Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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362. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the incentives and polices in place to address the current shortage of qualified engineers to fill vacancies arising; the steps she is taking to rectify the current skills shortages in this area and STEM-related qualifications; if consideration has been given to attract qualified persons here to address the shortages of qualified engineers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12681/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Education and Skills has a number of strategies underway that aim to identify and find solutions to existing and future skills needs across a number of sectors of our economy. Launched last year, the Action Plan for Education 2016 – 2019 contains a range of actions to be implemented with a particular focus on identifying and addressing the skills needs of employers in skills areas such as engineering and STEM related skills demands. The National Skills Strategy 2025 also launched in 2016, contains over 140 Actions, a number of which of which are aimed at identifying and addressing skills shortages across various sectors including engineering and STEM related skills demands.

The 9 Regional Skills Fora have been established and a Regional Skills Manager has been appointed to lead the activities of each Forum. The Managers have established a strong network of working relationships between the relevant stakeholders in the region, with particular focus on liaison between enterprise and education and training providers in advancing the objectives of each Forum which include addressing identified skills demands by using evidence based data in the various sectors in each Region.

The expert report on education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in Irish primary and post-primary schools was published in November 2016 by the STEM Education Review Group. The report presents a detailed examination of the provision of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education in Ireland. One of the recommendations of the report is for the development of an integrated National STEM Education Policy Statement by end June 2017 and that this Policy Statement should include a detailed implementation plan with responsibilities and timelines clearly outlined.

Within the Further Education and Training (FET) sector, significant improvements have been made in the planning and funding of provision since the publication of the FET Strategy in 2014. Education and Training Boards engage in a service planning process annually against a range of detailed parameters set by SOLAS. This process has been refined and improved each year and includes the use of strengthened labour market data provided by the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit to ensure that the skill needs of learners and enterprise are met.

The FET Services Plan published by SOLAS each year since 2014 sets out measures to address 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 needs.

In 2015 a new Career Traineeship initiative was initiated by SOLAS in collaboration with the ETBs and enterprise to develop a more effective model of work-based learning, primarily at NFQ levels 4 and 5, incorporating best national and international research and practice. The Career Traineeship model of work-based learning is currently being piloted with the Hospitality and Engineering sectors, with the involvement of seven ETBs.

Funding is provided to the Higher Education Institutions to support summer camps in Computer Science for second level students. The aim of the camps is to encourage more students to take up Computer Science at third level. In 2016, 29 camps were funded accommodating over 1,245 students. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) computing departments are centrally involved in supporting coder dojos, providing facilities to host dojos, third level computing students to run clubs and lecturers to provide mentoring strategies. HEIs link their computing camps and computing outreach activities to Coder dojo activities and use these to foster greater links with secondary schools within their region.

Budget 2017 provided for an additional €1 million to support 200 places on Level 9 ICT conversion courses for graduates of non ICT courses to convert to this skill shortage area.

All Higher Education Institutions work within their own region to promote STEM courses examples include Limerick for IT and Limerick for Engineering where organisers host events aimed at second level students and their parents with invited industry and higher education institution representatives to promote STEM as a career.

The Higher Education Authority has recently issued a further Call for course proposals to be funded under Springboard+ 2017. Springboard+ provides jobseekers with free part-time upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of identified skills need to include skills shortages in STEM.

In relation to the employment of non-EEA nationals, the State's general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of Ireland and the European Economic Area (EEA). The employment permits system, which the Department Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation  administers, is intended to offer an interim solution for employers where specific skills prove difficult to source within the EEA.

The system offers a conduit into the Irish labour market for non-EEA nationals with in-demand skills and is operated as a vacancy-led system. Vacancies must be for eligible occupations – the system is ordered by the use of lists which determine which occupations are highly demanded and which are ineligible for consideration for employment permits.

Changes to access to the Irish labour market for specific occupations via the employment permits system are made on the basis of research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) in tandem with a consultation process, as part of a package of measures to meet those skills needs. Such changes are made on the basis of bi-annual reviews, which include a public consultation process. 

Non-EEA engineering professionals with specified skills in electrical, electronics, mechanical, design and development, and production and process, as well as material scientists are currently included on the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List for employment permits, which means that such professionals may be granted Critical Skills Employment Permits if they choose to work in this State. 

Critical Skills Employment Permits confer a number of benefits to their holders which are additional to those offered by other employment permit types, including immediate access to the Irish labour market for specified family members. All other types of engineering professional are eligible for employment permits, and may apply for a General Employment Permit if they don’t meet the criteria for a Critical Skills Employment Permit. 

The next review of the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List will take place in the 2nd quarter of 2017, and submissions relating to in demand occupations will be invited, via the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (www.djei.ie), during that review.