John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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39. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to address the serious skills shortages experienced by many companies across all sectors, the majority in information technology, life sciences and construction; the actions being taken to deal with severe skills shortages in the economy; the actions set out in the 2018 Action Plan for Jobs regarding skills shortages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42567/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department works in collaboration with the Department of Education and Skills to ensure that the education and training system is producing the right talent pool to ensure the success of enterprise in Ireland.

In particular, my Department provides research and secretarial support to the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN). The EGFSN plays a key role in identifying and advising the Government on current and future skills needs, through the undertaking of research, analysis and horizon scanning on current and emerging skills requirements at thematic and sectoral levels. Recently completed and ongoing work being undertaken by the EGFSN includes analyses of skills needs or implications relating to the food and drink sector, design, high level ICT, Brexit/trade related skills needs, and digitalisation.

As part of the National Skills Architecture, the EGFSN presents its findings to the National Skills Council, which is chaired by the Minister for Education and Skills, and includes representation from the chief skills stakeholders within the Irish economy, including my Department.

Together with additional skills and labour market intelligence provided by the Regional Skills Fora, Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) in SOLAS, and employment permit trends, the Council works to enhance the response of the education and training system to the provision and delivery of those skills.

This National Skills Architecture, underpinned by robust analysis and data collection on skills needs, supports an education and training system that can be responsive and flexible in meeting the evolving skills needs of the economy, especially under the impact of continuing technological change.

The research of the EGFSN and SLRMU also informs my Department’s Economic Migration Policy Unit, which holds responsibility for the employment permits system and manages the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List and Ineligible Categories List.

The employment permits regime is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA migrants to fill areas of identified skills shortage. This objective is balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work, and the shortage is a genuine one. The rationale underpinning inclusion or omission from the occupations list is augmented by a consultation process that includes calls for submissions.

I have recently published the Review of Ireland's Economic Migration Policy led by my Department, the findings of which will update Ireland's employment permits system to make it fit for purpose against the backdrop of a changing economy and labour market.

The analysis of the EGFSN and other work of my Department have been reflected in the overarching longer term strategies for the education and training system published in recent years. These include Ireland’s National Skills Strategy 2025, and the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019, including its associated annual implementation plans, both of which have been developed by the Department of Education and Skills.

The EGFSN's analysis has also informed the development of my own Department’s framework policy for enterprise policy, Enterprise 2025- Ireland’s National Enterprise Policy 2015-2025 and its recent refresh Enterprise 2025. It has also fed into the Action Plan for Jobs, and from 2019, the Future Jobs initiative, which will focus on raising productivity levels across the economy including through ready availability of relevant skills and talent.

This objective is reflected in chapter 4 of Action Plan for Jobs 2018, which includes actions around removing barriers and maximizing participation in the labour market, notably through implementation of the Pathways to Work strategy, activating groups outside the labour force, and introduction of a new work experience programme for young jobseekers; and facilitating female participation in employment through increased childcare supports and identifying the policy issues around cohorts with low participation rates.

The Action Plan also seeks to ensure the alignment of skills with enterprise needs, through completion of an independent review of the National Training Fund; roll out of the Skills for Growth initiative; development of training initiatives to improve in-company capability; support for increased apprenticeship registrations and programmes, and Springboard+ competitive calls; publication of the new ICT Skills Action Plan; completion of a study on Skills for the Digital Economy; and completion of the review of the employment permits system.