Mr. Gareth Lee:

The Senator raised two questions. To continue on the point on animation, I agree that it has been fantastic to see the growth of that sector over the past ten to 15 years. Prior to taking up my role with Screen Skills Ireland, I worked with Ballyfermot College of Further Education, which is renowned for its animation programmes. Over my years there, it was fantastic to see a situation arise where graduates were able to leave the college and have jobs ready there for them to move into. We have strong further and higher education provision for animation and that has helped the sector. The work that Screen Skills Ireland does in our continuous professional development courses that support the sector is important and that needs to continue. The sector is also well-served by having a dedicated animation skill net to support the sector.

If we take the issue a bit more widely and talk about skills deficits and needs, a collective effort is needed to be out in front of the opportunities that are there. From a Screen Skills Ireland point of view, the opportunity is large and from a skills point of view, we need to try to be out in front of that opportunity as much as possible. Reference was made earlier on to studio infrastructure and so on. If some of that studio infrastructure comes to pass, we will need to be in a position in which we have skilled crew ready and available to take on work that comes in on the back of that infrastructure. It is a collective response.

We have a good working relationship with the Department of Education and we link with it and with providers within the higher and further education space. One of Screen Skills Ireland's key strengths is that we are connected in with the industry through our skills needs analysis process that we undertake annually through our regular engagement with industry and through our role on section 481 with the skills requirement there. We have front-line access to data around the skills needs that are there currently and the skills needs that are coming down the track. That data will be useful in influencing Screen Skills Ireland's provision and we also disseminate that information to higher education institutions so that they can respond to those needs as they arise.