Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if in relation to his stated aim of attempting to fill the skills gap that exists in the technology industry, he intends to advance proposals that will ensure the bulk of jobs available will go to domestic workers rather than recruiting directly from abroad; if he will identify similar skills gaps that exist in other sectors, if any; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9034/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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A large number of companies in Ireland seek graduates with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and maths. This is not confined to the technology sector. Such skills are increasingly needed in every sector.

Ireland's education and training institutions are currently providing a wide range of courses which qualify graduates to meet these skill needs and to match employment opportunities as they arise. These include technology programmes in computer science, software engineering and computer applications and support.

Overall, Ireland is ranked No. 1 in the world for skills availability, with almost 48% of those aged between 25 and 34 having benefited from third level education. Over half of the students in Ireland graduate with a degree in engineering, science or business.

Nonetheless, skills gaps have emerged, particularly ICT skills, and given global demand, this is not an issue that is unique to Ireland. Demand for the necessary high-level ICT skills is exceeding supply. In response to this problem, last year my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, and I launched the joint Government-industry ICT Action Plan: Meeting the High Level ICT Skills Needs of Enterprise in Ireland.

Crucial elements of the ICT skills action plan are the up-skilling and conversion programmes. The conversion programme, in particular, recognises the impacts of the economic recession on the numbers of talented graduates from non-computing disciplines who are unemployed. A key element of these programmes has been the commitment by the industry to provide work experience during the programmes and opportunities for placement on completion. These initiatives are designed to ensure that the maximum possible numbers of jobs are filled domestically. Overall the programme plans to double the number of graduates available in these sectors.

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, in its recent review of ICT skills demand in Ireland, found that these skills are vital to the successful transformation of many sectors to become innovative and respond to market opportunities. The mix of experience and skill from outside Ireland is essential to build diverse and dynamic clusters in these important areas.

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It is well known that every new job in an exporting business generates at least one other job in the domestic economy. However, in the case of certain high-skilled and creative employees that return has been estimated at 0.5 to one. We must therefore ensure that our employment permits system is geared towards attracting the skills we need in a managed system which complements the initiatives underway in the training and education sectors.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Only a few weeks ago an article in the media stated that we may well be losing out on foreign direct investment due to concern about some of the gaps here in this sector. Essentially, the ICT plan is in place. What are the timelines to bring through the kind of numbers so as not to send out such a signal that we may be open for business but there is an inadequate supply of such skills because that has the potential of reducing the number of companies that will set up here? I do not have a big difficulty with employing persons from abroad where the Minister is bringing in new skills but it would be ideal if those skills were made available here through the education system.

Is the Minister, Deputy Bruton, talking to the Minister for Education and Skills about the impediments to returning to education? For example, the cost of part-time education can be prohibitive, particularly for those who are on welfare.

Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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There is a question to follow.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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As Deputy Catherine Murphy stated, there is a problem here. These are creative persons and there are estimates in other countries that one such person has a knock-on impact of approximately five jobs in the rest of the economy because such persons transform the ability of key sectors to perform to a much higher level. We cannot afford to be without these skills.

While we plan to double the graduate number, that will take a four-year cycle to achieve. In the meantime, we are putting through approximately 700 persons on the Springboard conversion courses in the ICT area and those courses are free to those participating.

There are also approximately 1,200 persons coming in on work permits with these sort of particular skills. Such permits will always be needed. There will always be a need to provide balance with persons of international experience because we need to form strong clusters in these sectors so that they become magnets for skill and enterprise development. It is an area where the balance in being open to bringing in outside skills and developing our internal ones is key. I assure the Deputy that the Minister, Deputy Quinn, is alert to the opportunities in this sector.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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A proposal for a high-tech visa for those who bring very specific skills has been with the Minister for some time. It is the one forwarded by Open Ireland. Has the Department advanced that proposal?

What has the Minister done and what consultation has he had with the Minister, Deputy Quinn, on the language deficit, particularly to up-skill persons to the proficiency of a native speaker?

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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We are working on a significant overhaul of the work permit system. We will make it much more accessible and much easier to deal with. We will broaden the ranges of skills, particularly where ICT staff at present are only regarded as an automatic category if they are working in the ICT sector. We recognise that approximately 75% of them work outside the ICT sector. Therefore, there will be a broader and easier system. We also will introduce trusted partner concepts so that persons can have confidence that they will get permits, although we are not going down the route where anyone can walk in with a visa that is not related to a job opportunity. However, it will be a dramatic change.

Language deficits continue to be a problem. It is not as simple as putting on a few more courses. As Deputy Calleary stated, this refers to ability close to that of a native speaker. It will be a longer-term project. There are concepts such as international marketing and languages which can be of real benefit to indigenous companies seeking to trade overseas, but the gap of those able to speak a language as a native would be a harder gap to fill in the short term.

Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I call Deputy Catherine Murphy because she asked the question.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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On the link between education and availability, for example, the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio at PLCs, which is an important entry route for some into third level, will reduce the number of courses. Although I do not know whether it will impact on the ICT area, would the Minister have had a discussion with the Minister for Education and Skills about that type of issue because there is no point in finding out about it after the problem has manifested itself; it is a matter of anticipating it?

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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What is exciting about what the Minister, Deputy Quinn, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, are doing is that they are providing not only the courses, but the connections to employers. For instance, the Momentum initiative is a really good initiative. That provides 6,500 places for persons who will have a placement in an education setting but also a matching placement period in a workplace. That is the sort of new thinking that is coming now from the Department of Education and Skills which will join the dots bringing enterprise and the education system closer together. We have learned from countries such as Germany that it is only when those links are forged that one will get quality skill that really is of benefit to people.