TU Dublin is an autonomous Higher Education Institution (HEI) within the meaning of the Technological Universities Act 2018. Under this legislation technological universities (TUs) are academically independent and entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes including the number and type of programmes offered. It is to be expected the HEIs would periodically review and update their provision offering.
In terms of fostering strategic skills programmes, Section 9 of the 2018 Act legislatively requires a TU to support entrepreneurship, enterprise development and innovation in business through teaching and the conduct of research, to promote the involvement of stakeholders in the design and delivery of programmes of education and training and to support the development of a skilled labour force including in the education and training of apprentices in accordance with communicated Government policy.
As such, all TUs, including TU Dublin, are mandated to develop appropriate, strategic and sought after, skills focused programmes developed in conjunction with relevant stakeholders.
More broadly the tertiary education system plays a central role in ensuring that graduates from higher education including TUs, further education and training and apprenticeship are equipped with the cognitive skills, the essential transversal skills, and as appropriate the vocational and professional skills and competencies which will equip them for success in work and society.
Against the backdrop of the accelerating and intensifying digital and green transitions, it is essential that our skills ecosystem has the agility and flexibility to adapt to changing priorities in the skills and workforce development landscape. In this context, one of the key themes of the OECD Review of Ireland's National Skills Strategy published last May was the need to secure a balance in skills through a responsive, diversified supply of skills in Ireland.
The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and SOLAS's Skills and Labour Market Research Unit have a key role in assessing and forecasting for the skills and talent needs in our economy. Their analysis, for example in relation to green skills and digital transition is central to informing responsive planning across the tertiary system and flexible responses to changes in the employment environment.
The comprehensive roadmap provided by the OECD Review provides a strong basis for ensuring that we get skills policies right, ensuring societal well-being and sustainable growth in Ireland for the future and HEIs such as the TUs are pivotal in this context not least in terms of regional skills development and rebalancing.
