College places to be ring-fenced outside CAO points race in plan to ‘unify’ third level

Universities will be required to ring-fence more places for students outside the CAO points race under new Government policy proposals.

The proposals form part of a wider plan to create a more “unified” third level system with stronger links between further education and higher education.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said reform of third level must involve creating better pathways between the further education and higher education sector.

“I want a system where, irrespective of whether a learner enters into further or higher education or a research career, the system responds to their individual talents, ambitions and motivations, ensuring that their every step is a step forward,” Mr Harris said.

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He said this will mean further and higher education working together to create joint third-level programmes, higher education colleges ring-fencing more places for students in further education and increasing the availability of part-time or online programmes in areas where there are skills gaps.

The policy proposals do not state how many university places or courses should be ring-fenced for further education students.

The proposals form part of a Government plan to invest an additional €307 million for the higher education sector – in addition to the current €2 billion annual spend –mover a number of budgets to bring core funding into line with international peers.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Harris also announced plans to develop a national career advice and guidance service, including online access to experienced guidance practitioners and a user-friendly centralised careers portal.

Mr Harris was speaking at the first meeting of the Funding the Future implementation group, which includes Prof Anne Looney and Prof Tom Collins.

Stakeholders will be given a chance to have their say on planned reforms with the opening of an online consultation (gov.ie/unifiedsystem) until late July, where any individual or group can make a submission in response to a number of open-ended questions.

Meanwhile, Mr Harris identified easing the cost of education and childcare as areas the Government should focus on in the upcoming Budget.

He said the Government has endorsed his policy document on addressing the cost of higher education through reducing the €3,000 registration fee and improving student grants.

The Fine Gael minister said an education options paper will be published before the Budget and he is determined to “have a seat at the table in terms of the Budget debate every year”.

He declined to get into specifics on any reduction in the registration fee that may come about this this year’s Budget but said: “my commitment is to drive down the registration fee, to increase the student grants to begin to make progress in the cost of education.”

Asked about what the Government should be focusing on in the Budget Mr Harris said: “the cost of education - at all levels - and the cost of childcare are important areas. There are also areas in which we can quickly help people”.

He added that addressing the cost in both areas would be “immediate measures that the government could take” and he argued it would not be inflationary.

He said: “If you reduce a [registration] fee, you’re not actually giving people money, you’re just making sure they don’t have to find money out of their pocket or borrow more money. So I think that the risk to inflation is lower in that sense.”

Separately, Mr Harris was asked about reports that the Department of Education has objected to certain housing developments due to concern over a lack of school places.

The Wicklow TD said there is a need to build housing due to the current “emergency” in supply but that he also lives in an constituency where the provision of schools had to “run to catch up” when new homes were built.

“The importance of joined up thinking is really vital and I think it’s less than ideal when state agencies are kind of objecting to national objectives.”

He suggested that engagement between his department, local authorities and others to ensure there are enough houses and school places “would seem like a sensible way to proceed.”