Departments 3 year strategy 2021-2024

8 March 2021 

The strategy sets out the department’s ambition to:

  • improve the transition to further and higher education for school leavers
  • implement a new 10-year strategy to improve literacy, numeracy and digital skills to ensure nobody is left behind
  • reform skills training and invest in upskilling and reskilling opportunities in areas of economic growth including in the area of green and digital skills
  • overhaul the Apprenticeship system and develop a new plan to increase apprenticeships to 10,000 every year
  • put in place a sustainable approach to higher education funding
  • introduce new legislation to reform higher education governance
  • undertake a national engagement on research and science and develop a renewed national strategy to succeed Innovation 2020
  • implement a new Access Plan for higher education and review the Student Grant Scheme
  • grow our international reach and position Ireland as a leader in higher education and research
  • support the establishment of Technological Universities across the country to improve access to higher education and to act as anchors for regional and national innovation and growth
  • advance North South co-operation in higher education and research
  • lead the COVID-19 response for the sector to enable higher and further education to respond to and recover from the ongoing crisis
  • FULL REPORT HERE