Written answers

Tuesday, 12 November 2019

Department of Education and Skills

Skills Development

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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188. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of micro-sized and SME businesses that participated as learners in the management works programme of Skillnet Ireland on an annual basis over the 2016 to 2018 period and to date in 2019, in tabular form; the percentage share of micro-sized and SME businesses that participated in the programme of the number of such sized businesses that operate; the number of participants in each year of the programme; the allocation and national training fund allocation to the programme in each year over the 2016 to 2020 period; and the budget 2020 allocation. [46389/19]

Photo of John HalliganJohn Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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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 as key elements in sustaining national competitiveness.

Skillnet Ireland operates a joint funding model where training is funded by combining contributions from employers with Skillnet grants. Through 68 Skillnet Learning Networks, they support over 16,000 companies and 62,000 trainees annually.

Skillnet Ireland has been allocated €36 million in Budget 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.

Details of the Skillnet Ireland allocation from the National Training Fund 2016 - 2019

2016€16.8 million

2017€19.2 million

2018€21.7 million

2019€28.0 million

Data on the Management Development initiative (formally Management Works)

2016 2017 2018 2019**
The number of microsized and SME businesses that participated as learners in management works programme of Skillnet Ireland 400 523 427 170
The percentage share of microsized and SME businesses that participated in the programme from the number of such size that operate* 0.16% 0.19% 0.16% 0.06%
The number of participants in each year of the programme 721 776 636 250
Management Development Initiative Fund Allocation €902,000 €975,000 €1,068,000 €674,000

*Latest CSO data on active enterprises in Ireland is from 2017.

** In 2019, Skillnet Ireland took the decision to phase out the Skillnet Ireland Management Development initiative, focusing the delivery and promotion of management development through their 68 Skillnet Learning Networks, which had significantly increased the scale of management development provision on behalf of SMEs between 2016-2018.

***Up to September 2019.

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