Lack of Supports for Rural Lone Parents

Uimhir:801

Ceist Pharlaiminte
Chun an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíoctha
To the Minister for Education and Science

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the
difficulties presented to lone parents in rural Donegal who wish to avail of
education and training opportunities, but who are encountering the high cost of
travelling from rural areas to centres of interest; the reduced availability of
places covered by the Training and Employment Childcare Scheme, and other
childcare programmes, due to the lone parent’s location, and the lack of
available broadband or a sufficient internet connection for online training;
her plans to introduce an education policy specific to rural Ireland to address
issues of equal access to education and training opportunities for persons
living in more remote parts of the country; and if she will make a statement on
the matter.
– Thomas Pringle.

* For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 14th July, 2015.
Reference Number: 28873/15

Freagra
Minister of State, Damien English

Further education and training programmes are available locally throughout the
country. Participants on programmes such as the Vocational Training
Opportunities Scheme and Youthreach and programmes provided through the network
of ETB Training Centres are paid travel allowances towards the cost of travel
to courses and they are also entitled to childcare support under the Childcare
in Education and Training scheme (CETs) which is administered by the
Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

SOLAS, the new Further Education and Training Authority, recently published the
Further Education and Training (FET) Strategy 2014-2019. This strategy is
intended to give direction to, and guide transformation of, the further
education and training sector for the next five years. It provides an
overarching framework within which outcomes based funding and planning based on
robust evidence reflect learner and enterprise needs, including the needs of
current and future priority groups, including lone parents.

One of the keys goals of the FET Strategy is to support active inclusion of
citizens in society. This involves supporting citizens, including those
experiencing barriers to the labour market to fully participate in society, to
access a range of quality services including education and training and to have
a job. The FET sector will seek to increase levels of active inclusion through
the provision of high quality, more accessible and flexible education and
training programmes and supports suited to the identified needs of the
individual. SOLAS will be carrying out research into the barriers to
participation in FET to inform the development of appropriate interventions and
specific supports.

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