Dr. Ian Jones:

I do not know. I know there was a trend towards the generalisation of degrees and a migration towards broader science qualifications, and I agree with this approach for 18 year old leaving certificate students. They should do a broad qualification first and then specialise once they understand the industry dynamics four years later, or if they figure out they do not like chemistry they can do something else. Beyond this trend towards more generalisation of qualifications, I am not aware of any other reaction measures by the institutes of technology or universities towards meeting specific skills gaps or industry requirements.