I m very pleased to be here to discuss the importance of further education and training (FET).

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1 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Speech by the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton T.D. at The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals Conference On Further Education And Training 15 th April 2015 Introduction I m very pleased to be here to discuss the importance of further education and training (FET). There are a whole range of aspects to FET, if I may use the acronym. But when you boil it down to its essence, it is about one crucial thing: Opportunity. The Government has overseen Ireland s turnaround from crisis to recovery. Every week now, it seems, independent organisations are revising upwards their predictions for Ireland s economic growth. That s hugely positive. But as Tanaiste and Labour Party leader, I don t measure success just by balanced budgets or bond yields. I measure success by the progress of our people. By the jobs they have and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the sight of communities prospering, and children thriving. And further education and training is central to this. It is a vital element in ensuring that everyone of working age - and especially young people have the opportunity to improve their skills. And can then use that opportunity to build better lives for themselves and their families. Already this morning, you have heard and discussed the major FET reforms initiated over the last few years. For my part, I want to outline briefly the Government s overall policies on youth employment, with a particular focus on the Youth Guarantee, and on the role of FET in these policies. 1 P a g e

2 Youth Guarantee Over the last two and a half years, the number of people employed has increased by almost 95,000. The bulk of people returning to work are returning to full-time jobs and that is critically important. But not every jobseeker is in a position to avail of the emerging opportunities without assistance. The Government recognises the need for additional measures to ensure that all jobseekers - and young jobseekers in particular benefit from the recovery. This is the rationale behind the Pathways to Work strategy. The goal of Pathways is simple: to ensure that as many newly created jobs as possible go to those on the Live Register. To help achieve that objective, we have transformed the Department of Social Protection from the passive benefits provider of old to an active and engaged public employment service. A public employment services that sees the provision of work, training and education opportunities as central to everything it does. We do things radically different now. We have a dedicated Employer Engagement Unit, for example, to ensure that we assist employers as well as jobseekers to everyone s benefit. And very shortly, we will appoint a number of staff to work as Key Account Managers in that unit. These Key Account Managers will work closely with some of the 460 largest employers in the State. Through this work, they will identify and plan recruitment requirements and actively promote candidates from the Live Register for available positions. But of course, central to this once more is ensuring that jobseekers are job-ready. And this is particularly true of young jobseekers, which is where the Youth Guarantee comes in. Involvement of the further education sector 2 P a g e

3 The objective of the Guarantee is to ensure that young people receive an offer of employment, education or training within four months of becoming unemployed. In other words, that they receive the opportunities they deserve. Ireland s approach to implementing the Guarantee has three broad strands, and the FET sector has a significant role to play in each of these. First, there is comprehensive provision of education and training opportunities for all young people up to the end of second-level education. Even so, although early-school-leaving has been in steady long-term decline, several thousand young people still leave early each year. However, data collected by the Department of Education identify the vast majority of these as in private or second-chance education in the period after leaving school. A critical element in ensuring the availability of second-chance opportunities for these young people is provision through Youthreach Centres and Community Training Centres. Both of these now come under the oversight of Education and Training Boards. Overall provision appears sufficient and of good quality, which is vitally important. It will be equally important that there are local arrangements in place between schools and ETBs to ensure that all young leavers are identified and encouraged to take up appropriate second-chance provision. Second, further or higher education opportunities are provided for, and taken up by, the vast majority of young people who complete second level each year. The Department of Education and Skills reported that almost 80% of school completers in 2010 took up such opportunities, a proportion which has almost certainly risen since then. While most of these opportunities were provided through Higher Education Authority-funded colleges, about one-third were in Post Leaving Certificate courses in the further education sector. A further 10% of school completers found employment in Ireland. Some of these were in apprenticeships supported through Solas. And it is a reasonable expectation that the recent increase in apprenticeships will continue with the economic recovery, supported by the reform of apprenticeship now under way. In that regard, I take great solace from the sight of cranes on the skyline again. I know they re not the most glamorous vehicles in the world, but they are a welcome sign of recovery in the construction sector and related trades. 3 P a g e

4 Overall registrations in the existing trades are on an upward curve. And we established the Apprenticeship Council to issue a call for proposals for the development of apprenticeships in new sectors. I understand that there has been a strong response to the call, and I look forward to receiving proposals from Minister O'Sullivan in June on new apprenticeships to be created. The ETBs, as well as the Institutes of Technology, will both play a central role in significantly expanding the apprenticeship opportunities for young people. Third, for those young people who do become unemployed, whether on leaving education or through subsequent job loss, a range of measures are being taken by my Department. These include, for example, rapid engagement by our case officers with those young people, and enhanced supports. An example is the JobsPlus scheme whereby we help employers with wage costs when they hire someone who has been on the Live Register for a protracted period. A young person now qualifies for support after 4 months of unemployment rather than 12 months. Young people are not a homogenous group. They vary enormously in terms of their background, life experience, educational attainment, skill levels and employment experience. My Department is committed to providing them with the guidance and support that they need to help them identify and embark on their pathway to employment. This will continue to require new, innovative approaches with regard to personal development, basic skills, education, training, development and work experience options. The main plank of the Guarantee for the young unemployed is assistance in finding and securing sustainable jobs. For those who do not find employment, additional offers are provided for. Some of these are in community-based employment programmes such as CE, Gateway and Tús. However, most offers - over 70% - are in further education or training. Hence why I say the FET sector is so critical to the long-term success of the Guarantee. Conclusions The Guarantee, in tandem with the wider economic recovery, is already making a difference. 4 P a g e

5 Youth unemployment has fallen from over 30% in 2012 to less than 24% on average in It is likely to fall below 20% during This improving trend will be supported, in 2015, by the continuing roll-out a number of additional reforms. These will include, for example, a major programme of engagement by my Department with young people who are already long-term unemployed. We are also focusing on the crucial role employers have to play by providing employment as well as opportunities for work experience. There are a number of schemes, services and supports available and I would encourage employers to engage actively with these. The support of employers will also be crucial to the success of the further education sector not least in the development of apprenticeships, but also in the provision of relevant work experience opportunities across a wide range of FET programmes. I ve used that word again opportunities. But it is really is central to everything which you, and we, are doing. I therefore want to thank you for your immensely important work. And I welcome the sector s commitment to ensuring its relevance to the needs of young people and to local, national and global demand. Your attendance at today s conference provides evidence of that commitment. ENDS 5 P a g e