VTOS – Meeting Future Skill Challenges

Mary HamiltonVTOS National Conference, 2009

VTOS Changing with the TimesVTOS Changing with the Times

Limerick VTOS 2009: Factors for Consideration

•39% of existing learners at level 3

•46% of existing learners non-Irish nationals

•Significant no of existing learners with high support needs

• Increasing new student demand for LC & ESOL

•Decreasing new student demand for job specific vocational options

•Changing target group profile as a result of widespread and ongoing redundancies in the region

•Organisational systems & structures that are tied to the 2nd level school sector limit the flexibility and agility of VTOS and inhibit development of multi-agency responses

Pointers for Future Development of VTOS

•Clarify VTOS space in the adult learning landscape, particularly in relation to:

•VEC Post Leaving Certificate Provision•Other VEC Adult Education Service Provision eg. Ad. Lit , BTEI, etc.•Other agency adult education / training provision eg. FAS, IoTs, etc.

• Clarify the content, focus & purpose of VTOS provision for students, external stakeholders and general public. Is it to be ABE; Levels 4 – 6; General Education; Generic Vocational Training; Technical Vocational Training - or is it to be a mixture of some or all of these?

•Articulate & promote VEC Adult & Further Education as an integrated and coherent whole – linking separate full-time & part-time programmes ( VTOS, PLC, BTEI, Ad. Lit., Self-financing, ESOL, etc.) in a way that is logical , spells out progression options and makes sense to the general public.

•Establish an independant pre-entry guidance / screening service at the level of either:

a)VEC Adult & Further Education Provision orb)All Local adult education and training provision