Minister Lawless TUI Annual Congress 2026 - Keynote Speech

Dia dhaoibh a chairde.

Cuireann sé áthas an domhain orm a bheith anseo inniu.

Good afternoon, everyone. It is a pleasure to be with you here this afternoon in Kilkenny for your Annual Congress.

I would like to thank your General Secretary Michael Gillespie, your President, Anthony Quinn, and the rest of the Executive team for their invitation.

It is hard to believe that a year has passed since I had the privilege of addressing you all in Wexford. I had only been Minister for a few weeks at that stage, but reflecting on the past year or so I believe there has been real, tangible progress across the technological and FET sector.

Progress like record levels of investment in research and educational infrastructure to support learners and communities nationwide. Increased capacity in high demand courses, strengthened apprenticeship pathways, lowered costs for students and more.

Alongside this policy development and financial investment, I’m also encouraged by the equally important accomplishments of you and your colleagues which I see when travelling around the country.

It is this combination of strong national policy and skilled educational practice that will create the environment for national prosperity and success regardless of the challenges.

As the great statesman Kofi Annan put it,

The theme of the conference is Education for the Future, and that is very apt as Ireland’s education and skills landscape is undergoing a profound transformation.

The establishment of technological universities represents one of the most ambitious structural reforms in decades. These institutions are delivering a new model of higher education—one that is regionally rooted, industry-engaged, and globally connected.

And since I last spoke to you, I have announced the Targeted Investment Fund that will see another €65.8 million provided to support the strategic development of the technological sector and specialist public colleges.

This funding will support the growth of institutions across the country and is an illustration of the Government’s commitment to investing in people, in research and in regional capacity through TUs and IoTs.

I have also brought forward an amendment to the National Training Fund (NTF) Act to enable new investment to flow from this year onwards. The Government has committed €1.485 billion from the fund over six years to 2030, delivering a major boost for higher education, skills, and research.

For the first time, NTF funding will cover new areas including capital investment, core higher education funding, and research supports.

As this funding flows into the sector, our technological universities are moving out of the establishment phase. If I was to borrow a phrase, we might say we are at the end of the beginning in the development of TUs.

What is most definitely true is that these institutions are now in a position to fulfil their potential, serving regions across the country, providing greater access to higher education and creating pathways that are more inclusive, flexible and responsive to the needs of learners and employers alike.

The TUI has played an important part in shaping this new sector and ensuring that it retains its identity as a sector. A crucial aspect of that is maintaining the existing agreed practice that all new grades of employment are consulted on, negotiated and agreed on a national basis.

Your voice is critical – often in both senses of the word. But, irrespective of any disagreements, your experience always remains invaluable, and I believe your continued engagement is essential.

I have listened with great interest to the debate already today. I note your contributions on a variety of matters and will take those on board. In particular I hear and share your views on the potential greater use of circulars to communicate policy positions. With so many layers across the system, sometimes an inconsistent position can emerge. This is not desirable for me as Minister or you as professionals on the ground. I am including in the Tertiary strategy the need to examine current practice and I am very open to wider usage.

I certainly agree with the TUI that our education institutions must be able to attract, retain, and properly recognise academic excellence. This is why I was delighted to secure approval from my Government colleagues just before Christmas for the introduction of the professor grade with 25 posts to be recruited initially.

These posts will build the research capacity, academic leadership and international credibility of the technological sector and should be welcomed by all.

Without wandering too far into the realm of IR negotiations, I do want to acknowledge that the TUI is seeking to use the local bargaining element of the current public service agreement to facilitate the introduction of professorships and other new academic grades over time. My officials thought that was a good idea as well.

What I don’t think any of us knew was just how many interpretations of local bargaining there could be and how complex the process could become. Those of you working in FET are also waiting for movement on claims.

I understand and share your frustration and can promise you that my officials are working with colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure to try and reach a resolution. Discussions are also ongoing between DPER and the Public Services Committee of ICTU.

We are all working to find a solution before the new pay talks get underway, and I certainly hope we can do that.

Now, returning to the issue of sectoral development, I was delighted to offer my support earlier this year to the proposed strategic partnership between DkIT and Queen’s University Belfast.

DkIT is now on the road to becoming a legally recognised university college of Queen’s, with alignment on awards, research and quality assurance.

This is a landmark Shared Island project that will create a truly world-class institution on the Dublin-Belfast corridor. Not only will this strengthen connections across the border by bringing together students, researchers and educators, but it will also build networks beyond academia.

It will connect students with industry, supporting innovation and creating pathways to employment across the island.

I have been clear about the need to engage with staff on the development of this partnership, and I know that DkIT has a confirmed consultation schedule that includes the TUI.

I know some of you have concerns about the lack of consultation before the announcement of the partnership. To clarify, the TUI was informed on the same morning that I briefed my Government colleagues. There has not been – and will not be – any sidelining of the staff voice.

I can confirm as well that terms and conditions of staff will not be impacted by the partnership and that the Institute will continue to play a vital role as part of the Technological Sector in Ireland.

I am also very conscious of the potential that exists within our other IoT - the Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dun Laoghaire. My Department and the HEA continue to offer support with significant financial and expert guidance.

The Institute is strong in specialised fields like media, film, gaming and digital content. These are exciting and growing fields, and I am committed to ensuring that IADT’s full potential is realised.

Alongside the development of the technological sector, we are witnessing a renaissance in further education and training.

Through targeted investment, strategic oversight and the work of dedicated educators, FET is delivering life-changing opportunities across communities.

I see this firsthand when I visit FET colleges across the country. Whether it’s adult literacy, community education, Youthreach or prison education programmes, I see educators reaching out to individuals, sometimes from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, helping to shape them as learners and guiding them on the routes to success.

It is crucial work and deserves recognition.

One way we have recognised your contribution is through the creation of the adult educator grade.

This new grade allows for incremental progression and a career path for adult education tutors and, for the first time, introduced nationally agreed standardised pay scales and robust employment contracts.

I know some of you wanted to see more, but do not underestimate the gains that have been made.

I will, however, be blunt. It has taken far too long to implement. You are right to question the pace of progress, and I have made clear my dissatisfaction.

As such, I am happy to be able to tell you that there has been significant movement in recent weeks. Fourteen ETBs have now completed the conversion process and, of those, twelve have either partially or fully paid monies to the Adult Educators or expect to do so before the end of the month.

I also want to acknowledge the tremendous work done by Youthreach with some of our most vulnerable young people.

I am very aware that there is a long-standing proposal from the TUI around alignment of the Youthreach calendar with that of the post-primary sector.

As I said when meeting TUI recently, I can see the merits in the proposal, as indeed can some of the learners that I have spoken to. However, I must also say that there are potentially significant impacts on those same learners as well as value-for-money considerations and wider staffing implications to consider.

I am sure you will agree that an evidence-based assessment is essential to determine how best this important service should be delivered. An initial exercise has been completed, and officials will be discussing the next steps with you shortly.

Working closely with my colleague, Minister Harkin, I will continue to focus on FET with the soon to be published Creating Futures 2026-2030 strategy which sets out an ambitious programme of reform and builds on recent investments.

In tandem, the recently published Expert Practitioner report proposes a new vision for FET staffing.

This Expert report is not a policy document written by the Department. It is exactly what it says it is – a report by internationally recognised experts on how we might develop and improve further education and training in Ireland.

I look forward to working with you and discussing the recommendations – and other ideas as well – through the various consultative forums.

One of the keys to achieving that is supporting the further personal and collective development of staff. I’m excited by a vision that sees us leaving the old debates behind to instead focus on the future, working collaboratively to strengthen teaching and learning across the FET sector while ensuring support and opportunities for staff.

The new FET Strategy, the Expert Report on the FET Practitioner and the new tertiary strategy, will, when taken together, create a real opportunity for a step change in the sector and how it is perceived.

My aim is to ensure that we have a high-quality FET offering that is both clear and accessible to learners and responsive to the evolving needs of individuals and employers.

Underpinning all this, there will continue to be significant capital investment so that there is an actual, concrete college of the future as well as a conceptual one.

New buildings, modern workshops, enhanced digital learning environments and specialist facilities are already being delivered, and I want to see such developments in each and every region.

The last year has also seen an ongoing expansion in the apprenticeship programme. Apprenticeships are the engine room of Ireland’s infrastructure ambitions. That’s why we are delivering the largest-ever investment in apprenticeships, because whether it’s housing, healthcare, transport or energy, every major project depends on a skilled, capable workforce.

There are currently 78 apprenticeships on offer of which 24 were launched since the formation of DFHERIS in 2020.

Or put another way, investment has increased by over 120% to more than €410 million while apprenticeship registrations have jumped 78% to almost 9,500 in 2025.

Apprenticeships have proved to be a valued option for both employers and apprentices, but we can improve.

As you know, I have requested the transfer of curriculum and assessment responsibilities to education providers. I did this because I believe that those directly responsible for delivery of training are better positioned to maintain academic standards.

I make no apologies for acting swiftly and decisively following the review of the craft electrical apprenticeship, but I can assure you that there will be meaningful consultation with TUI and other stakeholders as we work through the implications of this shift in responsibilities.

No matter what policy reforms we pursue, no matter what infrastructure we build, and no matter what programmes we expand, if the learner is not at the forefront of our planning, we are missing the point.

We all know about the cost-of-living pressures of recent times, and learners are not exempt from those. That is why in the last Budget I introduced a range of measures to help students and their families, including a reduction in the student contribution fee and increase in the SUSI income threshold.

I am also focused on providing access and ongoing supports for learners, ensuring targeted funding for student mental health and healthy campus initiatives as well as a €3 million boost for students with disabilities, supporting over 22,000 students and building a more inclusive education system.

I am also determined to support students in finding somewhere affordable to live while they study. That is why I recently published the second National Student Accommodation Strategy, setting out a focused plan to support the delivery of 42,000 student beds by 2035.

Before I finish, I do want to step out of the detail for a moment.

Most of the focus, and most of the debate about the sector is about what goes into it: funding, staffing, supporting students and their families with the cost of living. It is a lot of what we’ve talked about today. As Minister, it has been a lot of my focus too.

But I think – at this moment, perhaps, more than any other – it is critical that we take a step back and look at what we, as a society, should expect to get out of tertiary education.

Many of the old certainties about working life have been dying for some time, and are certainly not this generation’s reality.

And then came GenAI, tearing asunder what we thought we knew, and opening up a future that will be defined by things we can barely start to imagine, before they are already a reality.

Add to this geopolitical instability, climate change, the fraying of shared norms or even our shared reality, and it is clear that we also need to think more deeply about how we are equipping young people not just to survive in this new world, but to thrive in it. To shape it.

We have a successful story to tell for sure. Ireland has an excellent further and higher education system, and we have a lot to be proud of. Graduate outcomes are very good. Of the class of ‘24, 80% were in employment nine months after graduation; six out of ten felt their course was relevant to their job.

But, in this new world, more than ever, past performance is not a guarantee of future results. We need to continue to adapt, to be responsive to the changing world around us.

We need to prepare students for the future, not just by anticipating the demands of industry or the labour market, but by preparing them to be the constant in a world defined by flux.

Lifelong learning is incredibly important and fundamental to the changing world around us. But we must start with building a wider base of core skills.

And what is constant is human ingenuity, creativity, collaboration, empathy, imagination, curiosity, and how all of these motivate us.

We must equip learners with a broad range of skills rather than narrowing qualifications too far. In 2017, higher education institutions agreed to reduce the number of Level 8 degrees on the CAO – then 865 – by 20%. Today, there are over 1000.

My challenge to the higher education sector in particular is to meet the radical change we – and in particular young people – are facing at every turn, with some radical thinking.

In many ways, rather than some bold new departure, this is actually going back to basics. A return to a classical education – rather than an ever concentrated deep dives into areas which are themselves in flux - let us take a broader brush, with students being granted exposure to common pillars.

The early ideal of the renaissance scholar – of artists studying science and of scientists appreciating art – of multi-disciplinary, wide subject choices and elective modules to allow students discover new areas of interest and broaden their foundation. Not only will this help to build the flexible skillset of the future but it will support an informed citizenry. The ability to think independently, to analyse, to communicate, to apply own lens of judgment to a given set of facts. This must be good for society as well as positive for students.

I will always remember my history teacher telling us in class that dates and facts might get us a pass but for an honour we had to say what we really thought. The ability to think rather than ability to remember.

And to have skills that are portable, transferable and versatile. Teach a man a thought, educate him for a day; teach him how to think, educate for a lifetime. This is increasingly important in a world that is not black and white but multicolor, complex and ever changing.

Eamon De Valera served as Chancellor of the National University. Whilst famously a mathematician, he prized scholarship in all disciplines and independence of thought. Describing the concept of a university, he said:

I believe those energizing beams are multi facted and strongest when broadest.

We must start by considering the potential benefits for students of broader entry degrees, where they have the opportunity to specialise later. But it could also mean more opportunities to develop transversal skills; opportunities to learn across disciplines; and, potentially, reduce some of the points pressure, which creates such stress.

I want our higher and further education institutions to translate radical thinking into radical action, that puts students – their present and their futures – at the centre. And to demonstrate that with more than just words.

I want to see our shared ambition for young people translate into meaningful change through reform not only of how students enter higher education, through the CAO and other routes, but also how prepared they are for the world afterwards.

None of this can happen without partnership. The voice of TUI as educators must have a role in shaping policy and implementation.

I am not naïve. I recognise that change can be unpopular and can bring challenges such as workload pressures, uncertainty, and the need for ongoing support or upskilling.

These are real concerns, and they must be addressed through meaningful dialogue. I firmly believe that together, we can ensure that reform is not only ambitious but sustainable and fair.

In closing, I want to stress again that I view it as our shared responsibility to provide the skills, talent, knowledge and innovation that our country needs.

I look forward to continuing to work with you to build the capacity and resilience of TUs, IoTs and FET colleges. If we do that, we will strengthen Ireland’s ability to withstand the global headwinds and truly provide Education for the Future.

I opened with the great UN leader Kofi Annan. To close with another august African statesman, in the words of Nelson Mandela:

Continue educating and continue changing hearts, minds and the world.

I wish you a successful and enjoyable Congress.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh.