In my opinion: Too many cooks decide further education policy
The last 10 years have seen dramatic changes in Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland.
From a situation in the 1990s when there were 15 different certifying bodies, to the establishment of the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) in 2001, this hugely diverse sector of the Irish education system has been a shining example of how 'joined-up thinking' can really happen in the public service.
The implementation of the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999, has put both further and higher education and training qualifications onto a single national framework. This has resulted in a high level of understanding and co-operation between FET providers of different types, and between education providers across the country -- joined-up thinking in practice.
While the Act ensures an overall coherence, the implementation of further education and training policy is spread across four different government departments when there should only be one.
Further education schools and colleges fall under the remit of the Department of Education and Science; FÁS is under the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Teagasc and Bord Iascaigh Mhara fall under the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; and Fáilte Ireland falls under the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism.
The impact of this fragmentation was brought into sharp relief over the last year as the Government sought to address the challenge of rapidly increasing unemployment.
In 2008, as the numbers losing their jobs began to increase, there were calls for a national response to the need for retraining and upskilling opportunities for people who had just lost their job -- but which department had responsibility?
While inter-departmental co-ordinating committees exist and work hard to try to bring unity to the policy response, the scale of the current crisis has exposed the obvious weaknesses in this fragmented approach -- so what can be done?
What if the training elements of FÁS, Fáilte Ireland, Teagasc and BIM were to join the further education schools and colleges, and indeed all the higher education institutions, under the remit of a Department of Education and Training? Could this ensure a more coherent, standardised approach across all sectors of education and training, further and higher? Could this present an opportunity for the Government to rationalise the delivery of the retraining and upskilling opportunities for the recently unemployed? Could such an approach be the most efficient use of the limited public money available?
There is little doubt that Ireland is in the midst of a very deep crisis, particularly with regard to the public finances. With frequent calls for 'joined-up thinking' across the public service, bringing the provision of all publicly funded further and higher education and training under the policy direction of one government department would seem to make sense.
With a single national framework of qualifications and the unification of certification and quality assurance systems underway, why not one government department giving all policy direction? Joined-up thinking indeed.
Rory O'Sullivan is a member of the National Executive of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals and the outgoing chair of its Adult and Further Education Committee.
Irish Independent
