Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 May 2018
136. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the work being carried by the expert group on future skills needs, including published reports on skills and labour shortages in the economy. [19551/18]
View answerAccess to a high quality, innovative and adaptable talent pool is critical for the sustainable growth of the Irish economy. As a result, equipping the workforce with the skills required for the jobs of today and those of tomorrow is a strategic priority for the Government. Meeting the growing skills needs of industry through investment in education and training is central to our continued economic success.
The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) is an independent, non-statutory body, which includes representatives from the business community, education and training providers, learner-support groups, trade unions and a number of Government Departments and agencies. It identifies the skills required by enterprise across occupations and sectors, as well as providing information to education and training providers to allow them to support the alignment of programmes with employers’ needs. My Department provides the EGFSN with research and secretariat support.
The EGFSN has ongoing work and upcoming publications for 2018 concerned specifically with skills and labour shortages in Ireland. This includes skills forecasts across sectors such as Food and Drink; Design; Freight Transport, Distribution and Logistics; Childcare; and ICT.
In April 2017 the EGFSN published the ‘Update on Future Skills Needs in the Food and Drink Sector’. This report assesses skills needs in the food and drink sector in Ireland and makes twelve recommendations aimed at addressing any gaps that might currently exist, under the headings of work-based learning; internships, mentoring and apprenticeships; languages and international selling; and coordination. These recommendations are currently being implemented and their progress is being monitored by my Department on behalf of the EGFSN.
‘Winning by Design: An introduction to the design skills required for firms to be innovative and competitive in global markets’ was published in November 2017. The report addresses the broadening of design skillsets in response to the growing demand from industry for cross-disciplinary design skills. This includes a Design Skills Action Plan to enhance and develop design in Ireland. These actions are currently being monitored and their progression is reported to the EGFSN.
Upcoming publications for 2018 include a refresh of the ICT Skills Demand Forecast previously undertaken in 2013. ‘Forecasting the Future Demand for High Level ICT Skills in Ireland, 2017-2022’ aims to assess the annual demand scenario forecasts for ICT Practitioner skills. This is broken down for Computer Engineering and Electronic and Electrical Engineering, by NFQ Levels 6-10 within the ICT Sector and other sectors of the economy. This forecast will provide an overview of ideas and recommendations elicited from stakeholders on how to boost the quantity, quality and diversity of ICT Practitioner skillsets and competences in Ireland, over and above those currently pertaining.
The EGFSN will also deliver ‘Addressing the Skills Needs Arising from the Potential Trade Implications of Brexit Report’ in 2018. This study examines the skills needs arising from the potential trade implications of Brexit, with a strong focus on qualifications, skillsets, competencies and workforce roles relevant to the diversification of trade at enterprise level, and the movement of trade across international borders, at both enterprise level and in the wider Freight Transport, Distribution and Logistics sector. Eight interventions will be recommended to address the skills issues identified in this study.
Another example of the EGFSN’s upcoming work on meeting growing skills demands and the changing skillsets of the Irish workforce is the report on ‘Skills for the Digital Economy’, which will emphasise the importance of the constant reskilling and upskilling of the workforce in creating a resilient economy. The report will focus on how different roles and different sectors will be impacted by digitalisation and will develop a synopsis of approaches to upskilling the existing workforce. This report is currently underway and is expected to produce a series of key findings and recommendations. This report will add to the body of work completed by the EGFSN since its inception in relation to filling skills gaps using our current labour market.
Through the ongoing work and publications outlined above the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, supported by my Department, will continue to ensure that an adequate and appropriately skilled workforce remains readily available in Ireland to meet the emerging challenges of a modern, growing economy.
