A NEW ONLINE learning hub on consent for the third level sector will be available for the new academic year, it has been announced. 

The hub is being developed by the Department of Justice and the Department of Further and Higher Education in partnership with NUI Galway.

The Department of Justice said the hub will improve the understanding of the meaning and importance of consent. 

It will contain material for students and staff in higher level institutions. 

The new content will include eLearning resources on consent, video series and training resources for advocates and young people. 

The hub will provide an integrated, publicly-available resource on sexual consent awareness and consent learning resources. 

For higher education students, the programme available through the hub will have three levels: 

• An online/live consent workshop
• An eLearning resource on consent, sexual violence and harassment
• Ongoing social media engagement into topics such as disclosure

For higher education staff, there will also be three tiers of engagement available on the hub:

• Awareness on key issues
• Education for decision makers and leaders on the promotion of consent
• Training for those involved in culture change, awareness-raising, or disclosures

“There can be no place for any forms of sexual violence and harassment in our society, and there can be no room for doubt or ambiguity on the meaning and importance of consent,” Minister of State Hildegard Naughton said. 

“We must improve people’s understanding of what consent is, and what healthy consent looks like. This initiative will be an excellent resource for the third level sector and beyond,” she said.

The hub will go live during the coming academic year, with further elements rolled out in 2022.