Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 March 2023
290. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide data, if available, on the qualification levels (details supplied) of civil servants in her Department as of 31 December 2022; how educational attainment levels have evolved in recent years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14634/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is committed to building workforce capability through encouraging and supporting staff development.
One way the department supports staff is through the Refund of Fees scheme that provides financial support and special leave arrangements for staff studying for a recognised academic or professional qualification in their own time. Whilst my department holds records of those qualifications obtained under the scheme, it would not typically hold detailed information of the educational attainments of all our officers. Individual officers are not obliged to give this information but have the option to record their own qualifications on the OneLearning platform which is used by staff to manage their training needs.
My Department did conduct a skills audit in May 2021 where staff were surveyed about their work experience, training and educational qualifications. 70% of the department's staff completed the survey with 74% of respondents stating that they hold a third level qualification. The skills survey is continually open for new submissions and new entrants are requested to complete it.
The current details of NFQ (National Framework of Qualifications) levels and number of staff who hold these, based on the Department's skills audit, are detailed below.
|
NFQ Level |
No. of staff |
|
6 |
17 |
|
7 |
5 |
|
8 |
20 |
|
9 |
32 |
|
10 |
3 |
