In mid-November the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) responded to the Department of Education and Skills (DES) questionnaire on the development of the 2020 Action Plan for Education. The Department notes that their annual plan builds on their Statement of Strategy which covers the period 2019-2021 and is available at Cumasú: Statement of Strategy 2019 - 2021
In their questionnaire the DES asked “What actions for 2020 should we consider in order to:
- Shape a responsive education and training system that meets the needs and raises the aspirations of all learners?
- Advance the progress of learners at risk of educational disadvantage and learners with special educational needs in order to support them to achieve their potential?
- Equip education and training providers with the skills and support to provide a quality learning experience?
- Intensify the relationships between education and the wider community, society and the economy?
- Lead in the delivery of strategic direction and supportive systems in partnership with key stakeholders in education and training?
Shape a responsive education and training system that meets the needs and raises the aspirations of all learners?
To shape a responsive education and training system that meets the needs and raises the aspirations of all learners requires a belief in the potential and capacity of the person; supports people to make informed choices; works with them to make such choices; works in partnership with other relevant organisations; actively promotes equality and social inclusion; strives to meet Public Sector Duty obligations; and is enabled by an ethos of continuous professional development, effective recruitment, and good management.
On a practical level it requires improved provision of information on the options that are available to unemployed people, people employed in low skilled employment, and early school leavers, so they can assess their learning opportunities and improve their employment prospects.
This in turn requires improved integration and transition between the employment services / supports and education and training opportunities, opportunities that are meaningful for the learner and will lead to better outcomes. Integral to this is getting the referrals / matching piece correct.
Advance the progress of learners at risk of educational disadvantage and learners with special educational needs in order to support them to achieve their potential?
To advance the progress of learners who have experience of educational disadvantage so that they can achieve their potential requires the proper provision of good quality guidance. Such guidance would assess peoples’ existing skills, identify where there are gaps and provide good quality information on how best to address them.
To properly address social exclusion and disadvantage, the costs of participation in lifelong education and training must be addressed; and integral to this is the pro-active provision of information on affordable and accessible courses.
The provision of targeted education and training provision may be required, this could be sector specific and provided to facilitate the formal recognition of people’s existing knowledge. As part of this process, community education and traineeships have important roles to play.
DES must ensure that Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) becomes a resource for people from more marginalised and excluded communities, so they can see their lived experience and knowledge valued by society and recognised in the labour market.
Equip education and training providers with the skills and support to provide a quality learning experience?
Acknowledge and support the role of alternative and community based education in meeting the needs of unemployed people.
Support the community and voluntary sector, an important entry point for people more distanced from the labour market, to play its part in meeting education and training needs and providing lifelong learning opportunities.
Intensify the relationships between education and the wider community, society and the economy?
Important to support and resource good quality alternative and community based learning; and to map out clear progression links to other education and training opportunities so unemployed learners and others distanced from the labour market can see a real pathway to a better future, a decent job.
Resource the provision of good quality information on the options that are available in the local community and how it could assist the learner to meaningfully meet his or her needs.
Seriously promote the value of FET, community based and adult education courses to the wider society.
Lead in the delivery of strategic direction and supportive systems in partnership with key stakeholders in education and training?
Given the indicators identified on page 5 of the Education Indicators for Ireland, https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Key-Statistics/education-indicators-for-ireland.pdf it will be important to also plan for the employment and unemployment impacts of Brexit, the transitioning to a low carbon economy, and the rate of technological change. It will be the particular responsibility of the education and training system to identify the learning and upskilling supports that will be required to ensure that people who are vulnerable in the labour market are supported to gain access to decent jobs.