National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-11 ============================================================ Pauline Tully (SF), Cultural and Educational Panel It is important that the NTF, which was established in 2000 for the purpose of supporting the training and upskilling of those in or seeking employment, be maintained. I recognise that the fund has accumulated significantly. It needs to be unlocked. However, we must not lose sight of the intention behind it. It is not like there are no gaps in skills and training. There are gaps. It was pointed out to me that in 2014, 82% of the fund was used on training programmes. Last year, the proportion was only 55%, representing a huge drop in the percentage used for training programmes. We need to remain competitive as a country, and the best way to do so is to ensure we have a skilled and educated workforce. We need to provide supports to ensure that people have the ability to access lifelong training. In Cavan just over a year ago, adult education courses were all cancelled because of a lack of funding. That left people unable to take up courses they were interested in. Some were unable to progress in existing courses because they were cancelled for a series of months. This left tutors high and dry, with no employment. They received only about two weeks’ notice that they would not be providing classes. Even when classes did resume after Christmas, they were seriously curtailed. We need to provide significant opportunities to people to gain access to various forms of training and upskilling. They need to feel much more supported. The fund should also be used to target marginalised groups more. Ireland has a dismal record of employing disabled people, for example. It is the worst in the EU in this regard. We need to ensure we are providing supports for disabled people to gain access to training, be they in the form of personal assistants or in other formats. We also have a very poor record of employing Travellers. Travellers and other marginalised groups must be targeted. People who come to the country and who may need supports to access skills and training, and subsequently employment, should also be considered. After training, they become contributors to the economy. The fund was created by employers and businesses. Have IBEC, ISME and other representative groups been consulted about the proposed changes regarding how the fund will be used? It was very clear why it was established. If we are proposing to change how it is being spent, there needs to be consultation. Is this happening? There need to be clear guidelines on how the fund will be spent in different areas. I am a little concerned that the Minister is proposing to spend money on things that should be provided through the Exchequer by way of capital funding. I can absolutely see the sense in upgrading laboratories or items of equipment for training where these have become outdated, but I am not sure whether the fund should apply to buildings and decarbonisation when funding should be provided by other sectors. I am not saying we do not need investment in our educational institutions but I am not very clear on whether the money should come from the NTF. I am a little concerned. Technology is constantly changing, so we need to use the fund to keep abreast of change and remain competitive. The fund is in place to provide information on existing and likely future skills requirements and it should also be used for research. IBEC has described Ireland’s national research and innovation infrastructure as becoming obsolete and out of date. Therefore, we need to increase spending on research and innovation. We are very far behind the EU average in this regard. IBEC has also called for the fund to be used to attract skilled research talent. As well as investing in our domestic workforce and people seeking employment, we should be trying to attract research talent to the country. I would also like to see the fund used for North-South initiatives to increase and improve collaboration across training and apprenticeships, such that training or an apprenticeship could be accessed regardless of where you live on the island. While I am not opposed to the Bill, I have some concerns about its intentions. I would like to see more clarity. I am aware that we will have an opportunity to discuss this further next week. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-11/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:27+00:00 Sitting date: 2025-12-11