Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 16 Dec 2003

Vol. 577 No. 3

Written Answers. - Skills Shortage.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

354 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he expects to ensure adequate graduates to meet the requirements of industry and the professions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31360/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey):

The Government established the business education and training partnership in late 1997 to develop national strategies to tackle the issues of skill needs, manpower needs estimation, and education and training for business. Ireland's future competitiveness and prosperity relies on the ability of education providers to respond quickly and flexibly to the skills needs of the economy.

The expert group on future skills needs was established by the Government in late 1997 as one element of a business, education and training partnership. Its remit is to develop national strategies to tackle the issue of skills needs, manpower needs estimation, and education and training for business. The objectives of the group are to identify the skills needs of different sectors and to advise on the actions needed to address them; develop estimating techniques that will assist in anticipating the future; advise on the promotion of education and continuous training links with business at national and local levels; consider strategic issues in developing partnerships between business and the education and continuous training sectors, in meeting the skills needs of business; advise on how to improve the awareness of job seekers of career sectors where there are demands for skills, of the qualifications required, and of how they can be obtained.

The expert group operates under the aegis of Forfás and is composed of employer and employee representatives, education, training and enterprise representatives, Departments and State agencies. My Department and the Higher Education Authority are represented on the group. The expert group has produced four major reports to date, together with two further single issue reports on e-business skills needs and in-company training. The fourth report of the group was launched in October 2003. This focuses on ICT, construction, biotechnology, food processing, logistics, engineering and financial skills. The importance of soft skills for organisational success is also explored and an overview of the labour market is provided.

The work of the expert group is continuing, both in terms of revisiting skills areas already examined and in identifying and analysing new and emerging areas of skills needs. My Department will be working with all of the agencies concerned in overseeing progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the fourth skills report. Progress is also continuing in the implementation of recommendation of previous reports, including through the provision of a dedicated ICT skills fund amounting to €2.5 million in 2003. The provision of additional places in the health therapies on foot of a separate skills review conducted by Peter Bacon and Associates has also progressed during 2003 with new courses commencing in occupational therapy at University College, Galway and physiotherapy at the University of Limerick and new places being provided in physiotherapy at University College, Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland.

The Deputy will also be aware of the significant investment being made in research in higher education, primarily through the programme for research in third level institutions and the overall commitment to research in the national development plan. This investment acknowledges the importance of creating a leading edge research environment in higher education, which will both facilitate the development of future of graduates, postgraduates and doctoral students to leading international standards and will have a positive impact on the quality of education and training delivered in higher education institutions.