John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The regional skills fora, RSF, operate under the National Skills Council. To help foster stronger links between employers and the education and training sector, the Department of Education and Skills has established a network of nine regional skills fora, each with a forum manager. The fora have been established to align with wider Government policy initiatives on regional economic development, including the regional action plan for jobs. Indications are that the RSF are having a positive impact at regional level by bringing together key stakeholders to develop swift responses to emerging needs and to gather better data of the needs of enterprise and employers in the region.

On the Deputy's second question on computing skills, we have issued a second call for new apprenticeships. In my earlier reply to Question No. 25 tabled by Deputy Thomas Byrne, I detailed some skills and apprenticeships that we have at present such as ICT network engineer and ICT software developer at level 6 and manufacturing and ICT engineering, which is level 7, as well as engineering service management accounting technicians. There also is a level 6 apprenticeship in IFS financial services.

See this speech in context