Written Answers Nos. 1128-1152
1128. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to make the tertiary education system more accessible to young adults with intellectual additional needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14845/21]
View answerMy Department is working to deliver on its mission to develop further and higher education to support people in reaching their full potential. We published our Statement of Strategy for the 2021-2023 period on March 8. It contains six strategic goals including a goal on inclusion which seeks to “support learning for all, recognising the needs of vulnerable learners and the most marginalised, and assist people in access to and progression through higher and further education and training, so as to grow prosperity across communities and build social cohesion.”
Fostering Inclusion is one of the three core pillars around which the Further Education and Training Strategy 2020-2024 is built. The Further Education and Training (FET) sector is committed to increasing levels of inclusion through the provision of high quality, more accessible and flexible education and training programmes and supports suited to the identified needs of individuals, including those with a disability. FET programmes are available to all learners, including those with an intellectual disability, who meet the eligibility criteria and the guidelines provided for each FET programme.
Specialist Training Provision (STP) is also available for learners with more complex support needs, and this provision addresses the identified training needs of people with disabilities who are experiencing exclusion and labour market disadvantage in the form of vocational training programmes. Community Education assists learners with a disability to participate in FET provision by adapting course content, resources and teaching methodologies to suit their abilities.
FET providers are required to offer reasonable accommodations to learners with disabilities, the nature of these accommodations varies depending on the identified needs of individual learners. FET provision is available across the country in every county. Most of these programmes are either free of charge or heavily subsidised. Details of FET courses are available at www.fetchcourses.ie or through the Adult Education Guidance Service in the learner’s local ETB. This service is free of charge and open to anyone over the age of 18. Local ETBs can provide advice on all education and training options, as well as additional supports that are available to learners, including for learners with a disability.
SOLAS, the national Further Education and Training authority is currently overseeing an independent evaluation of SPT. The purpose of the evaluation is to examine the quality, effectiveness, on-going relevance and overall value of vocational training that is currently delivered by specialist training providers, and to propose any recommendations for future practice.
Students who meet eligibility criteria and are attending approved courses can access supports such as the SUSI grant scheme. The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) is the principal funding source for students with disabilities in further and higher education. The fund is available to students with disabilities attending both further and higher education courses. Students attending approved courses in Northern Ireland, the UK, and the EU are also eligible for support. The purpose of the FSD is to provide students with a disability with the necessary assistance to enable them to access, fully participate in and successfully complete their chosen course of study.
I recently approved a number of initiatives under the FSD aimed at supporting students with disabilities to access and engage with higher education. The initiatives, which involve 23 higher education institutions (HEI) and €5.4m in expenditure, are broad and are aimed at improving access to higher education for people with a disability, to improving college campuses and to assist staff with training and development. Among the projects are a number of projects for students with autism including the establishment of autism friendly rooms across nine different campuses, the development of assistive technology including for students with disabilities, an app to help students with visual or hearing impairment navigate their way around campus and specialist assistance for students who are deaf.
One of my priorities is to support learning for all. I want the tertiary education system to develop and grow its supports for vulnerable learners, learners with disabilities, under-represented groups and the most marginalised. I want learners to engage with and complete their education journey while recognising that some learners will need additional supports to help them achieve their full potential.
My Department will continue to keep existing provision and initiatives under review; to develop a better understanding of what works best within the different models, how we can support different providers in working together and learning from each other, and examining what is scalable from institutional-level approaches.
1130. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the two new skills programmes to assist the hospitality and tourism sectors (details supplied) will be expanded to include funding supports for food safety and Covid-19 training for food workers in the hospitality industry as a priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14883/21]
View answerThe Skills to Advance policy framework was launched in 2018. The framework provides guidance, direction and targets for Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in supporting the upskilling of those in employment, working both directly with learners and through their employers
The two customised programmes, referred to by the Deputy, were developed by SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority of Ireland, within the hospitality and tourism sector under the Skills to Advance initiative. These programmes were developed with the aim of assisting recovery, growth and the retention of key talent in the sector by providing upskilling opportunities for employees in team leadership and supervisory management.
Skills to Advance, as an initiative targeted at people in employment and where benefit accrues to employers, is subject to state aid regulations. This means that mandatory training such as food safety training cannot be delivered through the programme. However, such training can sometimes be availed of through other provision offered by ETBs and further information can be found on www.gov.ie/therightcourse or www.fetchcourses.ie.
Covid- 19 training is being provided for workers in hospitality and other sectors across ETBs funded by the Skills to Advance initiative and information on this is also available at the links above.
1132. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the breakdown on a percentage basis of the prior educational attainment of apprentices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14928/21]
View answer1133. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the percentage of apprentices who secure their apprenticeship through personal connections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14929/21]
View answer1136. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average age of new apprentices since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14932/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1132, 1133 and 1136 together.
As part of an extensive consultation process to inform the new Action Plan for Apprenticeship feedback was gathered from the 3,750 apprentices who answered a survey on their experience of the system. In accessing apprenticeship programmes, by far the majority (69%) of respondents accessed their apprenticeship through friends and family.
The data requested in relation to the age of new apprentices and the prior educational attainment of apprentices is set out in the attached tabular statements.
1134. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if companies are entitled to access the apprenticeship incentivisation payment in cases in which the apprentice at the time of registration was already an employee of the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14930/21]
View answer1135. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number and percentage of companies registering apprentices that also accessed the incentive payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14931/21]
View answer1169. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost in 2021 of increasing the apprenticeship incentivisation scheme in line with that which is offered in Northern Ireland (details supplied); the effect it would have on the average cost per apprentice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15762/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1134, 1135 and 1169 together.
The Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme (AIS) was introduced in July 2020 and provides an employer grant totalling €3,000 per new apprentice registration between the period 01 March 2020 and 30 June 2021. This comprises an initial €2,000 payment on registration followed by a further €1,000 payment after the first year's employment where that apprentice is retained.
Under the Apprenticeship Recruitment Incentive in Northern Ireland which was introduced in December 2020, the employer is eligible for £3,000 for each new apprenticeship opportunity created from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021. The first £2,000 is paid after 90 days following the start of new paid apprenticeship which is followed by a further £1,000 after 200 days retention. The programme is also available to employers of apprentices who were made redundant and subsequently employed by another employer.
The first payment in the Republic of Ireland is not subject to the 90 day waiting period and the second payment is after one year, rather than the 200 days in the Northern Ireland scheme. The cost of providing an equivalent cross-border rate would be in the region of €3,450 per apprentice - an increase of €450 per apprentice or an estimated increase totalling €1m for apprentices registered in the first six months of 2021 with a further 500k payable in 2022.
The AIS is payable for new apprentice registrations. As such, employers are able to access the AIS payment for existing employees who commence an apprenticeship.
5193 apprentices have been registered since the introduction of the incentive in March 2020. As of 3rd March 2021, claims had been submitted by 1,941 employers in respect of 64% of these registrations. Payments totalling €3.82m have been made in respect of 1909 (37%) of these.
1137. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number and percentage of college dropouts since 2011 at third-level; the number and percentage of those in receipt of Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, support in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14933/21]
View answerThe HEA publishes figures annually on the non-progression rate among students - i.e. the proportion of new entrants enrolled in first year who do not progress to second year. Non-progression data from 2010 up to the most recent year available (2016) is available in the attached table. The year given refers to the year in which the student entered third level so, for example, the 2016 figures refers to students who entered first year in September 2016 but did not progress to second year in September 2017.
This data is not available broken down by those in receipt of SUSI support. Further details on the analysis of non-progression undertaken by the HEA can be found in the reports available on the HEA website: https://hea.ie/resources/publications/
In 2019 the HEA published an analysis of completion rates for students who started higher education in the 2007/2008 academic year. The completion rates were based on graduations up to the class of 2016, meaning that the analysis could successfully capture completions among students who had repeated years or taken time out of higher education prior to completion. The baseline data was taken in March 2008.
The report found that 76% of full-time undergraduate new entrants in 2007 covered by the study, completed their studies in the institute they started in. 74% completed the course they initially enrolled in, while 2% completed a different course.
The completion analysis also looks at completion rates among grant recipients, although the report notes that coverage of grant status is sparse in places and that caution should be exercised when drawing conclusions from those analyses. The rate of completion for grant recipients was 72%, compared with 78% among non-grant recipients. Further details on this can be seen in the completion report which can be read on the HEA website at the following link: https://hea.ie/assets/uploads/2019/02/HEA-Analysis-of-Completion-in-Irish-Higher-Education-Report-Release.pdf
1138. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the most recent North-South cross-Border enrolment figures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14934/21]
View answerThe most recent figures which are available, are for the 2019/2020 academic year, and confirm that 1,588 Northern Ireland-domiciled students attended Higher Education Institutions in the State, while 2,090 students from the State attended Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions.
1139. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a full list of apprenticeship consortia will be provided; the number of apprentices enrolled under each by new recruits and existing staff and the number of employers under each consortia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14935/21]
View answer1140. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the apprentices enrolled per year since 2006; the new registrations per year since 2006, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14936/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1139 and 1140 together.
The information in relation to the apprentices enrolled per year since 2006, new registrations per year since 2006 is attached along with details of the relevant consortia lead and the number of employers with apprentices registered under each programme as at December 2020.
Information in relation to the breakdown of existing staff and new staff registering for either craft or consortia-led apprenticeship is not collected.
1141. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the minimum rate an apprentice can be paid; the lowest rate an apprentice is currently being paid; the average wages for each industry in which apprentices are trained for each year of their training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14937/21]
View answerApprentices are excluded from the provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000. The rates of pay for the 25 craft apprenticeship programmes are agreed by the partners within the relevant sector, or are set out in Sectoral Employment Orders (Construction Sector and Mechanical Engineering Building Services Contracting Sector). Rates vary between occupations and sectors but in all cases craft apprenticeship rates are expressed as a proportion of the qualified rate, increasing yearly from 33% of the qualified rate in year one to 90% in year four. Payment is also based on attainment of relevant skill, knowledge and competence achieved after successfully completing each phase of training.
In the case of the 35 consortia-led apprenticeships the rate of pay is agreed between the apprentice and the employer.
1142. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the most recent figures for the average cost of a craft apprentice and of a new consortia-led apprentice, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14938/21]
View answer1143. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average share of the cost of a craft apprentice that goes towards allowances during off-the-job training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14939/21]
View answer1144. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average share of the cost of a consortia-led apprentice that goes to the consortia to run the apprenticeship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14940/21]
View answer1160. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average development cost of a new apprenticeship programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15445/21]
View answer1168. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 458 of 28 July 2020, if there are more up-to-date figures; if this incorporates the cost of the apprenticeship incentivisation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15760/21]
View answer1171. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average cost to the State per apprentice for off-the-job training excluding allowances; the estimated cost of putting in place the necessary capacity to clear the current backlog and end waiting times for apprentices to access training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15775/21]
View answer1173. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average cost per apprentice for off-the-job training excluding allowances; the estimated cost of putting in place the necessary capacity to clear the backlog and end waiting times for apprentices to access training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15842/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1142 to 1144, inclusive, 1160, 1168, 1171 and 1173 together.
The most recent figures for the total estimated annual cost per apprentice are from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Spending Review of Apprenticeships which was published in 2019. The figure for craft apprenticeship is €7,159 with an average cost of €9,877 per apprentice for those apprenticeships established since 2016. These figures exclude cost of the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme.
The higher figure includes the development costs for programmes introduced since 2016 and may, therefore overstate the ongoing costs of the programmes. Given the substantial development activity in the post-2016 programmes it is too early at this point to determine a reliable average cost.
Consortia are funded differently whether the apprenticeship is to be delivered in further or higher education institutions. For programmes delivered in higher education institutions, the HEA provide up to €50,000 development funding to assist with the roll out and development of a new apprenticeship. Funding is then on a unit cost model in line with other arrangements currently in place across the higher education system with total funding capped at €125,000 per annum. Three of the 50 post-2016 apprenticeships available/in development are at level 5 of the NFQ and funded directly by SOLAS. SOLAS funded programmes receive weighted payments based on the overall number of apprentices registered by a consortium. Payments are in three equal tranches during programme setup with a payment of up to 25,000 added in year 1.
The estimated cost of introducing a new apprenticeship programme will vary significantly depending on the nature of the apprenticeship being introduced. Development costs can range from €12,500 in the case of the ICT Network Engineer programme to €135,000 for the Polymer Process Engineer programme. Of 21 apprenticeship programmes for which development costs were approved between 2016 and 2020 the average development cost approved was approximately €50,000, not including any additional equipment costs.
In relation to the estimated cost per apprentice – 45% of the average cost of a craft apprentices is due to allowance payments, with 36% of the cost of a consortia-led programme absorbed by consortia costs (including setup).
The cost to the state for off-the-job training excluding allowances is dependent on the level, duration and location of that off-the-job training. As set out above, funding for consortia-led programmes is allocated on a sliding scale dependent on the number of apprentices registered to the programme.
Existing backlogs in accessing off-the-job training relate to a number of the craft apprenticeship programmes. The process of clearing the backlogs and waiting lists for off the job training is currently on-going and an assessment of the full costs has yet to be finalised. The following measures have been taken to ameliorate the ongoing impacts of the Covid-19 measures on craft apprentices and to move to reduce waiting times for off-the-job training for certain craft apprenticeships:-
- Additional trainer posts have been sanctioned on a temporary basis where ETBs have identified a need for additional staff to deliver off-the-job training within Covid-19 guidelines.
- €12m has been provided in Budget 2021 to support additional places which will mitigate against the effect of smaller apprenticeship class sizes and catch up on lost provision in spring and summer 2020.
- I have recently approved €20m capital funding for SOLAS and the HEA to facilitate an increased level of provision.
- The HEA and SOLAS are also engaging further in relation to the curricula to see what parts can be delivered online and are working with the sector to see which elements of craft apprenticeship might be amenable to blended learning.
1146. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the measures he is taking to ensure that the Institute of Technology Tralee and Cork Institute of Technology merger to Munster Technological University is balanced and fair; if reassurance will be given to all stakeholders that both former institutes are fairly represented now and in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15073/21]
View answerThe Government has a very clear ambition to expand and consolidate higher education facilities, to boost economic development across the country and to attract research funding. Technological Universities are central to delivering on this. MTU will be a driver of regional development, and it will help to make higher education more accessible.
Above all else it will provide more opportunities for individuals, enterprise, communities and stakeholders in the south west region. MTU will offer its students a wide and diverse range of programmes from Level 6 to Level 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications, from apprenticeships to doctoral degrees.
The Department and the HEA are in ongoing engagement with MTU in relation to campus development plans across all MTU locations and I am keen to see increased investment in the MTU campuses in Tralee and Cork. For example, we are currently examining a proposed building for delivery at the MTU Tralee north campus will consist of labs, agri-machinery workshops, classroom spaces and Ancillary Space. The Tralee Public Private Partnership (PPP) building is the second largest in the overall PPP Programme of 11 projects at 9,042m2. It delivers a duel requirements of upgraded STEM space as well as enabling the consolidation from the south to north campus. A new 6,567m2 Learning Resource Centre is planned for MTU Cork campus. This will consist of classrooms, learning resource spaces, administration space and ancillary space.
1147. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of vehicles owned or leased and operated by his Department and agencies and semi-State companies under his remit broken down by the number of ICE and non-ICE vehicles and fuel category, that is, petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15121/21]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, my Department was established in July 2020. I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department does not lease or own any vehicles. The information in respect of state bodies within the scope of the Deputy’s question is not held by my Department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the attached document should the Deputy wish to contact them directly with his query.
1148. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on the approximately 20,000 college applicants who applied for courses in 2021 on the basis of leaving certificate results achieved in previous years and who consequently may have been disadvantaged with respect to CAO points required for entry to their given courses due to disproportionate grade inflation relative to other years; if he is making provisions for those students who may have been denied a placement under such circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15186/21]
View answerHigher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous and manage their own academic affairs including admissions procedures. The CAO process applications for undergraduate courses on behalf of the HEIs. Decisions on admissions are made by the HEIs who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. As such, neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO.
The CAO system is a system that works on the assumption that grades obtained in the Leaving Certificate by candidates determine their points. It is on this basis that the CAO system allocates places to applicants including those from different years. To ensure impartiality, the automatic CAO points systems have been created in a way that does not allow for different treatment to be applied to different sub-groups.
In order to help mitigate the impact of the changes to the grading system I announced the creation of an additional 2,225 places on high-demand courses in Higher Education Institutions in 2020. These places were provided in order ensure that as many students as possible could be accommodated on a course of their choice, given the unprecedented circumstances they faced.
Nonetheless, there were fluctuations in CAO points in 2020, as there are every year. The changes in points depended not only on the grades received by applicants but also on the number of applicants, and the number of places available. As we are in the midst of a global pandemic and economic flux, there was more volatility than usual due to factors such as reduced opportunities in the economy and uncertainty around students travelling internationally both to and from Ireland, as well as the stronger than usual set of results as a consequence of the use of Calculated Grades.
€18 million has been provided in Budget 2021 to deliver new undergraduate student places from September 2021 which will address demographic growth pressures. These places are in addition to additional places funded through the Human Capital Initiative Pillar 2, which will be on undergraduate courses in areas of identified skills needs.
I know how difficult a time it has been for students and parents, and I appreciate how disappointing it can be for a student not to receive an offer for their course of choice, but I would like to stress the range of options available both in further education and training and apprenticeships, but also in pathways in higher education. For those whose route into higher education may not be what they originally planned, the range of options available may provide a pathway back to their preferred option.
1149. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if students that enrolled in third-level courses prior to sitting the leaving certificate in November 2020 will be refunded the fees paid; if it will impact their access to the free fees initiative and SUSI supports in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15228/21]
View answerHigher Education Institutions (HEIs) are governed by the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technologies Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Within the meaning of these Acts, HEIs are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs including dealing with policy and procedure in relation to fee collection or fee refunds. Should a student choose to depart a course of study during the academic year they may be entitled to a refund or partial refund of fees paid depending on the fee policy of the institution they were attending.
Under the Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate higher education students with students paying a student contribution. The student contribution applies to all students on an annual basis, who are eligible under the 'free fees' scheme. The current rate is €3,000 per annum. Currently in excess of 60,000 students have all or part of the student contribution paid on their behalf by the State via the Student Grant Scheme.
To satisfy the terms and conditions of the Free Fees Schemes in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another related course where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course.
Typically students are not supported for a repeat period of study under the free fees initiative, however in exceptional circumstances, or where a student receives a Leaving Certificate uplifted offer from their original CAO application following an appeal, an exception may be allowed.
Cognisant of the leaving certificate 2020 process, an extension to the current scheme allows for a repeat period of study in 21/22 where a Free Fees eligible student receives an uplifted deferred place having sat the 2020 exams. This extension applies to students that started in year one of an undergraduate course in 20/21 based on 2020 calculated grades and the student subsequently receives an uplifted deferred place for the 21/22 academic year (based on the 2020 CAO application) having sat the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations. Free fees eligible students who transfer courses in 2021/2022, in the circumstances outlined, will remain eligible for free fees for the 2nd period of study.
Under Article 15(8) of the Student Grant Scheme 2020, the awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) has discretion to award a grant for a repeat period of study in exceptional circumstances which impacted on a student completing a particular period of study or undertaking exams in line with guidelines drawn up by the Minister. The Student Grant Scheme and Student Support Regulations and associated guidelines for the 2021/22 academic year will be published towards the end of March/early April 2021. The opening of SUSI's online grant application system will coincide with the publication of the scheme. Grant applications are submitted online via www.susi.ie. Further information in relation to student grant assistance is also available from this website. The telephone number for SUSI’s Helpdesk is 0761 087 874.
In line with the Government Decision of 8th May 2020 Candidates shall remain eligible to apply for grant support in respect of a repeat period of first year study in 2021/22 academic year, if they meet all of the following criteria:
- received Leaving Certificate predicted grades in 2020;
- opted to sit the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations;
- received an improved CAO offer on foot of these Leaving Certificate examinations results to start their course in the 2021/22 academic year; and
- choose to accept that improved CAO offer.
1150. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the annual training and innovation fund designed to encourage training and education relevant to future skills and issued through his Department is only available to educational institutions and or educational training boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15284/21]
View answer1151. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the annual training and innovation fund designed to encourage training and education relevant to future skills and issued through his Department is available to all businesses and organisations involved in the provision of training and education in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15285/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1150 and 1151 together.
The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) programme was announced as part of Budget 2019, with a primary objective of underpinning the provision of additional capacity across the Higher Education Sector to meet priority skill needs for enterprise. It aims to increase capacity in higher education in focused programmes designed to meet priority skills needs, incentivise continued reform and innovation in third level provision and promote innovative and responsive models of programme delivery, to enable the higher education system to respond rapidly to changes in both skills requirements and technology. Engagement with enterprise was a key requirement of all elements of the HCI.
The HCI consists of 3 main pillars. The funding under each was awarded through a series of challenge based competitive call models.
The three Pillars are as follows:
Pillar 1 – Full-Time Graduate Conversion Courses
Pillar 2 – Additional Places on Existing Full-Time Undergraduate Provision
Pillar 3 – Projects in Innovation and Agility
Eligibility for each pillar differed due to the nature of the initiatives.
Pillar 1: Graduate Conversion Courses
Public and private HEIs were eligible to submit proposals for Pillar 1 courses provided that the courses led to a higher education and training award on National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) at Levels 6 to 9, made by one of the following Irish awarding bodies:
- Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI)
- Institutes of Technology with delegated authority to make awards,
- Universities,
- Technological University Dublin (TUD),
- Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Courses which led to a higher education and training award that is a comparable award based
on recognition advice available from QQI, were also eligible.
Pillar 2: Expansion of Existing Places on Undergraduate Courses
HEA designated HEIs, and privately funded HEIs whose quality assurance procedures have been approved under the 2012 Act (reengagement process) by the 31st of December 2019 were eligible to submit proposals for funding under this pillar. Only courses that are available through the CAO system were eligible for funding.
Pillar 3: Innovation and Agility
HEA Designated HEIs and privately funded HEIs whose quality assurance procedures had been approved under the 2012 Act (reengagement/QA approval process) by the date of the HCI Pillar 3 letter of award offer were eligible to apply.
Providers who did not meet the above criteria were not eligible to apply under this call as lead partners, however, they could be involved as partners in a project.
1152. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when he plans to publish the National Training Fund expenditure report for 2020; if there has been a delay to the usual publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15297/21]
View answerThe National Training Fund Expenditure Report is normally published mid year based on annual expenditure allocations. In 2020, due largely to responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, there were revisions to expenditure allocations and spending priorities throughout the year. An expenditure report incorporating the revised allocations and outputs in 2020 and those of 2021 will be published in the near future.
