Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 June 2023
113. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what factors influence the availability of college places; how much weight he is giving to industry needs, for example the construction and hospitality sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26714/23]
View answerThe Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science does not place a quota on the number of higher education places in publicly funded institutions, and as such the number of places provided each year is determined by the institutions themselves in line with their capacity.
Bodies such as SOLAS's Skills and Labour Market Research Unit and the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have a key role in assessing and forecasting for the skills and talent needs in an economy being transformed by digitisation and the decarbonisation imperative. The analysis which they carry out is central to informing responsive programme planning across the tertiary system; and flexible and innovative responses to changes in the world of work, such as the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) and Springboard+.
This agility and flexibility is further underscored by responsiveness to priority industry and enterprise workforce needs under key policy initiatives such as, for example; the Action Plan for Apprenticeship; Funding the Future; the Green Skills for FET Roadmap; and the National Digital Strategy Harnessing Digital.
While these policy initiatives can help drive the creation of additional provision in key skills areas, the number of places available in any given course is determined by individual higher education institutions, in line with their capacity and with reference to student demand as well as regional and national skills needs.
Many of the skills highlighted by graduate employers as being the most sought after are not industry-specific, but are rather transversal skills such as analytical thinking, collaborative working and the ability to self-motivate and these skills can be developed through a wide variety of programmes.
My Department will continue to advance efforts to ensure that Ireland produces the graduates the workforce needs with the flexible and adaptable skillset that our economy and society requires.
