Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is constant contact in the National Skills Council, which I attend regularly. It comprises key senior public officials and, crucially, industry leaders and representative bodies of industry working together. We cannot be complacent or rest on our laurels. Nobody owes us a living and the country must constantly be ready not just for the jobs of today but also those of the future. That has never been more pertinent than it will be in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, whenever that happens. The benefit I genuinely see, to be honest, is in the regional skills forums. Not every part of the country is the same. I had a meeting in the south west of the country with the regional skills forum and it spoke about the need for more engineering graduates. The benefit there is that the education providers, including the ETB and local colleges, as well as the employers are in the virtual room together and they can come up with the programmes that have to be provided. That will become even more apparent as we roll out the technological universities.

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