Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
671. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how his Department plans to support skills related to both green and digital transition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21320/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraGreen Skills are essential for meeting the ambitious climate targets set out by the Government in the Climate Action Plan and for the Green Transition. These range from the development of transferable green skills for life, through specific skills requirements for emerging green sectors of the economy including offshore wind and other renewable energy initiatives, electric vehicles and Near Zero Energy Buildings/ Retrofit.
SOLAS are currently developing Ireland’s 1st National FET Skills Strategy for the Green Transition. The purpose of this strategy is to collate national policy for the green transition across all sectors of climate action policy and identify the relevant transversal, specific and highly specialised skills required at levels NFQ 1-6. The strategy is due to be launched in October 2024.
The National FET Skills Strategy for the Green Transition is in addition to the SOLAS Green Skills for FET 2021-2030 document launched in March 2022. This outlines three core objectives in respect of green skills in the FET sector:
• Developing Green Skills for Life, including the expansion of green skills training and awareness across the FET sector;
• Developing Green Skills for Construction, including training and upskilling those in construction in the latest green technologies; and
• Green Skills for Careers, to create career opportunities in the green economy for the employed, unemployed and those within vulnerable sectors.
The ‘Green Skills for Life’ objective aims to create awareness of climate justice, sustainability and bioeconomic issues across FET learners, FET staff and school students by making green skills and sustainability awareness modules available for all learners in the sector.
A national suite of Green Skills programmes is being developed by SOLAS in collaboration with enterprise partners in areas such as sustainability awareness and resource efficiency. Green skills modules are available to all FET learners with new Green Skills micro-qualifications rolled out by ETBs. These include:
• A Level 4 (Level 3 EQF) micro-qualification in Environmental Sustainability Awareness
• A Level 5 (Level 4 EQF) micro-qualification in Environmental Sustainability in the Workplace, and
• A general introduction to Green Skills module developed in partnership with SEAI, and open to all learners online via the eCollege portal.
There were 1,413 enrolments in the Green FET Micro-Qualifications (L4 and L5) in 2023.
The ‘Green Skills for Construction’ objective aims to provide training and upskilling to meet the green skills needs of the built environment.
There have been significant developments to address these skills requirements, in particular in the area of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) and Retrofit.
Upskilling courses in NZEB/ retrofit for construction workers are offered through an expanding network of Centres of Excellence operated by several Education and Training Boards (ETBs). Six Centres of Excellence are currently operated by Waterford and Wexford ETB, Laois and Offaly ETB, Limerick Clare ETB, Cork ETB, Mayo-Sligo-Leitrim ETB and City of Dublin ETB. Courses are also provided by Tipperary ETB.
Following progress in developing this national network of NZEB/ retrofit Centres of Excellence, the number of workers availing of these opportunities has increased steadily since the first centre was opened in 2020 with enrolments in 2023 reaching 4,452. This trend has continued this year with a further 1,878 enrolments in Q1 2024.
In line with the objective to create ‘Green Skills for Careers’, my department, SOLAS and other stakeholders in the FET sector are working to address emerging requirements in areas including offshore renewable energy and electric vehicles.
A cross-Departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce is driving delivery and working to capture the economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables. It includes skills and workforce responses, with DFHERIS leading, in collaboration with DECC, on a dedicated Skills and Workforce Workstream.
The main goal of the workstream is to identify the skills and workforce requirements for the development of offshore wind and establish a sustainable workforce and skills pipeline. To this end, a detailed skills assessment report, “Building Our Potential – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Skills and Talent Needs”, was produced in collaboration with Greentech Skillnet, in January 2024.
DFHERIS is currently developing a skills action plan in response to this report which will outline the precise requirements for the tertiary sector to address anticipated skills gaps.
Skills requirements for electric vehicle maintenance include the development of upskilling and reskilling opportunities, and progressing EV skills through existing motor mechanic apprenticeship programmes.
In 2023 the first step towards the development of an ‘eMobility Capability Centre’ was announced, with the launch of a project office within Longford Westmeath ETB. This project office is tasked with driving the development of the Centre in a planned and phased manner, including carrying out a technical feasibility study to identify the full requirements. A project lead has recently been appointed by LWETB to undertake this technical feasibility study.
Alongside the development of the Centre, SOLAS are actively working to consider how e-mobility skills can be most effectively delivered by the FET sector. SOLAS and DFHERIS have developed a skills oversight group which includes representatives from industry to progress this.
As part of this process SOLAS is reviewing and redeveloping apprenticeship programmes in the motor family of trades to include EV modules such as the motor mechanics apprenticeship programme.
Dimension 3 of the National Digital Strategy highlights that for Ireland to be an international leader in the digital economy, our skills policy must be focused on meeting digital skills at all levels: High-Level Digital Skills, Digital Skills for the Labour Market and Digital Skills for Society.
The Strategy is underpinned by two overall targets:
• Increase the numbers of learners graduating with higher-level digital skills to over 12,400 graduates, apprentices and trainees
• Increase the share of adults in Ireland with at least basic digital skills to 80%
My Department is making significant progress on both targets. Latest figures indicate that in 2020, 15,274 graduates emerged from ICT specific courses, with an additional 14,703 graduates by the end of 2021, and 13,714 in 2022. The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2023 indicates that Ireland is performing well in meeting this target, with 70% of people have at least basic digital skills, compared to the EU average of 54%.
