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

Skillnet Ireland is funded by my Department through the National Training Fund (NTF) to act as an enterprise-led support body dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of enterprise training and workforce development. Skillnet Ireland operates a joint funding model where training is funded by combining contributions from employers with Skillnet grants.

Skillnet Ireland has been allocated €36 million in 2020, an additional €8 Million in NTF funding over 2019. This increase was allocated to support 7,000 additional participants on Skillnet Ireland programmes including a new digital skills initiative to assist with ICT shortages across the country and an SME upskilling scheme to assist in addressing productivity issues of indigenous SMEs. Skillnet Ireland will provide training to 69,000 participants in 2020.

During the period 2017-2019, Skillnet Ireland funded the following number of networks: 68 Networks in 2019 , 65 in 2018 and 66 in 2017. The average approval rate for applications for funding was 93% over these three years, as set out in the table below.

The new Skillnet networks established since 2017 are active in industry sectors that include sustainability, design, freight & logistics, retail and technology, along with mixed sector networks in the North East and in Fingal.