craft apprentice instructors have been hired to date since the launch of the recruitment campaign? Will the Minister provide a breakdown by type of craft instruction? We know of the huge backlogs of apprentices that exist, so that sort of detail would be useful.

I thank the Deputy. There has been a high demand from employers and learners alike for craft apprenticeship in recent years, reflecting a strong construction sector and the Government's commitment to the targets within Housing for All and the climate action plan, and to the delivery of the national development plan. Craft apprentice registrations increased by 25% from 2019 to 2023. As a result of the urgent work my Department initiated in November 2023 to increase craft training capacity, the number of training places has increased from 5,600 in 2019 to over 7,500 currently, which is a 34% increase. The National Apprenticeship Office's recruitment campaign for additional apprentice instructors, which was launched in November 2023, has been an important pillar of this plan. The Department sanctioned 134 instructor posts in support of this campaign. We are very pleased to report that over 87 posts have been filled nationally, with three more offers in progress. They will deliver courses across 11 craft apprenticeships in the four industry families, which are construction, electrical, engineering and motor, along with one of the consortia-led programmes. We will provide the Deputy with a detailed breakdown table in that regard.

Further posts will also be advertised throughout the remainder of 2024 and into 2025. In addition, to support retention in the apprenticeship workforce my Department also converted 80 apprenticeship instructor posts from fixed term to permanent. The recent announcement of €77.4 million investment for apprenticeship in budget 2025 is the single largest core investment in apprenticeship since the formation of our Department in July 2020. This funding will be important to support the educators who will equip young people, career changers and those returning to update or improve their skills with the knowledge and know-how that employers are looking for.

We all know there have been major backlogs in the apprenticeship system. We all know of the necessity of apprenticeships across the board and particularly craft apprenticeships. It is not uncommon for apprentices to wait for up to 18 months to be called for the relevant phase of their off-the-job training, whether in a technical university, TU, or education and training board, ETB. There has been an enormous level of criticism of the Government for this particular issue. We have seen high dropout rates. The backlog means that apprentices are being paid less for longer, as their rate of pay is tied to the relevant phase of training.

The Minister of State has said that the plan was for 134 places. Some 87 of those have been filled, with three in play and the rest to follow. Will the Minister of State give me a timeline in that regard? We need to ensure we have these people in place so we can get through the backlog that exists. We must ensure that these apprentices are paid what they deserve and enter the workforce to do the necessary work, particularly in construction.

I will clarify a point because I may have misspoken earlier. The number of training places has grown by 40% since the end of 2023, from over 5,600 places in December 2023 to 7,500 places in August 2024. As I previously said to the Deputy, over 130 instructor posts have been sanctioned to date. As I said, 80 such posts have been filled. The Deputy asked for a timeline. The remaining posts will be advertised across the end of this year and into next year.

The Deputy also referenced the backlog. We can provide a table to the Deputy. The number of apprentices waiting six months or longer at phase 2 in July 2023 was 6,166. In August 2024, the number had fallen to 2,484.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I welcome that information. We need to see this happen quicker and better. It is as simple as that. Some of the difficulty with the backlog and filling the spaces is that some of these qualified tradespeople can earn more on site than in the classroom. In its alternative budget, Sinn Féin set out €4.4 million in financial supports to incentivise those currently working on sites to undertake the necessary classroom teaching. What has the Minister of State considered to ensure we can get the number up to 134 or more, if required, to make sure we can deliver with regard to the backlog and, beyond that, to ensure we can deliver the stream of apprentices that we absolutely require, particularly across the construction sector? I do not have to point out to anyone here the absolute necessity of ensuring we have the ability to deliver on whatever targets are set by the Government and whoever is in government next.

The Deputy is asking what else can be done to help to reduce the backlog. The National Apprenticeship Office launched a recruitment campaign across several media in November. That campaign used a centralised National Apprenticeship Office platform for applications. Added to that, a new advanced block approval process for the posts was put in place and the approval process was delivered through our Department and the Department of Education. It will be used to streamline the sanctions into the future. As the Deputy will fully appreciate, we are in a competitive labour market as we try to attract people into these roles because of the buoyancy of the labour market, which is at full employment. The aim of the campaign was to support the delivery of that increased capacity and I have outlined to the Deputy what we have achieved to date and how. Well over half of the posts have been filled. It is our obligation and intention to drive on that process and fill the remaining posts by the end of next year.

Student Accommodation

Mairéad Farrell

Question:

2. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the funding that will go to each university for the delivery of student accommodation beds; and the timeline for when construction will commence. [40346/24]

I ask the Minister of State to outline the funding that will go to each university for the delivery of student accommodation beds. Will he provide a timeline for when construction will begin? We all understand that the price of accommodation at third level is an enormous issue for students and, in many cases, for their families. A considerable number of people will miss out on their educational journeys on that basis. This issue needs to be dealt with.

Through budget 2025, we secured €6 million of annual recurrent funding to support the activation of up to 1,200 student accommodation beds in regional campus locations. A leasing programme is being developed as a key deliverable arising from the recent TU student accommodation study. At least 30% of the beds delivered through this programme will be provided at below market rate to a target cohort of students.

In addition, €1 million in annual funding has been secured to provide staffing resources in the sector to build a dedicated capacity for examining and addressing campus needs with regard to student accommodation and supports for students in accessing accommodation. A further €500,000 will be invested in developing campus action plans to identify and address accommodation and sustainable transport needs for the colleges and students in accessing their education. This builds on the investment of €100 million in State support for the first time to deliver student accommodation through the national development plan under our Department’s short-term activation programme. This funding enabled activation of the student accommodation project for UCD for the delivery of 493 beds. It is planned that construction will commence on this project in 2025, subject to successful completion of due diligence assessments and the tender process. The funding also enabled progression of projects at Maynooth University and DCU. I am pleased that the Maynooth project is currently at construction stage with expected delivery of 116 beds in September 2025. DCU’s project is progressing through the tender process and, subject to successful completion of this process, is expected on site in quarter 1 of 2025.

The provision of student accommodation has become incredibly bad in the time of this Government and the previous one. The Minister of State outlined that it is proposed to spend €100 million on student accommodation over three years. He also outlined some of the measures that have been delivered. He referred to the fact that 30% of what will be delivered will be provided at below the market rate. I am interested in hearing how that determination has been made.

The Minister of State gave a timeline for UCD, Maynooth and DCU. What else is in the pipeline? We all know there was a significant number of universities with a lot of land, some with planning permission for student accommodation, and what they needed was viable financial packages to be put in place. The accommodation is necessary. What is the timeline and what are the overall targets the Government hopes to deliver on?

I wish to refer to the student accommodation strategy. The long-term student accommodation policy was approved by the Government in January 2024. This policy will inform future student accommodation strategies and schemes that are being developed throughout 2024 and beyond. The dual-benefit policy aims to increase the supply of specific accommodation, therefore removing students from the private rental market and increasing housing availability for private individuals and families.

I wish to refer to the technological university, TU, feasibility study because, as the Deputy well knows, we have a number of new technological universities. We conducted a TU feasibility study with the aim of developing a programmatic approach to facilitate future TU student accommodation proposals. The demand analysis, which was an output of phase 1 of the study, will inform the framework for delivery models of funding options as part of the second phase of the study. Phase 2, which is to identify potential proposals for the technological university sector for the delivery of student accommodation, is currently under way.

I thank the Minister of State. I am well aware of the technological university sector. The Minister and I have spoken before about the fact that Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, is not in that box at the moment, but we hope the relationship with Maynooth will be successfully concluded. Across the board, we must make sure that places like Dundalk and the other TUs will have the ability to provide necessary accommodation, and that money will be provided for that to be a sustainable option for TUs and universities.

We can talk about the difficulties that exist for students, some of whom cannot make it to college. I welcome any information the Minister of State can give, in particular on timelines and targets for both universities and TUs.

The key to student accommodation is the same as it is for housing: to increase the supply. We must bring on more supply to address the demand. We also have an obligation to try to reduce costs. That is the reason we put a lot of work into the standard design for purpose-built student accommodation, which is similar to the school building programme, for example, whereby there is a standardised design that helps move projects forward more quickly. In that regard, we set up an expert multidisciplinary design team and appointed it to research and develop new design standards for State-supported purpose-built student accommodation. The successful consortium comprised Metropolitan Workshop, KPMG and ORS Consulting. The project will be key to establishing best practice and value for money for the State in ensuring the affordability of additional supply for students and delivering modern, purpose-built student accommodation facilities that are functional and sustainable.

I also briefly mention the existing rent-a-room scheme, where people who offer a room can avail of up to €14,000 tax free, which is a considerable tax concession.

Third Level Education

Mairéad Farrell

Question:

3. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science regarding changes to Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, thresholds made in budget 2025, the estimated additional number of students who will now qualify for the grant. [40347/24]

Could I ask the Minister of State about the changes to the SUSI thresholds, as per budget 2025? Could he provide an estimate for the additional number of students who will now qualify for the grant? That is the information we seek. We are all well aware that students are struggling with the cost of living and the cost of accommodation, as per the previous question. If more people can avail of SUSI grants, it will facilitate them to attend the college they want.

We are pleased to be in a position to increase all income threshold limits for student grants in budget 2025. From September 2025, we are increasing the special rate of maintenance threshold from €26,200 to €27,400 in line with social welfare increases. We are increasing all other maintenance and student contribution grant thresholds by 15%. We are also increasing the postgraduate fee contribution threshold and the part-time scheme threshold to match the new 100% student contribution threshold, which will now be €64,315.

By increasing income thresholds, including the €500 student contribution grant, from €100,000 to €115,000, it is estimated that approximately 3,000 to 4,000 students who previously did not qualify for student support may now be eligible for the first time. However, it is important to also point out that by making these improvements, approximately 41,000 existing students who are expected to be eligible for maintenance bands 2 to 4 or fee grants this year may also benefit from these measures. If their income has grown, the measure may mean they will not be disadvantaged next year by a lower rate, and if their income remains static, they may benefit by a higher rate.

This is the largest increase to maintenance thresholds since the creation of SUSI and underlines the Government's commitment to inclusion. This measure will ensure students in need of financial assistance are not disadvantaged by recent rising income growth. It will also ensure continued supports to students, including students who are under-represented in higher education.

We all know from people who approach us in our offices, that some miss out on the basis of what are sometimes very small amounts. We are talking about people that do not necessarily earn spectacular amounts of money, and who are under severe pressure. It would make a great difference to increase the number of those availing of a SUSI grant, or to provide an increased level of grant. I welcome the fact that 3,000 to 4,000 more students will qualify. What we have to deal with is the overall cost. As I outlined, in some cases financial struggles are stopping people from attending certain colleges and courses. Students are under severe pressure in travelling to the college. There has been an increase in the student hardship fund but many students who try to access it find it incredibly difficult. The overall issue relates to how we fund universities but also how we fund and facilitate families to enable their kids to go to college.

In addition to what I outlined in my previous contribution, we have also introduced a number of other measures to reduce the cost of education, including providing €9 million to increase the PhD stipend from €22,000 to €25,000 per annum. That will benefit approximately 3,000 postgraduates. As the House will be aware, we have a one-off reduction in the student contribution fee of €1,000, which will benefit an estimated 103,000 higher education students who are eligible for the free-fees initiative.

Some €10 million is being provided to the student assistance fund. There is a one-off increase in the postgraduate fee contribution, increasing from €4,000 to €5,000 per annum, which is estimated to benefit about 2,000 students. There is also a one-off 33% reduction in the student fee for 14,000 apprentices attending higher education institutions.

I welcome that information about those who will benefit. As I stated previously, there is a large number of people who still do not benefit and are under severe pressure. We have to deal with the whole issue right through from the cost of living to the huge cost of accommodation. At times some students are under pressure. The USI produced a survey showing that some students are having to skip meals. This is not anything that anybody in here wants to see. We need to make sure we have a system that does not leave kids or students in that set of circumstances. The student hardship fund has been increased but there are issues in respect of accessing it and only very small amounts are disbursed. This needs to be looked at. We need a bespoke solution for those who are under severe pressure and families that are under severe pressure.

I thank the Deputy. He referred to the student assistance fund which, since the establishment of this Department in July 2020, has grown significantly to €20.6 million. The Deputy will also be aware that the autonomy afforded to our higher education institutions in terms of administering the student assistance fund locally is crucially important. The student services offices in each of the higher education institutions manage the money. They receive the money as a block grant. It is up to them to manage it. They set the criteria. The applications are made to them. They are at the front line dealing with the students. They have the local knowledge and awareness of the students' particular circumstances when they are presenting to make an application to the student assistance fund. It is right and proper that we have invested significantly into that. It is another avenue which is available to students. I think it is managed quite well by the local institutions, and rightly so.

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