AONTAS welcomes establishment of new Interdepartmental Committee
22 Feb 2008 01:02 PM
Berni Brady, AONTAS Director today welcomed Minister for Lifelong Learning Sean Haughey's announcement regarding the establishment of a new interdepartmental committee to oversee the implementation of the National Skills Strategy.
The Committee is being established to tackle the urgent objective of upskilling 500,000 people by 2020. Ireland's record in participating in adult education initiatives is poor. The numbers of mature adults engaging in further education in Ireland still stands at 10% - lower than the OECD average of 20% and well below the Swedish figure of 38%.
Speaking about the announcement, Ms Brady said 'We particularly welcome the interdepartmental approach of the Committee which recognises the link between education and training. We are delighted to hear the Ministers plan to make it easier for people to participate in education and training through a number of incentives to both employers and employees. These include a more flexible approach to training and education. It is our experience however that the major obstacle facing people wishing to return to learning is finance. The reality is that many members of the workforce would like to participate in further education but are instead forced to negotiate their way through nothing short of an obstacle course in order to gain a qualification. Our research highlights a number of practical barriers which prevent people from accessing training and education.'
Ms Brady continued 'The financial burden of signing up for a part time degree or postgraduate course makes a third level qualification out of the question for many members of the workforce. Criteria for financial supports such as the Back to Education Allowance are unrealistic with the result that many low income workers do not qualify for the assistance they so badly need to access and pursue further education. Further resources are needed to expand the Adult Guidance Services, and to address the issue of childcare. We look forward to the Ministers communication regarding the composition of the Committee. While we welcome the projected investment of €77 million in training programmes for those in employment, we call on the Minister to ensure that funding is used to address the particular difficulties experienced by adult learners. AONTAS will ensure that these issues are brought to the attention of the new committee.'
