Education and Training Provision
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-24
============================================================

Nessa Cosgrove (LAB), Labour Panel

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Dillon. Youthreach and community training centres, CTCs, provide educational opportunities for young people when mainstream education fails to meet their learning needs or is not suited to those needs. These learners often come from hard-to-reach communities and communities that are excluded and often live with disadvantage. In Youthreach and CTC programmes, learners aged between 15 and 21 work towards achieving Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, levels 3 and 4 qualifications, which are equivalent to junior cert and leaving cert applied.
Students in Sligo and Leitrim CTC have the opportunity to study computers, catering, hairdressing, sports and recreation, and car maintenance. A major part of these courses is the linked work experience, which can lead to full-time employment or an apprenticeship. This is down to not only the active engagement of the learners but also to the staff - the adult educators and resource people who deliver the training and learning on a daily basis.
These critical workers have been underpaid for many years. I know this having worked very closely with them. There are other factors, including the failure of the Department to correct disparities in the academic calendar which mean that these resource teachers often feel undervalued compared with mainstream educators.
Most secondary school teachers accept that while these educators deliver education differently and in a different environment, they are very much equals as professionals. In many cases, however, they face a tougher job than a lot of mainstream school teachers. They possess a unique set of attributes and skills which meet the holistic needs of young people who they work with every day. However, educators employed by community training centres are employed with less pay and weaker terms and conditions not only to mainstream secondary teachers but also to their Youthreach counterparts. Historically, there was a pay alignment between Youthreach and those employed by the CTCs. This parity lapsed some years ago. It is the restoration of that parity which is the subject of the dispute that CTC staff are currently engaged in.
SOLAS, the Irish Association of Community Training Organisations, IACTO, the education and training boards, ETBs, and SIPTU, their trade union, all met and agreed to a pay rise of 9.25% with the Department of further and higher education. The Department sought funding from Department of public expenditure and reform. However, the latter came back with a disappointing offer of 7% to be paid over 18 months which SIPTU, correctly, deemed unacceptable. This resulted in the balloting of SIPTU members, who voted 98% in favour of industrial action. Unless the situation is de-escalated immediately by the Government, this industrial action could lead to all-out strike action. The last thing these dedicated educators want to do is to disrupt the learning of a group who are among the most vulnerable learners and who depend on stability and predictability. However, the lack of regard that has been shown to resource tutors and adult educators is such that they now feel they have no option but to press ahead with industrial action. Such action will cause severe disruption. The responsibility lies with the Government to ensure that industrial peace is maintained and that the dedicated education professionals are kept in the classroom where they belong and where they want to be, working with the vulnerable learners who they support so much.
The agreement with the Department of further education, and negotiated by Kevin Duffy, for an increase of 9.25% was not over-generous; it was fair. I hope the Government will honour it, but there seems to be an unwillingness to do this. From where does that unwillingness come? The Department of further and higher education has stated that it has sought the money but that the Department of Finance is unwilling to provide it.

---

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/2026-06-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-24