To ask the Minister of Education to detail how his Department determines the number of places allocated to Initial Teacher Education providers each year.

The Department of Education determines the number of places allocated to Initial Teacher Education (ITE) annually through a process that combines statistical modelling with strategic workforce planning.

Central to this is the Teacher Demand Model (TDM) which projects future teacher vacancies in grant-aided primary and post-primary schools and estimates the required ITE intake to meet this projected demand.

While the TDM provides a key evidence base, the final intake figures approved by the Department reflect a range of considerations, including school recruitment challenges, the Department’s statutory duty to support Irish-medium Education, migration trends (both inward and outward), the need to maintain the viability of ITE courses and the proportion of ITE graduates who do not enter the teaching profession.

This approach ensures that the system remains responsive and adaptable to both current and anticipated needs.