Dr. Ian Jones:

I will take the pharma sector as a example. In terms of challenges, we will have more and more automation. As a result, we will need more and more people with software, programming and strong hard engineering skills. The cloud will have much more influence. We are now trying to develop programmes and the technology side of our business is also migrating that way. Not only do we have a sensor which measures how granules are formed, we are also developing solutions so that we can see from Dublin how granules are being formed in Shanghai. Remote controlability is becoming very important and it will have an impact on the sector.

In the pharma and food sectors, there will be more automation and intensification. We need more and more people who understand lean processes and how to make products more efficiently and in a safe manner. That is something that will be a requirement as we grow. If we want to continue to grow our levels of employment in Ireland and attract foreign direct investment in the high-end manufacturing sector, we will need more people who have an appreciation for lean automation, working within teams and understanding processing data in terms of what it is telling them. All of those skills will be really important five years from now. They are already important.