Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

The expert group on future skills needs issued a report on the skills that will be needed in the medical services sector. The Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment was addressed by Mr. Dorgan before he retired, who indicated that the attention of IDA Ireland is focused on this area. Ireland can create a great deal of investment from industries involved in the area.

The expert group's report contains many recommendations. The first of these relates to the establishment of a centre for medical device manufacturing excellence in the higher education system. However, the recommendation on which I wish to concentrate is that which refers to the need to upskill existing operators. The expert group states that the need for low-skilled operators is on the decline and that there will be a need to upskill these individuals to meet projected demands.

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