Address by Revenue Chairman Frank Daly on the occasion of the graduation of Revenue students from the Diploma in Applied Taxation Programme and BA (Hons) in Applied Taxation.
Monday 21st January, 2008 University of Limerick
Chancellor, President, Distinguished Guests, Members of the University of Limerick, Colleagues, Revenue graduates and particularly families and friends of our graduates.
I am delighted to be able to welcome you all here this evening. Today has been a very special occasion for Revenue and also, I have no doubt, for the University of Limerick.
I feel a quiet pride here today as we celebrate not just the third year that Revenue students have received their diplomas from the University, but also the very first year that Revenue students have graduated in the degree programme with BA (Hons) in Applied Taxation.
Congratulations
All of you - our graduates - thoroughly deserve the congratulations and good wishes of your Revenue colleagues. You also deserve our thanks, because your hard work, which has culminated in the receipt of these recognitions from this distinguished institution, means that you are enhancing the professionalism, status, effectiveness and reputation of the Revenue organisation.
I also congratulate and thank:
- your families and friends who supported you throughout the programme
- your managers and colleagues who assisted you with mentoring, coaching and on-the-job training
- Margery Stapleton, Dr Philip O' Regan and their team in the National Centre for Taxation Studies
- President of the University, Professor Don Barry, for his support for the partnership that enabled this to happen
- Dean of the Kemmy Business School, Professor Donal Dineen, and his team, and the many other people in the wider University who have provided invaluable assistance and support for the programmes.
Last but not least I congratulate the trainers and administration staff in Revenue’s Training Branch for continuing to meet the new challenges presented by accreditation with the high level of professionalism we have come to expect.
It would take a long time to individually name all the dedicated people in Training Branch who have contributed to the success of these programmes, but I feel that I should acknowledge the contribution of Niamh O'Donoghue, Brendan Lynch and Bernie Brennan. They have been deeply involved since the inauguration of the partnership with UL but have now moved on to new and exciting work challenges. Deirdre Quinn, our librarian also deserves a special mention here today as she has played a very special part in assisting the degree students with their research projects. Sean O'Neill and Geraldine Murray, Brendan and Brenie's successors, have both worked extremely hard and successfully to follow the high standards set by their predecessors and ensure that today’s graduation has come to fruition.
The Partnership – Background, Progress
On these occasions it is timely to remind ourselves why we place such emphasis on the training and development of our staff. It’s pretty straightforward – we do it so that we can deliver our very challenging business agenda more effectively and because training provides staff with the opportunity to improve their own potential and fulfil their ambitions.
The Revenue/University of Limerick partnership is now in its fourth year. In September 2004 it was my pleasure to sign a Service Level Agreement with the then President, Professor Roger Downer, that marked the formal beginning of this unique and innovative partnership.
At that time I expressed confidence that this partnership would deliver a number of tangible benefits to Revenue and its people. It was expected to:
- Enhance the technical knowledge and skills of our staff right across the organisation, leading to an increase in our overall organisational technical capability.
- Provide quality external validation of our Tax training Programme
- Give a clear signal to our customers that our progression towards excellence continues apace and that they are being served by highly qualified staff.
- Increase motivation and tangible reward for staff undertaking training and assessments.
- Build on our already very good reputation as an attractive place to work where people have the opportunity to develop careers that are exciting and challenging.
Today, the external validation of our tax training is very much a reality. The measurement of every student's learning is now a matter of record. The overall results are excellent and compare very favourably with other programmes provided by the University. Our reputation as an attractive place to work, which provides people with development opportunities and interesting and exciting career possibilities is growing. The benefits are accruing.
Today is unique
While this is the third graduation in the programme, today is unique because we have the first BA (Hons) Degree graduates standing before us. In 2005 when our first Revenue students received their diplomas I talked about the final year degree programme as "the exciting development in the pipeline". Just 2 years later, that pipeline development has become a reality, with the first intake of students today receiving their awards, and the second intake just finished their first semester's exams prior to Christmas, and commencing their next semester's study programme next week. This programme provides advanced training on national and international taxation developments, accounting, economics, Revenue law, and on specialised subjects such as financial services and property. Students also produce a final year project. These research papers on tax and customs related issues provide students with an opportunity to explore key issues and I congratulate you all on the production of high quality and very interesting papers.
Today then is a milestone for Revenue and for the University of Limerick. The achievement of realising the first degree graduations in such a short space of time is one of which the University and Revenue can be very proud.
Indeed just a very few short years since we embarked on this initiative, the "results sheet" reads well:
- 2005: 113 Revenue staff graduated with Diplomas
- 2006: 43 Revenue staff graduated with Diplomas
- 2008: a further 72 Revenue staff have just received their Diplomas, and for the first time, 35 Revenue staff have graduated, all with honours, in the BA Hons in Applied Taxation.
It truly is a very proud moment for you and for Revenue and I again congratulate each and every one of you on your success.
Partnership – Future Developments and Challenges
So where do we go from here?
Demand for these programmes continues to be high with 109 students enrolling in the diploma programme in 2007 and 66 new students commencing this month. These recent additions to the diploma family have resulted in 258 of students participating at varying levels of the programme.
In the next two months we will advertise again for another intake for the degree programme. I have no doubt that the success of those here today will contribute greatly to the wave of interest in this programme and I expect a surge of applications as soon as we advertise.
The future of these programmes then appears to be guaranteed. However we operate in a complex, dynamic environment with new challenges every day. These challenges are in service delivery but also in areas which challenge the effectiveness and integrity of our tax system. We need to invest in our staff so that we can meet these challenges head on - indeed anticipate them where possible. Our training programmes must continue to focus on the skills that enable us to perform to the highest of standards that our citizens have all come to expect of us. Above all our programmes, and their content, must be stretching and relevant. I think it is now timely that we review the programmes to ensure that they continue to meet the business needs of Revenue and the academic requirements of the University. I have no doubt that this will provide both organisations with challenges, but I also have no doubt that the spirit of cooperation, openness and mutual respect that has developed between us will easily facilitate the smooth progress of this review. I look forward to the outcome some time later this year.
Journeying together
President, can I now make a confession? When I signed the agreement with UL in 2004 (with your distinguished predecessor Roger Downer) I was just a little nervous about what exactly we were getting ourselves into on our journey together!
I hid it well, but our journey was taking us into uncharted territory - indeed uncharted territory for the Irish Civil Service.
Four years on I know I need not have worried. Our journey together certainly has delivered today. We have passed an important milestone and I hope there will be many more to come.
Indeed apart from the results today, it's impossible not to be impressed by this campus. This morning I had the privilege of touring the new Kemmy Business School building – it epitomises the vibrant, forward looking place that is the University of Limerick and it too, will surely inspire confidence in those who choose to embark on a journey of learning with this institution.
And finally…
My final word though is for our graduates. This is your day and that of your families and friends, and we salute you. For the rest of today the most important thing is that you celebrate your success. Again, on behalf of myself, Josephine and Michael, I congratulate you all most sincerely and wish each and every one of you continued success in the future.