Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 September 2011
4 Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made to date in establishing SOLAS; when he expects this process to be complete; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25610/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn July the Government announced the establishment of SOLAS as a key element in the development of the further education and training sector. The SOLAS implementation group has been established to implement the changes. It met on 31 August and again yesterday. I am chairing the group and its membership includes officials from the Department of Education and Skills, FÁS and the Irish Vocational Education Association. The group is preparing an action plan and will report soon to the Cabinet committee on economic recovery and jobs. The action plan will be the subject of consultation with stakeholders before finalisation. The group has met twice and made progress on key elements such as the organisational mission, structure, staffing, funding and legislation for the new authority. Given the complex elements involved, including the legislation, it is expected that the process of establishing SOLAS will be completed by the end of 2012.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I had the opportunity at the committee and elsewhere to welcome the Government decision to establish SOLAS and to give the further education sector a particular entity of its own. Surely urgency is not being attached to the establishment of SOLAS if the implementation group meets at three weekly intervals. I know that constant meetings just for the sake of it are not fruitful, but surely an agenda should be set and achievements arrived at more regularly than every three weeks.
Is the Minister of State satisfied the implementation group is representative enough of all the different interests in the further education sector and SOLAS? Why is there no representation from the CEOs' association? Why is there no representation from the Adult Education Officers' Association? My understanding is that the vast majority of people working in the vocational educational sector at teaching and lecturing level are members of the Teachers Union of Ireland. Why are they not represented? My understanding is that most of the administrative staff in our vocational education sector are members of IMPACT. Surely there is a need to have those particular representative organisations involved in the implementation group.
What I am getting at the moment, from both the people in the VEC sector and people in FÁS, is an amount of uncertainty about the future. None of us wants to see uncertainty develop in an area where there is an urgent need to re-skill and up-skill people and to deal with the very important area of training and preparing people for employment opportunities.
I want to assure the Deputy there is a serious urgency attached to the national roll out of SOLAS. The summer break was the reason for the three week hiatus between 31 August and yesterday, and we plan to meet every two weeks from now on. We have also established a number of subgroups within the implementation group which will oversee certain elements of the change management process, and these are very considerable indeed.
In respect of representation on the SOLAS implementation group, I have always been an advocate of keeping it small and effective. There are nine people around the table in the group. We are charged with making this happen. I would argue that the VEC sector is well represented on the implementation group by Michael Moriarty of the IVEA and CEO of one of the VECs who is on a rotating basis with fellow CEOs across the country. FÁS is also well represented by its CEO and another senior staff member.
We plan to engage all the organisations mentioned by the Deputy in a comprehensive submission and consultation process. We will first seek written submissions from all those affected, after which we will hold a day of discussion and debate on what exactly SOLAS should set out to achieve. We are anxious that this will be an inclusive process. The message I am receiving from FÁS and the IVEA is that both organisations are extremely happy with the way the process is developing, very much buy into the establishment of SOLAS and are excited about what it hopes to achieve in the coming years.
I did not for one moment suggest that the different interest groups are unhappy with the proposal as it is my understanding that they welcome it. The Minister of State did not mention that a CEO was participating in the group. It is not always the case that a small group can achieve more. It is important that all interests are represented. It is not a matter of deciding that half a dozen or a dozen people will be involved but of ensuring that all interests in the sector are represented. The last thing we want in this process is a lack of information to any of the stakeholders, all of whom must be updated on a constant basis and know that the issue is being treated with the utmost urgency.
A target date must be set. The Minister of State indicated that the process would be complete by the end of 2012. We were informed on Committee Stage of the relevant legislation that it would be largely complete within that timeframe. The use of the word "largely" provides for the typical public service way out should something go wrong. I would prefer if a specific target date was set and met, barring some unforeseen circumstances arising. Those who are unhappy with the current architecture for training and further education want the new architecture put in place as rapidly as possible.
I reiterate that the Department is treating this matter with extreme urgency. I am an advocate of the motto "small is beautiful" in respect of implementation and committees. I made a presentation to the IVEA conference outlining what SOLAS sets out to achieve and two weeks ago I had a meeting with the board of FÁS at which I also set out what we hope to achieve through SOLAS. I am anxious to be as inclusive as possible and will seek and act on submissions from all interest groups and everybody who will be part of this serious change management process.
The target of the end of 2012 is a tough one. From previous Cabinet experience, the Deputy will be aware of the torturous and lengthy legislative process involved in getting such a change management process through the Houses of the Oireachtas. That will be the slowest part of the process but we will not sit back and wait for it to conclude. In parallel with the legislative programme, we will set in train a serious change management programme, primarily between FÁS and the vocational education committees. We hope to select one reasonably typical VEC and establish a pilot programme to determine how the machinery and architecture of FÁS and the VECs will come together on a practical, day-to-day basis to make the roll-out of SOLAS as streamlined and smooth as possible.
Speaking on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I do not believe the Houses of the Oireachtas will delay the proposals, which I am sure other parties will also support.
