Abstract:
Ireland has one of the highest levels of higher education attainment across the EU and OECD. Over 95% of students complete secondary school with almost 70% of learners transitioning directly to HE and only 22.2% to further education and training (FET).
In May 2022, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science launched a “policy vision for a more unified tertiary education and research system…as part of the mission to develop Ireland’s higher and further education and research and innovation systems, to ensure they are capable of meeting the diverse needs of all people.” The first phase of the process to develop the policy vision involved publication of Progressing a Unified Tertiary System for Learning, Skills and Knowledge – policy platform[i] but what’s happened since?
In its rush to build a successful economy dependent upon FDI, highly skilled labour and skilled immigration are there unintended consequences? Is there an education and training imbalance? Does the universal phase require a tertiary response?
[i] https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/982e2-unified-tertiary-education-sector/#policy-platform
Professor Ellen Hazelkorn is Professor Emeritus, Technological University Dublin; Joint Managing Partner, BH Associates; and Joint Editor, Policy Reviews in Higher Education (http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rprh20/current). She has authored/co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, policy briefs, books and book chapters, and delivered over 200 keynotes speeches. Ellen is internationally recognised for her writings and analysis of rankings and other forms of quality and transparency instruments, and on higher education and policy. Ellen was named one of the ‘top 2%’ of all scientists in 2020, when self-citations are excluded, on the list released by Elsevier/Scopus and Stanford University. She was placed 956th out of 70,063 scientists whose primary field was Education, ranking her in the top 1.3% in Education worldwide.
Register for other seminars of the SKOPE Seminar Series on England’s progress towards a tertiary education system here. Download the seminar series poster (SKOPE Seminar Series – Tertiary Education in England (HT 2026).