From the 'Cinderella' to the 'Fourth Pillar' of the Irish Education System – a Critical Analysis of the Evolution of Further Education and Training in Ireland
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Rory O'Sullivan, 'From the 'Cinderella' to the 'Fourth Pillar' of the Irish Education System – a Critical Analysis of the Evolution of Further Education and Training in Ireland.'Download Item:
Abstract:
The five years from 2010 to 2014 witnessed significant developments in the further education and training (FET) sector in Ireland. This period culminated in the launch, in 2014, of the first ever National FET Strategy in the history of the state which set out a roadmap to achieve the vision of a world-class FET system in Ireland. This research aims to explain how and why these developments took place and if the developmental trajectory is consistent with realising the vision of a world-class FET system. This research takes a case study approach to assessing the evolution of FET in Ireland from a skill formation perspective. The primary focus of this case study is the period from 1973, when Ireland joined the EEC, up to 2014 and the launch of the FET Strategy. The critical analysis of the developmental trajectory examines FET as part of the skill formation institution of the state. Accordingly, this research is placed within the theoretical framework of historical institutionalism. Given the aim of having a ‘world-class’ FET system in Ireland, the research begins with a review of the international context of skill formation systems in advanced economies. This is followed by a review of the evolution of skill formation in Ireland prior to 1973. Four themes emerge from these reviews which scaffold the analysis of the two primary data sources in this research – convergence of education and training, active labour market policy, convergence of certification and qualifications, and regionalisation and rationalisation of the public administration of further education and training. 32 published government policy documents are analysed using a semantic content analysis, and 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key policy actors in the FET policy space to assess the relationships between the key stakeholders over this period, analysed with the frame of the ‘iron triangle of government’, i.e. the state, executive agencies, and interest groups. The results of the analyses are triangulated and 32 findings emerge from the research. Based on Busemeyer’s concept of the skill regime, this study proposes a model for an Irish Skill Regime which identifies the inter-institutional relationship within the skill formation space. The need to optimise the quality and balance of these relationships is also highlighted. In addition, the legacy of neglect and underinvestment has resulted in a capacity deficit in the FET sector in Ireland. There is a need for significant investment to address this deficit if the ambition of a ‘world-class’ FET system is to be achieved.
Author: O'Sullivan, Rory
Advisor:
McGuckin, ConorShevlin, Michael
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Irish Education systemMetadata
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