Vol. 520 No. 5
26 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress he has made to date in the establishment of outreach adult education supports through learning resource centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16196/00]
In the further education sector, a range of programmes is provided, principally by vocational education committees, which include adult literacy and community education programmes, youthreach and senior traveller training centres catering for early school leavers, the vocational training opportunity scheme, and post leaving certificate courses. There are 92 Youthreach and traveller centres, a further 45 centres in FÁS, almost 100 VTOS centres, 205 PLC centres and an expanding range of adult literacy programmes.
The formulation of outreach strategies to attract people who would stand to benefit from adult education programmes, particularly in the area of literacy and basic education, is encouraged in the Green Paper, Adult Education in an Era of Lifelong Learning. The funding provided by my Department for adult education is increasing significantly in the context of the national development plan and this will provide for further locations to be developed in the period ahead as the need arises. A major expansion of part-time options will be implemented under a back to education initiative, aimed principally at adults with less than upper secondary education.
As part of this measure, an adult ICT basic skills programme will be implemented. While it is intended that the expansion will make optimum use of existing school facilities outside school time, the development of additional centres will be considered where the need arises and full use will be made of new technology to support open learning and distance education. These issues will be further progressed in the context of the forthcoming White Paper on adult education, to be published shortly.
