Ivor Callely
Ceist:83 Mr. Callely asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures, if any, she has taken to address the skills shortage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15753/99]
Written Answers. - Skill Shortages.
In 1997 the Government established a business education and training partnership to develop national strategies to tackle the issues of skills needs, manpower forecasting and education and training for business. A key element of the partnership is the expert group on future skills needs, which was set up to identify in a systematic way the skills requirements of different sectors of the economy and to advise on the actions necessary to meet those needs. The expert group presented its first report last year. This report dealt with the skills needs of the software and electronics sectors.
My Department is responding to the expert group's report in a number of ways. FÁS is providing extra training places for the electronics and software sectors. An additional £3.2 million has been allocated to FÁS in my Departments 1999 Estimate to train an extra 730 people for these sectors. Enterprise Ireland has established a programme aimed at attracting Irish people who are living abroad back to Ireland to work in the information technology sector. FÁS is also highlighting the opportunities which are available in Ireland in certain key sectors which are experiencing skills shortages. Forfás has strengthened its national skills awareness campaign, which is aimed at encouraging second level students to pursue careers in information technology. In addition to the measures being taken by my Department, my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, responded to the recommendations in the first report of the expert group on future skills needs by announcing recently that 5,400 new places will be provided over the next four years in third level education to minimise future potential skills shortages in the information technology and electronics sectors.
With regard to other sectors, FÁS currently provides a range of training courses to meet the skills needs of the economy. Training courses for unemployed people are developed by FÁS in consultation with local employers and are regularly reviewed to ensure that the courses are relevant to the needs of the labour market. In the case of the traineeship programme, which was piloted in 1996, employers are involved in curriculum development, the determination of standards and the provision of traineeship places. I have made a total of £53 million available to FÁS in my Department's Estimate this year for training unemployed people. FÁS also provides funding for firms who wish to update the skills of their workforce through training or re-training. In 1998, FÁS assisted over 3,300 firms to identify their training needs at all levels under the training support scheme. Skills needs of employers are further addressed through apprenticeship training. The number of apprentices in off-the-job training places in FÁS and the education system increased from 2,808 at the end of May 1998, to 3,905 at the end of May 1999. To encourage industry to identify its own training needs, a sum of £3 million is provided in my Department's Estimate this year for a pilot enterprise-led training networks programme. This initiative will facilitate companies in identifying and addressing their training and human resources development needs.
The Government is committed to ensuring that there is an adequate skills supply to meet the needs of the economy. Apart from the measures I have outlined in relation to training the workforce, the recent restructuring of FÁS's employ ment services will also help to address skills shortages by achieving a better and quicker match between job vacancies and job seekers.