Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2022
99. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the factors that influence the availability of college places; the weight that he is giving to the needs of industry, for example, the hospitality sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12463/22]
View answerHigher education institutions are autonomous within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such they are independent in relation to their administrative and academic affairs, and the courses offered by any institution are a matter for the individual institutions to determine.
Irish HEIs have strong links with industry and enterprise, and will often develop courses in response to the needs of local industries, or in response to changes in the overall skills needed in the workforce. My Department incentivises the creation of courses and places in ideas of identified skills need through initiative such as Springboard+ and the Human Capital Initiative (HCI). In the 2021/22 academic year there were 13,444 places provided under Springboard+ and the HCI in a range of key skills areas including hospitality and tourism.
My officials are currently working with the Higher Education Authority and with the higher education sector to examine where additional undergraduate places can and should be provided in the higher education system for the next academic year. Any additional places created this year will be targeted at areas of acute skills need as identified through our national skills architecture. The introduction of additional places should also be sustainable and aligned with medium term planning. There are challenges in expanding the facilities, lecturing expertise and clinical and other placements associated with particular courses and, to the extent that these can be overcome, sustainable approaches are required.
