Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if in view of the skills gap amongst Irish citizens in terms of filling technology sector jobs and the scaling down of projects designed to stimulate a domestic technology skills base such as the Digital Hub, the measures he is proposing to foster our domestic technology skills base with the aim of job creation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51920/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The joint Government-Industry Action Plan, which I launched in January this year, was developed as a direct response to specific skills shortages in the ICT sector. The Plan outlines a range of short, medium and long term measures to develop a sustainable domestic supply of high quality ICT graduates to support the further expansion and development of ICT sector and support innovation and growth across other sectors of the economy.

As part of the Plan, more than 800 places have been made available from March 2012 on intensive level 8 ICT skills conversion programmes, designed and delivered in partnership with industry. Graduates of the programmes will be available in early 2013. The HEA has just issued a tender for a second phase of the conversion programmes from early 2013. In addition, 1,800 people enrolled on ICT programmes as part of Springboard 2011 and a further 2,200 places have been made available on ICT programmes under the second phase of Springboard 2012.

The Plan has also helped to raise awareness of employment opportunities in ICT and there was an increase of 20% in CAO first preference applications for Computing courses in 2012. There was also an increase of 35% in the numbers of students taking higher level maths in the Leaving Certificate following the introduction of bonus points in 2012. Other actions provided for in the Plan are also under way including the establishment in January 2012 of a high level Academic Industry Foresight Group, chaired by the Chair of the HEA and with strong industry high level industry membership.