Vol. 484 No. 2
137 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science whether he will establish post leaving certificate courses on a proper footing as part of the third level sector with an authority to plan and resource this development in a suitable fashion to other third level education. [21725/97]
The programme for Government An Action Programme for the Millennium provides a commitment to the introduction of equitable support of students attending PLC courses. This commitment reflects the importance which the Government attaches to students in the PLC sector. I have taken a number of important steps to ensure the planning and resourcing of developments in the PLC sector including: the ongoing investment in the work of the National Council for Vocational Awards and TEASTAS in providing national certification and assessment for the programme, streamlining and regulating standards in line with industry needs; the provision of £39 million this year towards the running costs of these courses as a significant element of the Government's response to meeting the skill needs of the Irish economy; the involvement of the sector in the International Teleservices Initiative, accompanied by an investment of £1.5 million in equipment in the selected centres to enable them to provide a quality programme consistent with industry needs, and by the introduction of a new student support scheme towards the cost of overseas placement for participants on the programme; and the inclusion of specific provision for the PLC sector under the new Education Technology Investment Fund, under which £250 million will be provided in the next three years for technology investment at all levels of education in partnership with industry. Twenty million of this will be available for PLC courses and apprenticeships. This is a first. It is the first time since the initiation of PLCs that serious capital investment has been devoted to the sector. This much needed investment underlines the importance which the Government attaches to the sector.
The view I get from industry is that PLC courses are an important and flexible means of meeting skill needs. My objective is to build on these strengths.
I am confident that, over the lifetime of this Government, we will consistently demonstrate our continuing commitment to this very important area of education. I will keep the structures through which this might best be done under review.
