Results 61-80 of 1,063,938 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Neasa Hourigan OR speaker:Simon Harris OR speaker:John McGuinness OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Michael Lowry OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:Micheál Martin OR speaker:Carol Nolan) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Further and Higher Education (8 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: They will be considered at the point.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Further and Higher Education (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: Yes.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Further and Higher Education (8 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: So they will not be at a disadvantage.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Further and Higher Education (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: No.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Further and Higher Education (8 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: And the robustness of all the business cases will be considered afresh. Will the Minister of State indicate the timeline? What will happen at the pre-tender and design stage? What time is envisaged for that?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I welcome the fact there were 2,195 public beds. Where, however, is the vision for this area in terms of State-owned student accommodation in order that we can bring the prices down? A market is once again being created for the vulture funds and anyone with money who can then do what they want during the summer, although we have tried to curtail that lately with limits on time. I come from...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: Previous speakers have raised this issue and we have discussed student accommodation. We have a long-term student accommodation policy, which was approved by the Government in 2024.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: When is the strategy going to be published consequent on that plan?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: That policy will inform student accommodation strategies and schemes which are being developed throughout 2024. We also have conducted a feasibility study across the technological university sector, as the Deputy will know. That was basically an exercise in which we collaborated through the umbrella group for the technological universities. We asked them to identify their requirements and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Apprenticeship Programmes

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: 10. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects to make extra provision for apprenticeships or third level access routes for those with a technical expertise who wish to improve their skills and options; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40049/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I wish to zoom in on the degree to which the relevant vacancies have been identified throughout industry, both in the public and private sector, with the view to matching up the qualifications and identifying the precise areas in which weaknesses have appeared and the degree to which it is anticipated to be able to address them.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: In budget 2025, we made a significant investment of €77.4 million to grow apprenticeship, a valued option for those who wish to gain a skill or improve their skills across many sectors of the economy. There are currently 77 national apprenticeship programmes available from levels 5 to 10 of the national framework of qualifications, NFQ, across a diverse range of skills from plumbing...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister of State for that reply. To what degree have the individual shortages of skilled operatives been identified precisely? In order to meet that market requirement, it is absolutely essential we can identify the precise number of, for example, crane operators and to what degree they are required at the present time. Have we enough or nearly enough crane operators, or are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: We have two supplementary questions, the first of which is in the name of Deputy Ó Murchú.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: To follow on from Deputy Durkan, I recently visited the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence, Dundalk. We have the robotics and automation apprenticeship which, obviously, is an absolute necessity. We know the idea behind cybersecurity. We have 3D concrete printing. There is also huge interaction between industry and the advanced manufacturing centre, which is followed up...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I wish to flag an issue with the Minister of State, which I have raised previously with his colleague, the then-Minister of the Department and now Taoiseach, Deputy Harris, in relation to the craft certificate. Since the craft certificates have come on stream, I have been dealing for almost one year with an issue a constituent of mine, Paschal Ryan, has in this regard. When he applied for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: The struggle even just to find accommodation, let alone to get accommodation that is reasonably priced, is a huge issue for students. Being close to the college is an important requirement to so many as well. A recent USI survey in Cork indicated that 27% of students were in purpose-built accommodation, much of which was privately operated, with very little from the colleges. Clearly, the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: There is no decision from the Government, or any recommendation from the Department of public expenditure and reform to the Government to make a decision, on the TU borrowing facility. That is something that is raised with me quite regularly, so that is to answer it straight up for the Deputy. However, it is our intention to increase supply as much as we can. That is why the intention of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: Often when we think of student accommodation, the purpose-built units or the apartments might be the first in mind, but there are also houses. While we see the challenge there for the technological universities, other colleges seem to be able to move in more flexible or different abilities, such as in Limerick, where they were able to buy houses.