Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have acknowledged that there are skills shortages and that things are changing. However, we have to take account of the collaboration that is taking place to address the situation. First, there is interdepartmental collaboration and then there is collaboration between multinational companies in the private sector with third-level institutions and the Department. That is key. There is a significant focus on apprenticeships and there are opportunities for students to pursue apprenticeships in collaboration with the big multinational companies. That is where the third-level institutions come into play.

Our unemployment rate has gone from a high of 15.1% down to 5.9%. We are very conscious that we are almost at full employment. We are also very conscious of the future needs of the growing population. That is why we put Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework, in place. We have the resources to ensure we are ready for the change that is coming and to ensure that we have a skilled workforce because we have a very young workforce and a well educated population.

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