Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
670. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how his Department plans to promote continuous lifelong training for all; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21319/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraPromoting the importance of lifelong learning has been a key focus for my Department which has been demonstrated in the approach we have been taking since its establishment three years ago, putting skills at the centre of policy development, raising awareness of the importance of skills, and creating and highlighting multiple re-skilling and upskilling initiatives and learning opportunities available to everyone.
This focus has also been underpinned by the findings of the OECD’s Skills Strategy Review published on 9 May 2023. As highlighted in the OECD Review there is a substantial provision of lifelong learning opportunities across all the tertiary education system in Ireland, offered, for example, through such initiatives as Springboard+, the Human Capital Initiative, Skills to Advance and the work of Skillnet Ireland- and its leading role in supporting employers of all sizes, with their up-skilling and re-skilling needs.
Although Ireland’s lifelong learning performance exceeds EU average levels, with a 54.8% adult participation in lifelong learning rate recorded in 2022, based on the latest results of the Adult Education Survey, we are aware that more needs to be done to embed and foster a culture of lifelong learning and training, where learning isn’t incidental or re-active but becomes a social and economic investment into the future.
This is why my Department will now build on the momentum generated by the recently concluded European Year of Skills, which saw in the past year alone some 99+ events organised and registered by the Department and its partners, on the EYS map for Ireland, available at year-of-skills.europa.eu/events-and-activities_en. Those events, which took place all over the country, included communication and awareness-raising campaigns on the importance of lifelong learning and availability of upskilling and reskilling options.
As part of the European Year of Skills, my Department also ran an advertising campaign to promote awareness around reskilling and upskilling. Almost 30,000 people visited gov.ie/skills to learn more as a result of this campaign. The campaign was in line with key Department and partner-led efforts aimed at assisting people to navigate the rich offering of learning opportunities available such as The Right Course, Smart Choices, Smart Futures.
Together with our partners across the skills ecosystem we are collectively placing a renewed emphasis on lifelong learning and recognising skills as a cornerstone to empower people and businesses, and support innovation and competitiveness. This partnership approach is underpinned by the ongoing work of the network of nine Regional Skills Fora, which work to address skills needs at local level, by assisting enterprise to find the solution that best fits their needs. New initiatives, such as the pilot scheme to incentivise SMEs currently in development, will continue to strengthen this partnership approach.
My Department will continue to work to further enhance Ireland’s lifelong learning performance and to build on the success we have had to date in this sphere.
