Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 February 2024
642. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which efforts continue to be made to ensure the availability of adequate qualified staffing levels to meet the requirements of the workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5676/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra651. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which he expects the level of Irish technical and academic graduates to be sufficient to meet any demand arising from accelerated economic growth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9357/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra652. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the degree to which he foresees the use of innovation as a means of perfecting this country’s education system as well as meeting the market-based challenges in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9358/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 642, 651 and 652 together.
The Deputy's questions reflect the need to understand innovation as central to the continued success of our economy, and to allow Ireland's workforce to continue to thrive amid rapid and widespread change.
This is a central theme of the OECD Review of Ireland's National Skills Strategy which I launched last May. Against the backdrop of rapidly changing skill needs and mega-trends such as digitisation and AI, decarbonisation and demographic change, the OECD emphasize it will be essential that Ireland's skills system:-
• helps secure a balance between skills demand and and supply;
• is flexible and responsive in planning for future skill needs; and
• builds adaptability and resilience in the face of societal and economic change.
One of the main priorities for my Department for 2024 consistent with its recent Statement of Strategy is to respond to the challenges identified by the OECD, and to use their review as a blueprint for these responses.
The reform of the National Skills Council, the details of which I plan to announce shortly, will underpin o a national partnership across all key stakeholders to drive a stronger shared response to the challenges before us.
The work of the new Council will be critical to overseeing how the future evolution of our tertiary education system generates the workforce and skills that sustain our economic model and help secure social cohesion.
My recent joint publication with Minister Foley of a Strategic Framework for Lifelong Guidance marks a milestone achievement that gives a policy framework to the continuum of guidance services throughout the lifecycle with the aim to help adults at all stages of their career and life to successfully navigate a labour market characterised by rapidly evolving skills needs. The Framework includes placing a focus on clarity of information provided about the rich offering of learning opportunities in Ireland.
The agility and flexibility of the tertiary system is underscored by responsiveness to priority industry and enterprise workforce needs under key policy initiatives such as, for example; the Action Plan for Apprenticeship; Funding the Future; the Green Skills for FET Roadmap; and the National Digital Strategy Harnessing Digital.
Ireland's success in ensuring that those with qualifications from the tertiary system are meeting the economy's skills needs are evidenced by the results of the Higher Education Authority's national Graduate Outcomes Survey which shows that overall, 81.9% of graduates in 2021 were in employment nine months after graduation. It will be a priority to ensure a continued high level of responsiveness by the tertiary education system to the rapid pace of technological change, including the expected substantial impact of AI on the workforce.
