Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 May 2023
167. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if she would consider a new school programme, which would encourage young people to join training programmes; the additional supports in place to assist those who opt for training in trades; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20951/23]
View answerThere are a number of programmes and supports within schools to assist students in considering and accessing the widest range of options possible including training in trades.
All schools are expected to have a Whole School Guidance plan detailing a range of activities exposing students to a wide range of options, including but not limited to training programmes, apprenticeships, further and higher education and training. Schools have a Guidance Counsellor who can support students of all ages with their options and provide support around educational, career, personal and social choices.
Transition Year is a valuable programme for students that offers opportunities for life skills, personal, social and academic development and experience of adult and working life. Transition Year has a unique and important value in the life of students. Currently over seventy per cent of students avail of Transition Year. Each school designs its own Transition Year programme, within set guidelines, to suit the needs and interests of its students. As part of the redevelopment of Senior Cycle, a revised Transition Year programme statement is being developed, which will be available from early 2024 and will help to ensure the delivery of a valuable Transition Year experience for students across all schools participating in the programme. This will include the provision of professional support to teachers and schools in terms of continuous professional development.
The Leaving Certificate Established is a two-year programme that aims to provide learners with a broad, balanced education while also offering some specialisation towards a particular career option, whether that is apprenticeships and trades, further and higher education or the broader world of work.
The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) is a two-year programme with a focus on enterprise and preparation for working life. It combines the academic strengths of the Leaving Certificate Established with a dynamic focus on self-directed learning, enterprise, work and the community. Throughout the programme, students are encouraged to be innovative and enterprising, take responsibility for their own learning and investigate and consider career options.
The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) is a two-year Leaving Certificate programme available to students who wish to follow a practical or vocationally orientated programme. The Leaving Certificate Applied is made up of a range of courses that are structured round three elements: Vocational Preparation, Vocational Education and General Education.
In March last year, I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education where the student is at the centre of their Senior Cycle experience. The approach to Senior Cycle redevelopment is ambitious, optimistic and inclusive. Senior Cycle redevelopment will ensure that the diversity of students’ learning needs and strengths are addressed and that all learning pathways in school are accessible and equally valued. It will broaden the ways used to assess and accredit students’ achievement, to better reflect and encourage the learning we wish to promote.
