SOLAS Announces Reappointment of Andrew Brownlee as Chief Executive Officer for Second Term of Office

SOLAS/20.08.2024

SOLAS, the Further Education and Training (FET) Authority, has today (20.08.24) announced the reappointment of Andrew Brownlee as Chief Executive Officer for a second term of office.

Andrew was first appointed to the role of CEO in August 2019 for a five-year term having previously served as an Executive Director since 2018. On conclusion of his first term ending, Andrew will commence a second and final five-year term from September 2024 until September 2029.

Speaking about Andrew’s reappointment Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan TD said:

“I welcome Andrew’s reappointment as CEO of SOLAS for a second term. Since his appointment in 2019, Andrew has led an ambitious strategy to drive change across the FET system – providing easier access; simplified pathways; a consistent learner experience; and a stronger identity.

“This is a defining and exciting time for the FET sector, and I am confident that Andrew will continue to strive for excellence in his leadership of SOLAS. I wish Andrew continued success in his role, and I look forward to working with him and SOLAS to deliver my Department’s vision of an inclusive learning and innovative society in which every person is able to reach their full potential.”

SOLAS Chairperson, Sean Aylward said:

“On behalf of my board colleagues & the wider SOLAS team I want to say how pleased we are that Andrew has been reappointed as Chief Executive Officer for a second term of office. In the last five years, he has shown huge commitment to and ambition for Further Education and Training (FET). Under his creative leadership SOLAS has substantially grown the contribution and impact of FET, with incredible expansion in 2022 and 2023 – well exceeding pre-COVID levels. FET is now considered a valuable and recognised learning pathway in Ireland and is excelling in its ambition to become a major driver of both economic development and social cohesion.

The Board and I look forward to continuing to work with Andrew as Chief Executive as we support the quality delivery of FET in Ireland. This includes working with Government, Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and other partners to raise awareness of FET options, making access easier, simplifying pathways, offering a consistent quality learner experience, and driving demand via a stronger identity.”

The reappointment comes as SOLAS begins the consultation process for the development of the next FET Strategy.

Some of Andrew’s key achievements since taking up the role of CEO in 2019:

  • The FET sector has experienced unprecedented growth and demand for FET with the learner base growing by some 17% from 2022 to 2023. 

    • One in ten adults in Ireland were engaged in apprenticeships, our construction skills schemes or other FET activity last year, including apprenticeships, construction skills schemes and other FET provision.  

  • Led the ambitious national FET strategy, Transforming Learning, which has resulted in significant reform and development across the FET system:

    • Delivered on National FET System Performance Targets

    • Implemented funding model reform with ETBs, ensuring that the resourcing of FET and apprenticeship is linked to outcomes

    • Development of 12 exciting FET College of the Future projects with capital budget, building college identities for FET

    • Strengthened Further Education to Higher Education Pathways - co-developed a range of programmes with the HEA that support a learner to commence a course in an ETB and continue in a HEI to obtain a degree.

  • Helped to negotiate the challenges of COVID-19 in providing access to adult education

  • Other key developments during this time include:

    • the launch and roll out of Reach Funding to support community education provision across Ireland

    • the implementation of the Adult Literacy for Life Cross-Government Strategy which provides a ten-year collaborative framework to address unmet literacy needs

Also commenting on his reappointment Andrew Brownlee, CEO of SOLAS said:

“It is an exciting time for SOLAS and the FET, apprenticeships and construction activities it supports. I am excited to be given the opportunity to continue leading such a great organisation and team & further grow FET. My focus will be to set out a clear direction for the future so that we can fully realise FETs potential as a driver of social and economic change.”

My priorities as CEO for the coming term include, ensuring that FET becomes a key provider of lifelong learning opportunities in Ireland; that FET can respond to the critical skills needs in Ireland and contribute to the development of future skills needed to meet national strategic challenges; and that SOLAS becomes one of the most progressive public sector bodies in Ireland. Our focus remains clearly on the needs of learners – they are at the heart of everything we do.”

Before his appointment as CEO, Andrew was the Executive Director for Strategy and Knowledge at SOLAS. Before joining SOLAS, he worked for the Higher Education Authority (HEA) as Head of System Funding, where he played a key role in reforming higher education funding.

Through his career, Andrew has gained extensive experience in areas such as management consulting, advising public and private sector clients on investment appraisal, strategy development, operational performance and change management. He has a Masters in Economics and Accounting from the University of Edinburgh.