Evolution of the Further Education & Training sector in Ireland: A focus on the development of a national skills policy in the State

Evolution of the Further Education & Training sector in Ireland – A focus on the development of a national skills policy in the State Authors – Rory O’Sullivan and Justin Rami Affiliation - Further Education and Training Research Centre, School of Policy & Practice - Institute of Education, Dublin City University Abstract The developments of the nineteenth century laid the tentative foundations for the modern FET sector and were built upon in the early years after independence with the establishment of the VEC system. Further Education and Training in Ireland is not only about employability, it also espouses the key concepts of lifelong learning. It is seen both in policy and structural terms as being one of the main pillars essential to the building and maintenance of a highly skilled work force operating within a knowledge society (Harper and Fox, 2003). The further and vocational education sector in Ireland has been perceived by some stakeholders as being less clearly defined and of lower status than higher education (ESRI 2014). This also echoes wider social norms but can also be seen as a reflection of the diversity of FET (Further Education & Training) in terms of the perceptions of current provision (O’Leary & Rami, 2016). This paper sets out to identify the key milestones in the evolution of skills policy in Ireland, with an emphasis on intermediate skills and FET. Johnstone (1999) argues that vocational education is in direct opposition to liberal education, in that the ultimate justification for education within the vocational paradigm is to get people ready for the world of work. Further education in the State has now been placed within the tertiary education sector. Though the line between further and vocational education in Ireland has often been blurred, this paper chapter aims to highlight the influences, development, and changes in Vocational and Further Educational Policy in Ireland. The developments of the nineteenth century laid the tentative foundations for the modern FET sector and were built upon in the early years after independence with the establishment of the VEC system. In particular, the European Union and the OECD, as well as the Troika in more recent times. The barriers to development were clearly located within the state. This paper highlights lessons learned and took a forward-facing look at recent policy developments in the sectors situated within an historical framework. Keywords further education and training, skills policy, vocational education Presentation: Joint author paper Corresponding Author 1 - Dr Justin Rami is the Director of the Further Education & Training Research Centre (FETRC) in DCU and Chair of the Education & Training Foundation Programme (FET-HE) and the former Chair of the BSc in Education & Training. Dr Rami is the former Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning and a lecturer and researcher in the School Policy & Practice, Institute of Education at Dublin City University. He is a graduate of the International University Leadership Management Programme (ULM) and has published significantly in the area of Further, Adult, Vocational and Continuing Education, Assessment, Feedback and Curriculum reform. Justin.rami@dcu.ie Corresponding Author 2 - Dr Rory O’Sullivan is Rory is currently Principal of Killester and Marino College of Further Education, a College of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board. He was awarded a PhD in Further Education and Training Policy from Trinity College, Dublin in 2018. He is a member of the Associate Faculty and Advisors of the Further Education and Training Research Centre in Dublin City University, and is a member of the of the Adjunct Faculty of the School of Education in the University of Limerick. He is Chair of FET Colleges Ireland, and a member of the Dublin Regional Skills Forum.