SUSI - Student Universal Support Ireland

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1 Opening Statement The City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB) was established on 1 July 2013 under the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 following the dissolution of the former CDVEC. CDETB is a large and diverse organisation committed to delivering high quality education and training programmes and services to the people of Dublin City. It has an overall estimated budget of 588m and staff of approximately 3,200. It had over 25,000 full time learners and 30,000 part-time learners in Our education and training provision includes second level education - 12 schools including a newly established school; the largest PLC and VTOS provision the country (in 16 colleges and schools); two training centres providing skills training in a wide range of areas ; an extensive provision of education and training for young people directly through 10 Youthreach Centres and also through the funding of 13 Community Training Centres based in areas of disadvantage; education for more than 2,000 prisoners across 7 prisons undertaking certified programmes at all levels including Literacy, ICT, Maths, English Language, Art and a variety of subjects for the State examinations; part-time programmes for adults returning to education and training up to QQI level 6 delivered by the Adult Education Service in over 80 centres in the City; a number of specialist projects targeting people in homelessness, asylum seekers and migrant workers and also dealing with issues such as drug rehabilitation. CDETB, through its Youth Services Board (CDYSB), delivers, funds and supports a wide range of community organisations to develop and deliver youth work services in the City. CDETB has been at the forefront of innovation and development in the education sector over many years. The development of the PLC provision and the QQI level 3, 4, 5, and 6 programmes to meet the QQI Awards, in partnership with other ETBs is one example. We are continuously reviewing and developing our programmes to ensure that they are relevant and meet the needs of our learners. In recent years we have developed new programmes in partnership with industry, Third Level Institutions and specialist voluntary organisations. 1

2 In the last two years we have led the development in partnership with the Higher Education Institutions; of a QQI Specific Purpose Award - Maths for STEM- to prepare learners for the sciences collaborated with other ETBs in the development of the a QQI Level 5 course in Digital Media Production; piloted two new ICT Associate Professional programmes with the IT sector; piloted new programmes in Domestic Biomass Heating Installation and new construction courses in response to the construction sector in steel fixing, curtain walling and forming; Participated in a number of international projects with partners in Europe to develop and pilot innovative practices in teaching and learning in areas such as Technology Enhanced Learning, Promoting Work based Learning and Exploring Blended Learning. In line with the Government s National Skills Strategy 2025, we were involved in the development of two new apprenticeships in: Accounting Technician Commis Chef which we are delivering in three of our Further Education Colleges this academic year. We are also currently developing new programmes in Apprenticeship in Estate Management; Apprenticeship in Architectural Technician; Traineeship in 2D VX Technician; Traineeship in Logistics and Manufacturing. SUSI - Student Universal Support Ireland Following an invitation for expressions of interest from existing public bodies, CDETB was designated by the Minister for Education and Skills as the single national awarding authority for student grants in further and higher education. Since 2012, the SUSI Unit of CDETB has replaced 66 former local grant awarding authorities in the provision of a centralised student grants administration function. Its role is to enable students to receive financial support for their studies in accordance with the eligibility criteria of the student grant schemes prescribed annually by the Minister. Handling more than 100,000 grant applications annually and awarding more than 80,000 student grants, SUSI has annual administration costs of approximately 8.5m and an approved staffing complement of 100 FTE. SUSI administered approximately 365m in student grant funding in the academic year. 2

3 With grant payments to more students now commencing earlier each year and with more than 95% of all grant applications now processed and paid before Christmas, SUSI continues to meet and exceed its key performance targets for the timely processing of grant applications and for the payment of awarded grants under a Management Framework Agreement implemented between the Department of Education and Skills and CDETB. Corporate Governance CDETB has adopted the Code of Best Practice for Governance as set out by the Department of Education and Skills. The Board of CDETB currently has 20 members and holds an average of 10 meetings each year. The Audit Committee and Finance Committee meet as required by the Act and also report to the Board. CDETB has a strong risk management structure and a system of internal control based on detailed administrative procedures, segregation of duties, specific authorisations and monthly review by management of reports outlining actual and budgeted results of programmes. In compliance with the Ethics Acts, CDETB Board members and designated staff provide annual disclosures of interests. Finance The 2016 budget for CDETB was approximately 585 million, an increase of 200% over the 2010 CDVEC budget of 190m. The significant budget increase over this period was due in the main to the set-up of the new Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) unit in 2012 and the transfer of two Dublin FÁS training centres to CDETB on the 1 January In 2014 the CDETB SUSI unit also assumed responsibility for the payment of DES Scholarships and Bursaries, the value of which was approximately 4m in The total value of SUSI related receipts in 2016 was approximately 394m and the Training centres accounted for a further 46m of the budget total. Until 2016 no additional staff had been assigned to the CDETB Head Office Finance Department as a result of this significant increase in operational activity. However, the broadening of functions has resulted in an increased demand for senior staff management and oversight. The completion of the annual Financial Statements on a timely basis continues to be a key priority. Despite significant challenges facing the organisation over recent years CDETB has continued to produce draft accounts for audit in line with previous year timelines and the 2016 draft accounts were presented in July 2017 as the table below illustrates. 3

4 However, the running of the operational areas of the Finance Department in a time of significant change and scarce staff resources has also been prioritised in recent years so as to ensure that all CDETB staff, trainees, students and suppliers are paid. Timelines for submission of CDETB Financial Statements 2012 to 2016 Accounts Period Date submitted to for C&AG Audit Date certified by C&AG TH July th July th December 2016 July 2013 to Dec 2014(18 Months) 22 nd June th December 2015 Jan to June 2013(6 Months) 7 th July th December th May th December 2013 CDETB Finance Department seeks to complete the draft accounts for audit as early as possible in the year immediately following the accounting period. However, the process of completion of the accounts is very complex because CDETB operates on the SUN Systems and this is further complicated by the requirement for CDETB to currently operate and integrate a separate financial system, SAP, for the former FÁS training centres. There are also significant competing demands on the Finance Department during the first three to six months of the calendar year. The 1 April statutory deadline for submission of draft accounts for audit has not been achievable by the organisation despite the recent alleviation of the staff embargo. However, we are committed to bringing forward the date for submission of the draft accounts to the C&AG to an earlier date. Conclusion: A Challenging and Changing Environment In conclusion, since the establishment of CDETB in 2013, the organisation has gone through a significant process of change. The internal drivers of change arise because the ETB Act placed new statutory obligations on the organisation and established new governance requirements. The transfer of the former FÁS training centres with all their external services resulted in the ETB managing two financial and reporting systems. We successfully made this transition and have maintained and grown our services notwithstanding a net reduction of over 60 administrative staff due to the Public Service Staff moratorium. External drivers for change came in the form of other newly formed statutory bodies, in particular SOLAS and QQI with their own respective roles. This has given rise to a new legal 4

5 and regulatory landscape within the Further Education and Training Sector which has also been warmly embraced by CDETB. CDETB has contributed to the development of the FET Strategy led by SOLAS. It fully endorses the five strategic goals and the vision for FET that underlies the strategy. The introduction of new planning and reporting systems are aiding and facilitating CDETB to ensure that its planned programmes are relevant to meeting the needs of the learner and that they have clear opportunities to progress to employment, further education and training, or to third level. This is building on the key objective in the CDETB strategy statement. CDETB has always engaged with industry in developing new programmes and courses to open up employment opportunities for students and to ensure that the programmes offered are relevant to the skills needs of employers. This has been enhanced by the emphasis now placed by SOLAS on improving the employment opportunities for learners and meeting the skills needs of the economy. Over the years CDETB has developed a wide range of progression routes from its colleges to Third Level institutions and it is continuing to create and expand progression pathways. CDETB is committed to delivering a high quality service to its learners and, in accordance with the QQI Quality Assurance Guidelines, it is reviewing its current QA procedures across all its provision. The aim is to ensure a consistency in the quality of the learner experience irrespective of where the learner undertakes the programme and to bring about a continuous improvement of the quality of the programmes offered. CDETB s strategic vision is to deliver a high quality provision for all its learners and it is committed to further developing its systems to enhance the central oversight of its provision and to proactively lead the continuing advances required across its services at a time of change and development. It aims always to respond to student and learner needs and to fully engage its staff in the change management process. The pathways to achieve these changes are set out in our Strategy Plan and in our QA Procedures Continuous Improvement Plan (2017). 5