This paper looks at the impact of the financial crisis in Ireland on those working within the FE(T) sector in the State. The data shows that many believe that they have or had no control or say in how the sector dealt with the whole financial burden placed upon the State in relation to cuts in education. Lillis and Morgan (2012) suggest that, ‘Regardless of economic fortunes, investment in education remains a constant in terms of its perceived value to Ireland and it is seen as critical to the economic recovery of the country. Ireland has one of the highest educational participation rates in the world, is considered to have the ‘most employable’ graduates in Europe and produces more graduates per 1000 inhabitants than any other European country (p.2).
Mercille and Murphy (2015) suggest, ‘Ireland has been a poster child for the implementation of fiscal consolidation. Whereas a number of countries initially responded to the 2008–9 financial crisis through Keynesian measures, Ireland immediately started to implement austerity on its own’ (p.4). The fiscal austerity reforms happened within the context of a €67.5 billion International Monetary Fund (EU-IMF) bailout, which conditionality required ‘structural reforms’, in particular, within the public sector and education. Though Ireland has now left the bailout programme it is still subject to regular monitoring from the EMF (European Monetary Fund) and the IMF, and austerity continues to be implemented (ibid). The scale of this change should not be understated. Between 2008 and 2015, it has amounted to approximately 20% of the Irish GDP, almost €32 billion, of which 30% is accounted for by spending cuts and tax increases (Fiscal Advisory Council, 2014, p.9). Ireland has always has a strong national opinion on the value of education and its link to the economy.
From late 2007 Ireland was impacted by one of the most severe economic and social shrinkages in the international and European financial crisis. ‘The banking crash was one of the largest in modern history and the costs of the crisis were being imposed by both Irish governments and the IMF/EU/ECB ‘Troika’ on to the majority of the population - low and middle income households’ (Ahearne.R. 2015, p4). There were austerity Budgets implemented from 2008 to 2014, along with conditions imposed as part of the international bailout from 2010 to 2013. Most of these included cuts to public spending, social welfare and increasing of taxes (some of these in the form of stealth taxes), predominantly on middle and low income households, of over €30 billion (ibid).
This paper highlights to views and experiences of teaching and training and management staff working within the Further Education (and Training) sector in Ireland during this period.