Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
420. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding options available for pre-Junior Certificate students who are looking for non-academic education or training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71343/25]
View answerIt is an objective of my Department that all students will have the same accessibility to all information on all pathways including non-academic education and training options and that Junior Cycle students will begin to receive age and stage-appropriate information on pathways and options, and that this information will not be limited to senior cycle students. This objective is embedded in a wide range of work being undertaken within my Department including but not limited to the following:
National Strategic Framework for Lifelong Guidance
A National Policy Group for Lifelong Guidance was convened in 2022 and is chaired by my department. This National Policy Group published a strategic framework and action plan for lifelong guidance in Ireland in December 2023. A number of actions within these publications relate to the matter of career information, inclusion and parity of esteem for all pathways. For example, action 6.2 commits all NPG Departments, including my own, to “Promote the uptake of diverse pathways to education, training and the world of work”. With this framework and action at the fore of policy development in this area, the active promotion of education and training options that are not traditionally academic, as framed in your question, and other pathways are a major theme in all activities undertaken by department.
Whole School Guidance
In order to meet the guidance-needs of students in our post-primary system, including in relation to education and training, a model of whole-school guidance (WSG) has been formally developed and promoted through Teacher Professional Learning over the past decade. This model is advantageous for students (and their parents) as students’ educational and career development is supported by all staff members including but not limited to the guidance counsellor. In relation to accessibility of information on education and training options as you have requested specifically, students can learn from all staff members. For example, a school may hold a parent engagement session to broaden awareness of alternative routes, a maths teacher may discuss vocational STEM career options and apprenticeships when teaching junior cycle students, and a Year Head may organise a group-trip to a careers fair where vocational and practical education and training opportunities are well represented. Each school has its own student-centred ‘Whole School Guidance Plan’ within which activities like this are described. As the guidance needs of each school community will vary, WSG programmes will vary from school to school. A WSG-plan will contain a WSG-programme which includes engagement with employers, experiential learning opportunities, and a focus on career-management skills which can further support informed choices and broaden students’ understanding of the diverse pathways open to them. This is a fundamental part of each WSG-plan.
Many WSG-plans are available to view via a school’s website.
Forthcoming Policy:
During 2025, my department has concluded a National Consultation on Post-Primary Guidance which will inform a number of policy actions in relation to Guidance. Draft guidelines for whole school guidance were published during this consultation. The draft guidelines contain a clear and detailed programme for guidance with learning objectives for all students nationally to ensure consistency and standards within WSG-provision. Early-intervention and access to information is highlighted within these guidelines and learning outcomes are identified for both junior- and senior cycle students. ‘Pathways’ is a clear theme within these guidelines and learning objectives focus on multiple pathways including non-academic vocational and practical options. The final guidelines, which will incorporate points made by stakeholders within the national consultation, will be published in due course.
