How clear and flexible learning is shaping the future of Irish education

Ali O’Sullivan

Education Lead, Grant Thornton Ireland

Reforms to the education landscape have opened up opportunities and made learning pathways clearer, more inclusive and accessible. It’s essential in a changing world of work.

Over the last five years, Ireland’s further and higher education sector has undergone significant reform. That’s good news for learners, who are now benefitting from a variety of clear, flexible and inclusive education pathways, notes Ali O’Sullivan, Education Lead Ireland for professional services firm, Grant Thornton.

Opening new education pathways

“Traditionally, Ireland’s further and higher education landscape was seen as fragmented and opaque,” she says. “But since the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) was established in 2020, there’s been real, positive change within the sector.”

For a start, more attention has been paid to creating alternative educational routes for school-leavers. “Doing well in your Leaving Certificate examinations — and then applying to the Central Applications Office (CAO) — was once seen as the only way to success,” remembers O’Sullivan. “That’s been turned on its head. Students now realise that many other pathways are open to them.”

Sharpening the focus on a range of apprenticeship programmes

They could go the apprenticeship route, for instance, which offers hands-on, earn-while-you-learn training. “Previously, there was a male bias to apprenticeship programmes,” says O’Sullivan. “Now, they are much more inclusive.” A broader range of courses is available, too.

Then there are Joint Tertiary Programmes which help “join the dots” between further education and higher education. Students get the chance to begin third level study at an Education and Training Board (ETB), before transferring to a university or institute of technology to finish their degree.

So much has been achieved in the
sector, but there is still a road to travel.

Flexible learning for future workplace readiness

These changes are essential in a new world of work. Like it or not, the workplace is being transformed by new technology, so employers are increasingly prioritising skills over traditional credentials. This means the way we learn has to evolve, and that academic institutions must make lifelong learning opportunities ultra-accessible to anyone of any age who is seeking to upskill or reskill. Going forward, education must continue to shift towards flexible, skills-based models. It’s essential for workplace readiness.

“AI is changing the way we work,” says O’Sullivan. “To be able to thrive in this new environment, employees have to be adaptable and embrace the need for lifelong learning. In turn, they must feel supported by their employers when they ask to take part in blended learning and modular learning opportunities or want to study micro credentials and shorter courses.”

Collaboration between government, education providers and industry

If new learning initiatives are to be implemented coherently, it’s imperative for government, education providers and industry to work closely together. A good example is an initiative called Skills to Advance, which is run by SOLAS — the state agency responsible for Further Education and Training in Ireland — working with Regional Skills managers and partners in Education and Training Boards. “This supports enterprises of all sizes in identifying skills gaps within their business,” explains O’Sullivan. “It then provides them with fully funded, flexible training courses for their workforce to reskill and upskill.”

Inclusive, accessible learning approaches

Naturally, it’s critical that any new learning pathways support a cohort of diverse learners, including adult returners, those with special education needs and under-represented groups. “Further education providers and higher education providers must challenge themselves,” says O’Sullivan. “They have to ensure they are fully accessible to all, in terms of course content, delivery and their learning environments.” If they fail to do this, she warns, existing inequalities will only deepen.

For its part, Grant Thornton has been at the forefront of educational transformation in Ireland, partnering with Education and Training Boards and universities to design and implement new learning pathways. “Increasing opportunity, options and inclusion for students remains at the core of what we do,” says O’Sullivan. “So much has been achieved in the sector, but there is still a road to travel.”