Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not disagree with the Deputy, particularly in the context of the European Union's European Year of Skills and the volume of skills that either cannot be met or are under threat. AI has the best of both worlds. It is something to be embraced but it is also something to which we will have to adapt in our education system, particularly in further and higher education. I do not disagree with anything said by the Deputy in that context. I met with representatives from Skillnet during the week. It provides an absolutely fantastic employer collaboration, together with my Department, SOLAS, the ETBs and others, in making sure that existing employees are continuously being put on a pathway to absorb the skills that are needed not just for the future but also for the here and now. There are over 70 of these Skillnet networks and initiatives across the country which are providing a real opportunity that is employer-led and a bottom-up, rather than a top-down, approach, which is ultimately what is going to be needed. We can use the word "accelerated" or we can perhaps use the word "heightened" but it is something that as a Government, not just through this Department but also through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, we will have to embrace in the coming months to a degree that other countries are probably not reaching at the moment.

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