Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 144: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he has introduced, or is considering, to encourage those on the live register to retrain in information technology related skills in order to increase the number of Irish persons available to work in a sector which currently has significant job vacancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32836/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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A number of measures have been introduced in the education and training sectors to support unemployed people to retrain in information technology related skills.

Springboard is a specific initiative to provide 6,000 part time higher education places targeted at unemployed people who have lost jobs in sectors where employment levels will not return and who will need new qualifications and skills to re-enter employment as the economy recovers. 2,074 of the places on offer under the Springboard initiative are on 65 programmes in the area of Information and Communications Technology. These programmes, at levels 6 to 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications, are being delivered by 19 different higher education providers located throughout the country.

Skillnets, which is funded through the National Training Fund (NTF) to support networks of private enterprises to engage in training under the Training Networks Programme (TNP), also offers a range of opportunities for unemployed people to participate in training programmes relevant to the needs of the ICT sector. Under the Jobseekers Support Programme operated by Skillnets, 4 ICT networks have committed to providing places for almost 400 jobseekers in key areas identified by the ICT sector with current skills deficits. FÁS is also currently providing a range of IT-related occupational-specific courses such as MySQL & PHP for Dynamic Websites, Programming in JAVA, Software Developer, VB Net Programming and is finalising development of a number of other programmes to support jobseekers access ICT related employment opportunities.

My Department, in collaboration with Forfás and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, is also working closely with representatives of the ICT sector to develop an Action Plan to address specific high level skills needs for the sector.