Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 May 2022
172. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way his Department is seeking to target CAO places in areas of acute skills needs as identified through our national skills architecture and workforce planning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25269/22]
View answerAt the request of my Department, the HEA has engaged with the higher education sector to seek proposals for increased provision in areas skills need. The areas identified are:
- Social Care and Social Work;
- Healthcare disciplines;
- Construction professions, including civil engineers, quantity surveyor and architecture;
- Science and engineering, particularly as relates to the climate agenda;
- Medical, Chemical and Life Sciences;
- ICT;
- Post-primary education areas covering STEM, foreign languages and modern Irish.
The areas of consideration were identified through the National Skills Bulletin which included a survey of recruitment agencies views on areas in which there was a noticeable skills deficit. My officials also engaged with the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on workforce planning requirements.
This work is at an advanced stage and it is hoped that a significant number of permanent additional places will be created.
