Budget increase for PLC colleges

LARGE Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) colleges are set to get increased funding and revised staffing levels, it has emerged.

Minister of State Síle de Valera outlined as part of the Department of Education’s 2007 spending estimates earlier this month that she had secured increases for the further education (FE) sector as part of an extra €19 million for adult and continuing education.

The FE sector is run by the country’s Vocational Education Committees (VECs) through 225 colleges.

The Irish Examiner understands that changes for around 40 larger colleges which accommodate most of the country’s 30,000 PLC students will be a priority for department officials in talks with representatives of the sector next month.

While these colleges are dedicated providers of PLC courses, many courses are given in local vocational schools whose main function is second-level education.

Under current funding and management structures, all PLC centres are funded like second-level schools, receiving the same budgets for staffing, equipment and buildings, even though the needs of many of them are closer to those of third level colleges.

The revised structures to be discussed are likely to be based on recommendations in the 2003 McIver report. which reviewed the FE sector.

IVEA general secretary Michael Moriarty has called for a White Paper on FE to outline government vision on the sector, which he said is seriously lacking from the debate.

“The state’s need for ongoing training of its workforce underpins the role of further education. There is an increasing level of frustration at the slow progress towards implementation of the McIver report,” he said.

“I want further education to stand shoulder to shoulder with primary, second and third level in terms of facilities, structures and funding, but it is currently sitting in their shadows,” Mr Moriarty said.

A conference hosted by Waterford College of Further Education last week on the sector’s future heard about the benefits of separate funding for FE in other countries and difficulties with the current system here.

Mr Moriarty welcomed the increased provisions for the sector in the 2007 spending estimates but added that all PLC centres should benefit.

“There are many schools and colleges offering mixed provision of FE and second level education, and such local accessibility is a key, particularly outside the cities and larger towns,” he said.