Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

The motion refers to the need to upskill 500,000 people by 2020 and it is that aspect of it that I intend to address in my contribution. I am pleased to have the opportunity to recount progress in recent years on Ireland's human capital development.

The Government has continued the policy of successive Governments since the 1960s in investing heavily in education and training. We have long recognised that the key to prosperity lies in our ability to continually meet changing and challenging global economic circumstances. To effectively compete, our labour market needs the right mix of skills and competencies to rapidly respond to the changing business needs.

Recognising that the issue of the economy's future skills needs will play an increasingly important role in determining future prosperity, the Government established the expert group on future skills needs in 1997. Its purpose is to provide research-based advice on our future skills requirements and to make recommendations as to how these needs can be met effectively. The group reflects the social partnership model, with members from enterprise, academia, Departments, and employer and employee groupings.

The resulting expert group report, entitled Tomorrow's Skills — Towards a National Skills Strategy, was launched last year. This strategy sets out clear long-term objectives for developing our human capital through upskilling, training and education for the period to 2020. Its implementation will be central to ensuring that our education and training systems meet the future demands of industry in the medium to longer term. In short, the national skills strategy will facilitate the development of Ireland's competitive advantage in terms of world-class skills, education and training.

As this motion states, the national skills strategy's principle objective is for Ireland to upskill half a million people by at least one level on the national framework of qualifications over the period to 2020. The strategy also contains several other objectives, which are key to the achievement of this principle objective. These include the need to increase participation rates in upper secondary level education to 90%, and progression rates to third level to 70%. We also need to facilitate the skills needs of the immigrant population and those wishing to re-enter employment.

According to the national skills strategy, as the economy increases its dependence on services and high technology manufacturing, and traditional sectors such as agriculture decline in importance, there will be a corresponding change in the particular skills and balances needed in the economy. The achievement of the targets and the vision contained in the national skills strategy will require an integrated approach, jointly led by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Education and Science. It will also be dependent on successfully involving all of the key agencies in the education and training sectors.

I will personally chair an interdepartmental implementation group. It will comprise senior officials from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Finance. This group will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the national skills strategy. It will convene for the first time later this month.

While it is too early to give a precise description of the implementation plan, it will likely examine the existing provision of education and training and determine the key areas and initiatives that will require additional focus in order to achieve the objectives of the national skills strategy. It will also determine the key benchmarks and targets that will be progressively monitored over the 12-year period to 2020.

We are determined to implement this national skills strategy. I am determined that the interdepartmental implementation group will work effectively to realise the objectives of the national skills strategy. Given the positive commitment of all, no doubt measurable progress will continue to be a primary feature of our education and training systems in the years ahead.

See this speech in context