79. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the school curriculum is adequately preparing young people for a labour market increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and automation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54050/26]

While AI offers significant opportunities to enhance learning, teaching and student outcomes, it also presents risks and challenges that must be carefully managed. Education and training play a crucial role in ensuring AI is used responsibly and in line with relevant legislation and guidelines, enabling schools to make informed decisions that embrace innovation while safeguarding against potential risks and equipping students with the digital, critical thinking and ethical skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Existing curriculum from early childhood to senior cycle offers multiple opportunities for the development of digital skills and digital literacy. Reform of the curriculum at all levels is already underway, which will ensure that our young people are equipped with the necessary digital skills and literacy to recognise mis and dis information and AI-generated online content.

Primary

• The Primary Curriculum Framework, outlines ‘being a digital learner’ as one of seven key competencies. This seeks to support children to become curious, creative, confident, and critical users of digital technology while fostering responsible, safe and ethical use of technology.

• The Primary Language Curriculum highlights the importance of digital literacy which supports the child’s ability to locate, select and critically analyse relevant information in text, visual and audio.

• The Primary Mathematics Curriculum provides for children to apply their mathematical knowledge and skills in flexible, efficient and creative ways to solve problems; conduct investigations; and develop and share their computational thinking.

• The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Curriculum specification, to be published in September 2025, places an emphasis on developing children’s awareness and appreciation of the nature of STEM, while engaging in scientific inquiry, computational thinking and the design thinking process.

• The Wellbeing curriculum, due to be published in September 2025, has learning outcomes related to the Media and Digital Wellbeing promoting the safe and ethical use of technology, which includes learning about the benefits and challenges of digital technology use and the role and influence of media and popular culture have in children’s lives.

Junior Cycle

Learners continue their digital literacy journey in junior cycle.

• Each key skill in Junior Cycle includes digital elements, while the key skills for senior cycle incorporate numerous elements of digital literacy. The redevelopment of senior cycle will continue and further develop a focus on learners' digital literacy skills.

• For learners in post-­primary education digital literacy includes the ability to be media literate, recognising and counteracting misinformation/disinformation.

• The Framework for Junior Cycle – which underpins all learning in the first three years of post-primary – has an explicit focus on development of digital skills. At Junior Cycle the student is expected to use technology and digital media tools – to learn, to communicate, and to do so in a responsible and ethical way.

• Short course in Digital Media Literacy – students learn to use digital technology, discriminate between multiple sources of information and to participate safely and effectively in an online environment. This was recently reviewed with an updated version introduced in September 2025.

• Short course in Coding - aims to develop the student's ability to formulate problems logically; to design, write and test code through the development of programs, apps, games, animations or websites; and, through their chosen learning activities, to learn about computer science. This was recently reviewed with an updated version introduced in September 2025.

• in Junior Cycle English, the course highlights the use of non-literary texts such as media texts (advertisements, media broadcasts) and opinion pieces (articles, speeches, social media posts) to interpret meaning, compare, evaluate effectiveness of, and respond to media and digital media

• Many Classroom-based assessments at Junior Cycle require students to conduct research and reflect on their findings and of course digital literacy is in play there

Senior Cycle

Teaching and learning at Senior Cycle are supported through the Key Competencies in Senior Cycle (https://ncca.ie/media/mfhhagys/key-competencies-in-senior-cycle_en.pdf). Key competencies refer to the knowledge, skills, values and dispositions students develop during Senior Cycle, no matter which programme they may be following.. Through the key competencies, students expand their capacity to be creative, agile, and adaptive as they prepare to make the transition from school to further, adult and higher education, apprenticeships, traineeships and/or the world of work.

The development of digital and technological literacies is interwoven across the key competencies. As students develop their key competencies, they gain understanding of technology as an increasingly important tool which can both support and present challenges. They explore technology as an aid to communication, creativity, and divergent thinking as well as learning how to reflect critically on the ways in which technology is used.

The Key Competencies in Senior Cycle underpin the work of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme, which is engaged in modernising the curricula for all Leaving Certificate subjects, empowering students to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Subjects are being redeveloped across five annual subject groupings called tranches. In September 2025, the first tranche of new and revised subjects was introduced in schools, including the subjects, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

As part of Senior Cycle Redevelopment, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) will also be replaced by the new Leaving Certificate Life, Community and Work (https://curriculumonline.ie/getmedia/f6802fdb-582a-4380-905f-ee47b4edbaf2/SC-LCW-Spec-ENG-INT.pdf) specification for students entering 5th year in September 2026. As students engage with Life, Community and Work they learn how to make informed decisions as they prepare for their future post-school lives. Students learn how a transferable skillset supports a person to adapt and evolve to the changing pace of life and different careers and job roles within the workplace.

The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) also has a strong focus on career readiness and the world of work. Students following LCA complete courses in three main areas: Vocational Preparation; General Education; and Vocational Education. LCA students engage in work experience as part of Vocational Preparation and undertake modules in Vocational Specialisms as part of their Vocational Education.

The Senior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programmes, introduced for the first time in September 2024, provide personalised programmes, tailored to the individual learning needs of students whose needs and abilities may prevent them from accessing some or all aspects of other Senior Cycle programmes. Students following the Learning Programmes have access to the elective module “Preparation for Life after School”, which supports them to explore different progression pathways and transitions into further education, training, employment, volunteering and community life.

Transition Year also provides an opportunity for students to explore future career options and gain workplace experience in a supported manner. A new Transition Year Programme Statement (https://curriculumonline.ie/getmedia/5849acbf-0326-487a-beec-3db6b5878470/TY-Programme-Statement-ENG-INT.pdf) was published in September 2024, which provides schools with a framework for developing their own bespoke Transition Year programmes. The Programme Statement guides schools in developing innovative programmes that facilitate students to explore diverse future pathways, gain first-hand workplace experience, and develop career-related competencies so they can identify the links between education and career opportunities and apprenticeships. Additionally, the Initial Vocational Education and Training (iVET) module, developed in collaboration with ETBI and SOLAS gives students the opportunity to engage in interactive programmes and off-site learning through collaboration with industry and Further Education and Training (FET) providers during their Transition Year.

Guidance on AI in Schools

To support our teachers and school leaders in this important area, the Department of Education and Youth published its Guidance on AI in Schools in October of last year. It provides information on the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of AI as well as highlighting what should be taken into consideration when planning to use of AI and that this is done in a safe, ethical and responsible manner.

It is important to note that it is a living document, subject to continuous review.  It is currently in the process of being updated to take account of feedback we have received from our education stakeholders and to reflect recent EU and OECD publications such as the AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education and the EU Guidelines on the ethical use of artificial intelligence and data in teaching and learning.

Current supports and resources in relation to AI

Currently, extensive information and support for school leaders and teachers on AI in education can be found on the Oide Technology in Education website at their dedicated AI Hub.  This is a carefully curated digital space to support school leaders and teachers, considering the use of AI. It promotes both the practical implementation and ethical application of AI, ensuring that schools adopt AI technologies in a thoughtful and effective way.

AI in Schools External Advisory Taskforce

An AI in Schools AI External Advisory Taskforce has been established to support the Department in the further development of a coherent national approach to the safe, responsible and effective use of AI across the school system at primary and post-primary level.

It provides a structured forum for engagement with key stakeholders and expert advisers to consider the opportunities and challenges presented by AI in education and to inform the development of policy, guidance and supports, taking account of relevant legal and regulatory requirements will be published on gov.ie in the coming weeks. These publications will provide greater transparency regarding the Taskforce's work programme and priorities.

Technical Support Instrument – FutureProof Schools: Supporting Schools in the AI Evolution

To further support schools and policymakers in the area of AI, the Department was successful in its application for a project under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) programme of the EU Commission for a multi-country TSI Project Futureproof Education: Supporting schools in the AI evolution.

The project is being implemented by UNESCO, in cooperation with the European Commission, over a period of 24 months and involves six different European regions including Ireland.

It will support the development of strategies and tools for AI implementation in school education, providing guidance and tools to schools for ethical AI usage, enhancing digital literacy and inclusivity. The overall objective is to ensure a common understanding on the implementation of responsible AI in education, in an evidence-informed manner.

Whole-School Guidance

Whole-School Guidance is the contemporary model for guidance in post-primary schools nationally. It supports students’ personal and social, educational, and career development, and helps them to make informed decisions and life choices. In post-primary schools, guidance also plays an important role in supporting student wellbeing and in helping students build resilience.

During 2025, my department concluded a National Consultation on Post-Primary Guidance. This consultation will inform a number of policy actions, including a new role document for guidance counsellors and guidelines on the implementation of Whole-School Guidance in post-primary schools.

Career management skills will be a key focus within this work.

I recognise that these skills are increasingly important in the context of a labour market shaped by change, including artificial intelligence and automation. They support students to understand their strengths, make informed choices, manage their future education and career pathways, and recognise the value of transversal skills in helping them to adapt over time.

Draft guidelines were published alongside the national consultation. They contain a clear and detailed programme for guidance in post-primary schools with learning objectives for all students nationally to ensure consistency and standards within Whole-School Guidance provision. The final guidelines along with the new role document for guidance counsellors are intended to be a key support to schools in preparing their students for our evolving labour market and will be published in due course.