Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 July 2020
15. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to ensure that young persons not in education, employment or training have appropriate options available to them to re-enter education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19328/20]
View answerWhat are the Minister of State's plans to ensure that young people who are not in education, employment or training will have an appropriate option available to them to re-enter education? The question is about one group of people. Last year, a report by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, showed that about 16% of people of school-going age were not engaged in school or employment. What plans are in place at the Department to ensure they will have appropriate access to further education as the schools reopen in the final week of August and the first days of September?
I am happy to address this question as part of my responsibilities at the Department with responsibility for further and higher education, research, innovation and science. The priority of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, the Minister with responsibility for higher education, Deputy Harris, and me is to offer accessible and inclusive further education and training and higher education for all. Student supports are in place throughout further and higher education to make the transition back to education as easy as possible for the individual.
Last week, I announced an additional €168 million funding package for further and higher education, which includes €15 million allocated to fund technology devices for students, a doubling of the student assistance fund to €16 million, an additional €3 million in funding for mental health services for students and more funding for students with disabilities. Further education and training currently offer opportunities to many young people through bespoke provision such as Youthreach, which is aimed at early school leavers. Most learners on these courses meet the youth guarantee criteria. In addition, a young person who has reached the age of 16 can apply to begin an apprenticeship.
There has been a significant increase in the numbers of people who now find themselves not in employment, education or training as a result of Covid-19 and who are in need of upskilling. The July stimulus package offers a €200 million investment in training and education, skills development, work placement schemes, recruitment subsidies, and job search and assistance measures, which will help those who have lost their jobs to find a new one, retrain or develop new skills. Under this package I have secured 35,000 additional places in further and higher education. These will be delivered through a variety of measures, including the Skills to Compete initiative, provided by SOLAS, Skillnet, Springboard+ and the human capital initiative. The apprenticeship incentivisation scheme will provide an initial €2,000 payment to support employers to take on new apprenticeships in 2020, followed by a further €1,000 payment after the first year's employment to support retention.
On the matter of technology devices at colleges of further education, I accept there is very clear guidance, and we congratulate the Minister of State and the Department on the work they have done to ensure that schools will reopen in the final week of August and early September. There is clear guidance on everything that needs to be done in that regard. Will the technology the Minister of State outlined be available to students who are studying at colleges of further education? What are the criteria? Many people within the sector have told me the colleges of further education are the Cinderella of the Department of Education and Skills.
As for the clear social distancing measures and the guidelines for teaching practical subjects or practical courses that people study at colleges of further education, what are the Department's guidelines? Will a clear roadmap be given to colleges of further education to outline how they will reopen in the final days of August and the first days of September?
On the allocation of funding for the purchasing of technology, the education and training boards, ETBs, will allocate funding to participants in further education. Anybody who attends further education through the ETBs will be able to apply to the ETBs. The Higher Education Authority will be funding people who attend our third level institutions, such as universities.
On the question of reopening, all the ETBs, institutes of technology and universities have confirmed to the Minister, Deputy Harris, that they have reopening plans in place. The details of those reopening plans will be worked out locally in consultation with local partners and stakeholders, taking account of the capacity constraints they have in place.
I hope the Minister of State will not take this in an adversarial way but this is an issue that needs to be resolved. A small number of institutions offer post-primary and further or higher education.
They seem to be located in the south east in particular. There is some confusion as to the fact there are guidelines relating to higher and further education, there is also the roadmap and they have different criteria. Institutions are trying to figure out exactly what they should be providing for students from various backgrounds in the same building. I ask the two Departments to co-ordinate on this with the institutions that are involved. The number is not significant but there is confusion.
I have a supplementary question on the devices. Are they available under the Government's roadmap to students' further education?
I confirm they are available to students of further education who are attaining their further education through the ETBs.
