Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 September 2020
30. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to incentivise young persons typically excluded from higher education due to socioeconomic status to engage in education past school in view of the high youth unemployment rates. [22606/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn light of recent high figures of unemployment, I ask the Minister of State his plans to incentivise young people typically excluded from higher education due to socioeconomic status to engage in education past school. Covid-19 has shone a serious light on the need to get young people into higher education to improve their chances of employment and the quality of that employment and to break the cycle of poverty.
I thank the Deputy for his question. My priority is to offer accessible and inclusive further and higher education and training for all. Supporting inclusion is one of the three key pillars around which the new further education and training, FET, strategy is built and the core vision of the national access plan for equity of access to higher education is to ensure that the student body in higher education at all levels reflects the diversity and socioeconomic mix of Ireland's population.
A number of direct financial supports are in place across further and higher education to incentivise young people to continue to engage in education past school whatever their socioeconomic status. These include the payment of income support in place of social welfare in FET, the student grant scheme and the student assistance fund. In July, the Government announced an additional €168 million funding package for further and higher education, which includes €15 million allocated to technology devices for students, a doubling of the student assistance fund, €3 million extra funding for mental health services for students and more funding for students with disabilities. The July stimulus package offers a €200 million investment in training and education. Under this package the Government is making available 35,000 additional places in further and higher education, and introducing the apprenticeship incentivisation scheme to support employers to take on new apprentices.
I would encourage young learners to contact the free and confidential guidance services available through the education and training boards and the access offices and guidance services in higher education institutions to explore their options.
We have heard an announcement here about additional places in third level to be offered to students. Will students be included who are exploring alternative routes to third level through schemes like the higher education access route, HEAR, for socioeconomically disadvantaged students or the disability access route to education, DARE, scheme for students with additional needs? These are wonderful schemes and it is important this year especially that they are not excluded from the new plans. Covid-19 has shone a light on the disadvantage that people face. On youth unemployment figures, more than 13,100 people under the age of 24 were unemployed in July. That is getting more people into third level education is vital at this stage.
The Deputy is right. No student or anybody seeking education or further training should be excluded. Certainly what myself and the Minister, Deputy Harris, are working towards is providing more places right across the whole range of disciplines, apprenticeships and courses. I just want to point out to the Deputy that the youth guarantee is a commitment by all member states of the EU to ensure that all young people under the age of 25 are offered good quality employment, continued education, apprenticeship or traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education. Under the youth guarantee, young people under the age of 18 who have left school without completing secondary education or who have failed to find employment should be provided with a second chance.
I accept some of the points the Minister of State made. For the people I represent, sometimes the barrier to education is not just points. There are many more issues that affect people.
There are transport, accommodation and finance considerations, and people who are involved with care-giving duties. In the area I represent, only 10% of the people who go to third level education consider themselves from disadvantaged areas. My constituency includes a rural area and a city. Across the constituency, there are different types of people at third level. We need to get more people into third level education. The experience of people living in areas where people do not typically go to third level is that when they go to third level they feel isolated and alone. We need to work with these young people to ensure they can stay on at third level.
I agree with the Deputy. The experience of people in the area I represent, which is predominantly rural but close to the urban setting of Limerick city, is similar. We have some larger towns and people in my constituency have experienced and articulated to me some of the challenges Deputy Gould outlined.
The Youthreach programme is very important. Many of the people we speak of are younger people who have left school for various reasons. The programme is delivered in two ways, namely, through Youthreach centres and community training centres, which are doing some very good work. I encourage those who have issues with access to use this avenue.
The Deputy raised the issue of barriers. The back to education initiative provides part-time and further education training programmes for young people and adults who have left full-time education with less than an upper second level qualification. That support and help is there for people also.
I thank the Minister of State. With the Minister's co-operation we will get two more questions in.
