4159. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on the work of his Department in establishing an online portal to replace the CAO system. [52410/26]

I would like to clarify that it is not proposed that my department establish an online portal to replace the Central Applications Office (CAO) system. However, we are working to improve the experience of learners who are progressing to, or considering, further and higher education.

Higher education institutions are autonomous and are responsible for decisions on admission to their programmes. Participating institutions engage the CAO, a private not-for-profit company, to process applications centrally for entry to most undergraduate programmes and to make offers to successful applicants on their instructions. Neither I nor my department has a role in individual admissions decisions or in the operation of the CAO system or the offers process.

However, more broadly, it is a priority for me and my department to improve the transition from secondary to tertiary education, including making the relevant pathways, supports and public services easier to access and navigate.

There is an increasingly broad range of options available to learners, spanning further education and training, higher education, tertiary degree programmes and apprenticeships. While this diversity is highly beneficial in meeting the differing needs of learners, I recognise that it can also make it more complex for students and their families to research and evaluate the options and supports available to them and, ultimately, to make an informed choice.

My department is conducting a behavioural science research programme with the ESRI to better understand how learners of all ages make decisions about pursuing further and higher education and how they experience and navigate the education system, with the aim of informing policy interventions and communication strategies that encourage engagement with learning opportunities.

Additionally, the Digital Public Services Plan 2030 seeks to organise public services around significant life events and to make those services more accessible, integrated and user-centred. The Plan appoints my department to lead the development of a life-event service relating to the transition from secondary to tertiary education. Through this work, we aim to provide learners with more joined-up access to the information, supports and public services relevant to that transition.

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) is bringing forward the cross-government digital infrastructure and services which underpin the Plan. These include the Life Events Portal, which is currently under development, as well as MyGovID and the Government Digital Wallet. Together, these digital enablers are intended to provide more seamless and user-centred access to public services. The primary ambition of the Life Events Portal is to reduce the need for people to provide the same information repeatedly when accessing related public services.

In progressing this work, my department is procuring specialist expertise to undertake a detailed analysis of the experiences and needs of people moving from secondary to tertiary education and to map the relevant public services. This analysis is expected to commence shortly and conclude later this year. Its findings will inform the scope and design of any future service transformation, including the potential for integration of relevant information and services through the Life Events Portal.

Any future developments will respect the autonomy of higher education institutions in relation to admissions processes and the operational independence of the CAO. Care will also be taken to ensure that any service transformation complements existing application arrangements and does not cause confusion for prospective students as they access information about, or apply to, higher education and other pathways.