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Skills Shortages

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 December 2013

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Questions (251, 252)

Tom Fleming

Question:

251. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills due to the fact that in 2012 some 20% of all jobs advertised were information technology based and that currently over 4,000 jobs available in IT sector are not being filled because of severely limited supply of suitably skilled applicants and a recent study based on a survey of 38 IT multinationals and small and medium enterprises, which found that many of the vacancies are at intermediate skills levels and could be filled after training programmes of six to 24 months' duration, if he will take action to address this anomaly and ensure that Irish jobseekers fill these positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54349/13]

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Tom Fleming

Question:

252. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on revelations by the National Skills Bulletin 2013, produced by the expert group on future skills, which revealed a persistence of skills shortages in areas of information and communications technology, high technology, manufacturing, agri-food sales, marketing, business finance and health care; his plans to address these deficiencies in education and training in the short to medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54352/13]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 251 and 252 together.

The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which is funded by my Department, plays a key role in advising on future enterprise skills needs and any emerging gaps. As well as providing a valuable input to education policy and the development of course curricula by individual institutions, EGFSN research also provides the basis for the selection of programmes for the new targeted reskilling interventions Springboard, Momentum and the ICT skills conversion programme.The Springboard programme provides flexible reskilling opportunities at higher education levels for unemployed and previously self-employed people in areas of emerging skills needs. More than 15,000 places in areas such as ICT, Manufacturing and International Financial Services have been provided under the three rounds of the programme that have issued to date.

The Momentum programme, which is co-financed by the European Social Fund, is providing 6,500 education and training interventions in 2013 in areas where vacancies exist for the long term unemployed and young people.

In addition, the joint Government-Industry ICT Action Plan, which was published in 2012, was developed as a direct response to identified ICT skills shortages and contains a comprehensive range of measures to build the domestic supply of ICT graduates, including through the roll out of the ICT graduate skills conversion programmes, designed and delivered in partnership with industry. Almost 1,500 places have been provided for jobseekers under two rounds of the conversion programmes that issued since 2012. The actions and targets in the 2012 Action Plan are currently being reviewed with a view to publishing a revised Plan in early 2014. The review is being jointly led by the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation and will be informed by the EGFSN report on ICT skills demand which was published in November.

Meeting the requirements of enterprise is a high priority for the higher education system and the wide ranging programme of reform which is being rolled out across all levels of the education system seeks to further improve the ongoing supply of high quality skills for the workforce. One of the core objectives under the new Performance Framework for the higher education system is meeting Ireland's human capital needs across the spectrum of skills areas through both core funding and specifically targeted initiatives. The creation of the new further education and training authority, SOLAS, will also ensure an increased focus on the evolving skills requirements of industry.

Question No. 253 answered with Question No. 250.
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