Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018
300. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the €37 million allocated to the national training fund for the higher education provision of relevance to employers as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the allocation that has been spent from the national training fund; the way in which the funds were spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24308/18]
View answerThe purpose of the National Training Fund (NTF) Higher Education provision is to provide skills-related recurrent funding in support of higher-education programmes that are specifically oriented towards meeting labour market needs in identified skills areas.
The HEA provides core grant and “Free Fees” funding to the seven Universities, fourteen Institutes of Technology and three specialist colleges (National College Art and Design, Mary Immaculate College, ST Angela’s College). This funding contributes to education costs for students in these institutions. The NTF funding is allocated through the HEA funding allocation processes, and contributes towards both grant and ‘Free Fees’ costs for students participating on programmes in three identified skills-shortage areas, medical diagnostic and treatment technology; tourism and food including hotel restaurants and catering; and Languages.
In 2018, the approximate breakdown of the NTF recurrent funding and the student numbers being supported is as follows:
|
Name |
Amount |
Number |
|
Medical Devices: |
€ 7,000,000 |
(c.1,400 students) |
|
Tourism and Food: |
€14,000,000 |
(c.3,800 students) |
|
Languages: |
€16,000,000 |
(c.4,800 students) |
|
Total: |
€37,000,000 |
(c.10,000 students) |
The breakdown is informed by, and extracted from, the total student numbers returned by institutions to the HEA via the Student Records System (SRS).
For 2018, a drawdown profile has been agreed as follows, with €13m having been allocated and paid to Higher Education Institutions as at end May 2018.
|
Month |
Amount |
|
March: |
€13,000,000 |
|
June: |
€13,000,000 |
|
October: |
€11,000,000 |
|
Total: |
€37,000,000 |
