The input of the educational sector in addressing, in a balanced fashion, the skills needs of enterprise is a keystone in the strategies devised with the input of Forfás and, in particular, of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), under the auspices of my Department and those of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science.
The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs advises Government on future skills requirements and associated labour market issues that impact on enterprise and employment growth. It operates as a significant conduit for discourse between representatives of education, enterprise and policy makers, on behalf of Government. The Group is composed of representatives of business, employees, education, training (FÁS, Skillnets), Government Departments (Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Department of Education and Skills and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform) and State agencies (IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland).
In addition to the regular meetings of the EGFSN, the group takes part in dialogue with education and training providers on an on-going basis as follows:
- a specific steering group is set up for each report the Group releases, which include representatives from education outside of the EGFSN membership appropriate to the work and wider consultation with relevant stakeholders from education also take place in that context;
- the High Level ICT Skills - Action Plan was developed in conjunction with the Department of Education and Science, the Irish Software Association, Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Forfás following the EGFSN analysis of the recruitment challenges in 2012 with recommendations including measures to double the output of honours level graduates from the third level sector by 2018 and, in conjunction with industry, provide conversion courses (760 places in 2012 and 770 places in 2013) to fast-track into ICT, honours level graduates from other disciplines;
- the EGFSN has written the guidelines that accompany the Springboard call each year in 2011, 2012 and 2013 to ensure that those tendering to provide high level education places for jobseekers are focused on the areas of current and future skills needs as identified by employers in the EGFSN research;
- Guidelines for the Alignment of Further Education Programmes with Skills Needs of Enterprise – Forfás undertook this research with a view to improving how the Further Education sector can better respond to current and future skills needs. Based on the work of the EGFSN, the report identifies the skills requirements of enterprise relevant to the Further Education sector across NFQ levels 1-6. This includes sectoral and occupational skills needs, in addition to generic skills requirements for those sectors/occupations and highlights recommendations (e.g. new/improved programmes; programmes designed directly with enterprises; wider availability of work placements; skills for employability) made to address these gaps.
There was an emphasis on ICT in the EGFSN/Forfás Guidelines for Higher Education Providers on Current and Future Skills Needs of Enterprise for the Springboard 2013 Call. Research work is currently underway by the EGFSN, in consultation with businesses, to quantify the high level ICT skills demand to 2018 and propose recommendations to bridge any identified gaps.
In April this year, I launched, jointly with my colleague the Minister for Education and Science, the Forfás/EGFSN Future Skills Requirements of the Manufacturing Sector to 2020 in parallel with the Government’s Manufacturing Strategy. These studies were in response to the Government’s focus on addressing challenges facing the manufacturing sector in Ireland and targeting specific actions in support of the sector. The EGFSN assessed the skills and competencies needed by the sector in the report. A further expansion of the Springboard initiative this year includes a focus on programmes for jobseekers in skills areas in manufacturing –for example, engineers in validation, polymer, supply chain and automation, and polymer and plastics technicians. FÁS in conjunction with the third level education sector is developing a range of initiatives which are designed to meet the skills identified at pre-craft, craft and technician levels. Currently, these initiatives are focused on the North-West region which contains a strong cluster of precision engineering companies, but the initiative will be extended to other regions as appropriate.
Skillnets have incorporated engineering skills into its new call for Networks and will address the scope and scale of training for the manufacturing sector and more specifically the area of supervisory development needs identified by companies. In addition, the Manufacturing report has been circulated to all VECs and higher education institutions for their response to those recommendations that are focused on amendments to their existing or future provision.
In addition to the work undertaken by the EGFSN, Forfás represents my Department on a number of education and training groups concerned with aligning education with the requirements of the workplace including the Project Maths Implementation Group and the Strategic Review of Further Education and Training of the Unemployed.
