Comment on the Department's bids for Executive Programme Funds.

General Comments on the Executive Programme Fund Bids.

The Committee broadly welcomes the Department's bids for the current round of allocations from the five Executive Programme Funds.

The Committee notes that the bid for the Executive Programme Funds excludes any reference to Student Support, which is a matter for consideration under a separate process.

The Committee also recognises that there are other potential bids in the pipeline for later bidding rounds in September 2001 and March 2002. The Department is currently working on bids specifically focused at non-participating young people, New Deal Adult unemployed and Further Education College-SME links.

Committee's comments on Individual Bids:

1. To Improve Adult Basic Education, Literacy and Numeracy:

1.1 The Committee very much welcomes the primacy of the current bids in respect of improving Adult Basic Education, Literacy and Numeracy. The Adult Literacy Survey in Northern Ireland showed that 24% of the population, of working age (16-65), performed at the lowest level of literacy and numeracy, with those unemployed twice as likely as those employed to perform at this level.

1.2 The Committee views these figures as a very serious indictment of a modern society in the twenty-first century. During the course of their Inquiry into "Education and Training for Industry", members have become only too aware of what these statistics mean to the individual who is impaired from making a full contribution in the workplace, and to society as a whole. It also frustrates employers in upgrading the level of employee skills, and works against the enhancement of a dynamic, effective and competitive economy.

1.3 While welcoming the bid, the Committee would like to see a more challenging target set and within a tighter time-scale. Poor literacy and numeracy figures need to be tackled urgently if we are to catch up with the more progressive economies within the European Union.

1.4 The Committee would recommend that the Department monitors and publishes figures in respect of the various set objectives.

1.5 Members have concerns that basic education tutors should have their qualifications formally recognised in the main stream, otherwise a two-tier system of teaching qualifications could develop.

1.6 The Committee believes that the bid is in line with the principles underlying the targeted Executive Programme Funds.

2. The Upgrading of Facilities for Students with Learning Difficulties:

2.1 The Committee very much welcomes this bid in line with the Department's statutory obligations to comply with disability access legislation due to come into force in the UK in 2005, and European directives. Members recognise that there are areas of many HE and FE institutions that are inaccessible to students with physical disabilities, thereby restricting their choices of courses.

2.2 The Committee requests that the application be rewritten to state the exact number of improvements that appear in the quantifiable objectives.

2.3 The Department recognises that the target they have set of nine institutions to upgrade facilities over the next three years is only the beginning of a long-term strategy. The Committee would welcome the quickening of the pace of upgrade in any subsequent bidding rounds as there are 17 FE Colleges, two Universities and two Teacher Training Colleges all requiring various levels of capital spend on improved facilities for the disabled. Disabled students must be afforded equality of opportunity as a matter of priority.

2.4 The Committee views this bid as a clear and effective link to one or more of the priorities identified in the Programme for Government

3. A New Build on the present site for the East Down Institute of Further and Higher Education (£18 million).

3.1 Although the Committee welcomes this provision it notes that the FE sector as a whole has a significant proportion of its estate which is in urgent need of repair, and there are parts of the province, which are devoid of any FE College provision.

3.2 The bid has a clear and effective link to one or more of the priorities identified in the Programme for Government, however the Committee questions whether the project fully meets the spirit of the Executive Programme Funds.

4. The Development and Implementation of JobCentre On Line
and
5. The Deployment of Touch Screen Kiosk Technology

5.1 The Committee welcomes both of these developments as an excellent exercise in modernising government and making it more accessible to the public, both in terms of using new technology in a way entirely consistent with the thrust of e-government and supporting "joined-up" government.

5.2 Members would support the spread of access to include both libraries, community centres etc. They also welcome the rollout of links to the Republic of Ireland and European sites, which will greatly enhance the objective of labour market mobility.

5.3 Members asked if there was the potential to look at both these developments in the context of including literacy and numeracy training on line.

5.4 The Committee believes that these bids are in line with one or more of the principles underlying the Programme for Government.

6. The Further development of four pilot Childminding Networks:

6.1 The Committee views this bid as a further enhancement of the overall aim of a Northern Ireland Childcare Strategy which aims to enable more parents, particularly women, to access employment and training opportunities, by raising the quality of childcare, making childcare more affordable and improving access to childcare.

6.2 Members would be keen to see employers contributing to the future financing of the scheme, as they also will be net benefactors of enhanced child care facilities.

6.3 The Committee believes that the bid is in line with one or more of the principles underlying the Programme for Government.

7. The creation of a "one stop shop" through the Northern Ireland Business Partnership (NIBEP).

7.1 The Committee views this bid as a key priority in the Department's bid to promote beneficial relationships between education and business to ensure that our young people are suitably equipped to exploit their full potential in the modern knowledge based economy.

7.2 The project is aimed at young people at primary and post primary levels and FEC's in an effort to prepare them for the transition to the world of work. Teachers are able to develop a greater understanding of the environment into which their pupils will progress beyond school. This clearly reduces the amount of time employers will need to devote to the induction of new employees.

7.3 The Committee considers the work of NIBEP so important (as the enabling body for business education activities in Northern Ireland) that it should be considered as part of the mainstream funding. There is clearly a case to be made that a financial investment in the work of NIBEP will contribute to young people's preparedness for work and therefore the contribution they can make to the local economy.

8. Conclusion

The Committee welcomes all these bids and the Committee's priority is:

Improve adult literacy and numeracy

Upgrading facilities for students with learning difficulties

Dr Esmond Birnie MLA
Chairperson
12 March 2001

HFETE minutes 1 March 2001 - Item 6, para 3.

HFETE Minutes 8 March 2001 - Item 3, para 2.