Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 December 2022
272. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider fully funding further education courses for persons on disability allowance and invalidity pension to enable them to upskill and re-enter the workplace with new skills; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62940/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFostering inclusion is one of the three core pillars of Future FET: Transforming Learning the national FET Strategy 2020-2024. The FET sector is committed to increasing levels of inclusion through the provision of high quality, more accessible and flexible education and training programmes and supports suited to the identified needs of individuals, including people with disability, with the aim of enabling every citizen to participate fully in society. There is a broad range of supports provided through the ETBs to support the participation of all learners, including those with disabilities.
FET offers a full suite of programmes which are largely free or heavily subsidised, available nationwide and which are open to everyone regardless of disability. FET providers offer reasonable accommodations to learners including:
- Project support
- One-to-one tutoring
- Assistive technologies Readers and/or scribes, note takers
- Sign language interpretation
The nature of the reasonable accommodation varies depending on the identified preferences and requirements of individual learners. More broadly, the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are being embedded across all FET provision. UDL principles and practices can help practitioners address learner variability and reduce barriers to learning by building flexibility, accessibility, learner voice, and choice in the fabric of the learning interactions they design. Individualised supports, for addressing more specific needs among a smaller subset of learners will, of course, be maintained and promoted. In this context, specific FET programmes are provided for persons with a disability who require more intensive support through Specialist Training Providers (STPs). A budget of €43million is provided to Education Training Boards to fund STPs across the country who cater for over 3,000 learners availing of intensive support.
The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) provides funding in higher education and FET to support students with disabilities. SOLAS now manages the FET element of the FSD which provides funding to PLC colleges/schools to assist them in offering supports and services to eligible PLC students with disabilities so that they can participate on an equal basis with their peers. The allocation to the FSD in the FET sector has increased to €4.1m in 2022. Need assessments determine the supports and accommodations provided to students, in accordance with the guidelines issued by SOLAS. Building on its 2017 research into barriers to FET for the long-term unemployed and other vulnerable groups, SOLAS intends to commission further research and examine barriers to participation in FET, with particular reference to persons with a disability.
