Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

237. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the areas that have been highlighted as having skills shortages by the skills and labour market research unit, SLMRU, such as business administration and management, the green economy, financial services, IT, manufacturing engineering, sales, marketing and transport; the way in which he plans to tackle these skills shortages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34773/16]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department recently published the Action Plan for Education 2016 – 2019. The Plan provides a key statement on the reform agenda across education and training and contains a range of actions to be implemented with particular focus on disadvantage, skills, and continuous improvement within the education service

Key objectives of the Plan that address skills shortages are to: develop innovative responses to skills gaps across key priority areas of the economy; expand Apprenticeships and Traineeships; develop Regional Skills Plans to respond to local needs; expand Skillnets to reach more employers with new options for upgrading skills; reform the funding model for higher education to support Ireland’s growth ambitions and the system’s capacity to meet specific targets on skills gaps; and to increase the availability of quality entrepreneurship programmes and modules in schools and in higher and further education.

In addition, the National Skills Strategy which was launched by my Department earlier this year will provide a framework for skills development that will help drive Ireland’s growth both economically and societally over the next decade. Included in the actions is the creation of a new National Skills Council. The Council, when established shortly, will oversee research and advise on prioritisation and delivery of identified skills needs.

The SOLAS 2016 service plan sets out measures to address Further Education and Training (FET) skill needs in line with labour market and EGFSN forecasts.  ETBs are currently reviewing existing provision for the purpose of matching capacity with potential demand for specific programmes e.g. apprenticeship, engineering, entrepreneurship and IT. This will also enable the realignment of course provision to meet identified skills shortages.  Based on skills need forecasts, the 2016 FET service plan is making provision for almost 340,000 beneficiaries this year.

As well as mainstream provision in the higher education sector, Springboard+ 2016, which incorporates the ICT skills conversion programme, is providing almost 6,000 free higher education places for jobseekers who wish to upskill or reskill in areas where there are identified skills needs

Courses will be delivered in areas such as ICT, Manufacturing which includes the biopharma sector, Construction, Entrepreneurship, Cross-Enterprise Skills, the Hospitality Sector and International Financial Services.