Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being in attendance to discuss the important topic of Science Week. Therefore, it was important to set aside time for it today and this week. The debate affords us the opportunity to air our views and even promote the initiative.

As we all know, science is extremely important to the economy and for community and societal development. Science Week has been in existence since 1996. The Discover Science & Engineering programme has been very successful. It has worked extremely well and encourages primary and secondary school students to take up science and pursue it as a career by studying the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths. The objective of Science Week is to increase awareness among parents, teachers and the general community of the value of science. The initiative has a successful track record and will continue its work.

Earlier this month Forfás published a report by its Expert Group on Future Skills Needs that addressed future demand for ICT skills and information and communications technology. The report indicated a continued demand for high level ICT skills across the economy. It also reckons that 44,500 jobs will have to be filled by graduates and skilled professionals and demand will continue right up to 2018. Of course the report recommended various initiatives that could and should be taken. It also recommended a continuance of the current initiatives such as focusing on mainstream education, training such as the conversion and reskilling programmes, and continual professional development for teachers and graduates who work in disciplines that no longer provide employment. We must also attract experienced international talent, including ex-pats, in order to develop an awareness and contribute to further employment creation in the economy.

The report by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs is one of a series of reports. They are very important because they highlight the area, focus on vacancies and play a strong role in promoting the sector which can be proven because the number of computer graduates has increased by 25% over the past two years. A target was set to double the number of computer graduates by 2018 but it looks like we will reach that target by 2015. That is positive news.

The words "ICT sector" turns many people off. As the Minister of State said himself, the ICT sector does not engage 18 to 24 year olds and they are uninterested. However, ICT is not just about technology, computing or coding. It covers a wide range of jobs such as web development, special effects for film and the arts, selling to customers, customer services and more. We need to get that point across.