Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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24. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to ensure new recruits in the public service are equipped to work in an increasingly automated work environment; his plans to ensure older workers receive help to adapt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25687/19]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Our Public Service 2020 which I launched in December 2017 establishes the overall strategy for development and innovation in the Public Service to 2020 and beyond. This framework for driving development and innovation will build a stronger public service to deliver better quality services for everyone over the period from 2018 to 2020 and beyond.

As set out in that strategy in order to build agile and resilient public service organisations, public servants need opportunities for career development including increasing expertise and skills in areas such as leadership and management, HRM, ICT, finance, languages, evaluation, data analysis and data management. The Strategic Human Resources Management Leadership Group, supported by the Public Service Reform Programme Management Office (PMO) in my Department and the Public Appointment Service, with input from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation on skills needs, lead on this action.

One of the 3 main pillars of the People Strategy for the Civil Service 2017-2020, which I launched in October 2017, is to ‘build the workforce of the future’.  As recognised in that strategy, strategic HR requires a highly co-ordinated and integrated view of the entire workforce over a 5 to 10 year period.  The workforce composition, timing of resourcing and learning and development supports will be aligned with the strategic priorities of all Civil Service Bodies.   In the main this will be achieved via the development of an aggregated Civil Service Workforce Plan (informed by workforce plans of the individual Civil Service Bodies).

A key enabler of the on-going management of the performance of current and future Civil Service reform is the PMDS system.  PMDS is designed to be a meaningful and useful support to all Staff and Managers in the management and improvement of individual performance. PMDS allows us to strategically align performance management and learning & development to facilitate the matching of skills, expertise and experience to roles.

As a result of Action 9 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan 2014, to establish a new shared model for delivering learning and development in the Civil Service, OneLearning the Civil Service Learning and Development Centre was established in September 2017. OneLearning, which is based in my Department, will enable Civil Servants regardless of their organisation or location access to training and development opportunities and are responsible for all training that is common across the Civil Service.  To date there have been over 20,000 attendances at a OneLearning course session from 44 Civil Service Bodies across 25 counties. A new Learning Management System, will be rolled out across the Civil Service in 2019.

OneLearning will continue to work with Civil Service Bodies to identify current and future learning and development requirements and develop appropriate learning solutions to equip civil servants at all levels with the knowledge and skills required to discharge their roles.

In addition, Civil Service Bodies continue to meet the unique learning and development requirements within their own organisations in relation to individual process obligations and challenges.