24 Samh 2014, 10:10
Findings of the recent ICT Skills Audit will be on the agenda of the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when it will hear from representatives of Fast Track to IT (FIT) tomorrow, Tuesday, 25th November 2014.
Committee Chair Marcella Corcoran Kennedy said: “Fast Track to IT or FIT is an industry-led initiative which works in close collaboration with government departments and national education and training agencies, local development organisations and a host of community based organisations. Its mission is to promote an inclusive smart economy by creating a fast track to marketable technical skills for those at risk of unemployment long term.
Last month, FIT released its second ICT skills audit, a survey of more than 60 companies in Ireland that revealed the need for skilled ICT professionals in all sectors continues to grow. There are currently 7,000 immediate vacancies, significantly more than when the survey was last carried out in 2012, according to the audit. It found that 75% of demand is for entry and competent level skill sets with only 25% required at expert level and concluded that much of this demand could be addressed through technology skills development programmes ranging from 6 months to 24 months at Level 5 to Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications.
This audit is a crucial report detailing current industry trends in the ICT industry. The provision of ICT skills and education is a topic which the committee has covered with our own report from late 2012, A Review of the ICT Skills Demand in Ireland, which found that there is a need to boost the level of ICT-literacy among teachers if Ireland is to prepare a workforce with relevant skills for a knowledge economy. It remains an area of keen interest for Committee members and tomorrow we will have an opportunity to consider the ICT Skills Audit in greater detail with representatives from FIT.”
This meeting will start at 1.30pm on Tuesday, 25th November 2014 in Committee Room 2.
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Committee Membership
Deputies: Dara Calleary (FF), Áine Collins (FG), Michael Conaghan (LAB), Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy (FG) (Chair) , Seán Kyne (FG), Anthony Lawlor (FG), John Lyons (LAB) (Vice-Chairman), Peadar Tóibín (SF) Mick Wallace (IND).
Senators: David Cullinane (SF), John Kelly (LAB), Michael Mullins (FG), Feargal Quinn (Ind), Mary White (FF).