Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 December 2022
146. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science The extent to which he continues to identify and cater for the demand in terms of graduates in the academic or technical areas, with a view to ensuring the availability of sufficient qualified persons to meet the needs of the marketplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59781/22]
View answer296. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which he continues to pursue the objective of providing more academic and technical graduates in the future; if he has identified specific targets in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60045/22]
View answer297. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the most obvious likely shortages of graduates in the future to meet the demands for the technical sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60046/22]
View answer298. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the most obvious likely shortages of graduates in the future to meet the demands for the academic sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60047/22]
View answer299. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which fourth level educational qualifications continue to be advanced in line with requirements with particular reference to availability of technical graduates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60048/22]
View answer300. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which fourth level educational qualifications continue to be advanced in line with requirements with particular reference to availability of academic graduates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60049/22]
View answer302. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which he continues to liaise with the technical sector in education with a view to ensuring adequate provision in respect of graduates in both areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60051/22]
View answer303. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which he continues to liaise with both the academic sector in education with a view to ensuring adequate provision in respect of graduates in both areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60052/22]
View answer304. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which he continues to research future requirements in the education sector with a view to ensuring an adequate supply of graduates throughout; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60053/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 146, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 302, 303 and 304 together.
My Department is committed to engaging with all Departments and industry representative bodies to support them in their workforce planning needs. Ensuring we have qualified graduates to meet the skills needs of our workforce is a priority for my Department. Our higher education system has expanded significantly over the past number of years, from 209,300 enrolments in 2014, to 246,299 enrolments in 2021/ 2022.
Funding the Future was launched in May 2022. It provides the policy basis for the vision and direction of higher education funding in a sustainable way. A key element of this policy framework is a focus on driving skills and engagement, with a particular focus on essential public services. Through this policy framework my Department and HEA will strengthen planning for provision, and alignment between the sector and the national skills architecture, including workforce planning for key public services.
Work is ongoing on an updated set of enrolment projections for higher education, which will further assist in this capacity-building programme of work. My Department does not currently produce specific projections for the number of higher education graduates, as a number of variables can impact graduate output in any one year. The HEA graduate outcomes survey for the class of 2021 was published in November. This report shows that 82% of graduates are in employment nine months after graduation, and this is up from 76% for the class of 2020.
There are a number of key strategies in place at all levels to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands. These include policies designed to ensure a pipeline of suitably qualified science and technical graduates, and initiatives to equip young people and the working population more generally with the skills and capacity to meet these demands. Central to shaping these strategies is the partnership approach between the Further and Higher Education system and Government, Industry, the National Skills Council, the National Training Fund Advisory Group, the Regional Skills Fora and the Apprenticeship Council.
The Action Plan for Apprenticeship sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships with a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per year by 2025. In 2021, a record 8,607 new apprentices were registered- an almost 40% increase on the figures from 2019, the last “normal” pre-pandemic year.
The National Skills Council (NSC) within its remit advises on the prioritisation of identified skills needs and on how to secure delivery of these needs. Key high-level trends identified at recent NSC meetings include automation and digitisation, digital literacy and transversal skills. Information on these trends is then used to formulate our skills strategies and initiatives such as the National Skills Strategy 2025; Technology Skills 2022; Springboard+ and the Human Capital Initiative.
My Department will continue to advance efforts to ensure that Ireland offers learning opportunities to all who wish to pursue them and produces the graduates the workforce needs with the skills that our economy and society require.
