Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 March 2004
195 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the recent fall-off in numbers applying for third-level places through the Central Applications Office; if he is particularly concerned at the drop in applications for computer and engineering courses despite Government efforts to stimulate interest in these areas; the general consequences this fall in numbers may have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9792/04]
View answerData available from the Central Applications Office indicates trends in applications for places in higher education institutions, provided through the CAO. At an overall level, the data shows a year on year decline in total first preference applications, from 55,239 to 54,263 for degree courses and from 47,571 to 43,305 from diploma and certificate courses from 2003 to 2004.
This decline reflects a fall-off in the number of school-leavers, driven by wider demographic changes in society, and in particular a declining birth rate from 1980 to 1994. In overall terms, however, enrolments at third level have been quite robust against a background of falling leaving certificate numbers in recent years. While the high point of applications for higher education courses through the CAO was attained in 1998 with some 66,012 applications, declining to some 62,802 in 2003, actual enrolments in higher education have continued to rise, from some 36,777 in 1998 to some 38,231 this year. This is an important and positive trend, which we must aim to sustain in future years as Ireland moves towards a knowledge society and as wider policy efforts aimed at improving higher education participation rates among the socially disadvantaged and mature learners impact. Overall projections for future enrolments at third level are currently being examined by my Department in light of all the available trend data.
Recent research setting out a continued and increasing need for higher education graduates into the future is also relevant in this regard. The ESRI and FÁS in their recent analysis of employment trends in Ireland from 2001 to 2010 have projected that over 60% of all new jobs to be created to 2010 will require third level qualifications equating to over 300,000 higher education graduates.
The CAO data shows small declines in first preference applications for technology-engineering and science degree courses and somewhat larger declines in these areas for diploma-certificate courses. I am concerned at this trend, particularly given the longer-term requirements for skilled graduates in these areas as identified by the expert group on future skills needs. In its fourth report, published last year, that group reported that the ICT industry would return to growth and that by 2006 a skills gap in ICT would re-emerge. This points to the importance of strong enrolment on these courses at this stage.
As part of a response to this issue, the Higher Education Authority has this year, in conjunction with the ICT sector, launched an active publicity campaign to support students in considering the value of ICT when making their higher education choices through the CAO. Further, following the recommendations of the expert group on future skills needs, measures have been taken in all the third level institutions to reduce the non-completion rates on ICT courses. It is hoped that these measures will help to stimulate the supply of graduates in these areas over the medium to long term.
The Government has last year launched an intergrated awareness programme for science and engineering, Discover Science and Engineering, aimed at stimulating interest in these areas among those of a schoolgoing age. My Department and the higher education sector generally are partners in this programme, which is managed by Forfás. Together with a range of curriculum reform measures that have recently been introduced at primary and post-primary levels, aimed at supporting an enhancement of interest in the sciences, it is hoped that these efforts will support and enhance Ireland's innovative capacity through the availability of a strong supply of technologically skilled graduates over the longer term.
