Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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A key goal of my Department is to ensure individuals are equipped with the knowledge and skills to access sustainable, quality employment.  There are a wide range of steps being taken in pursuit of this goal.

The SOLAS Skills to Advance initiative is supporting employees with the skills to progress in their current job, or to take advantage of new job opportunities while supporting SMEs who need assistance to invest in and develop their workforces.  Over 10,000 employees benefitted from training provided by their local ETB in 2021.

My Department also funds Skillnet Ireland to provide subsidised training to business.Through their 73 Skillnet Business Networks, it supports over 21,000 businesses and 80,000 trainees annually. Its Climate Ready initiative equips businesses with the practical skills and knowledge to manage the challenges that transitioning to a low-carbon economy presents while a new additional €11m allocation from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve will allow their Business Networks help SMEs plan for success in key areas including digitalisation, sustainability and innovation.

The Skills to Compete initiative delivered through ETBs, working in tandem with INTREO offices, Regional Skills Fora, and Enterprise Ireland, supports those who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19, to re-enter the workforce.  Courses offered are built around three key priorities: delivering the essential skills required for modern workplaces; building strong digital skills; and developing the specific vocational skills to secure opportunities in growing sectors and occupations.  An estimated 21,000 people have benefitted to date. 

The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship more accessible to employers and learners, to achieve a target of 10,000 annual registrations across a wide range of programmes by 2025. Expanding apprenticeship across all sectors of the economy has widened its impact in areas of skills shortage such as Engineering, Technology Skills, Logistics and FinTech. Under the Plan there will be an increase in online visibility of apprenticeship engagement and apprenticeship development processes for employers/sectors who wish to assess the potential for new apprenticeship development.

The development of new apprenticeships is employer-led, with consortia comprising employer groups and educational providers coming together to identify a skills need and appropriate apprenticeship responses in their sector. It is open to any industry that wishes to explore such options to bring forward a proposal. Applications for new apprenticeship development are open on an ongoing basis, allowing all employers to progress the development of programmes in response to emerging skills needs on an as-needed basis.

Springboard+ provides free and subsidised upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of identified skills need. The Springboard+ 2022 call for proposals was launched in December 2021 and is expected to launch in Q2 of 2022.  The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) forms a key part of the strategic response to a changing world of work and the challenges the economy will face in the period ahead. With a strong focus on innovation and agility, the programmes being supported will ensure that graduates and the education system as a whole, are in a position to respond positively to the challenges and opportunities ahead. Full details on Springboard+ and HCI courses can be found at  www.springboardcourses.ie.

Funding of €15m provided 11,597 places on 538 Modular courses in 32 higher education institutions in 2020/21.  Following the success of the 2020 July Stimulus programme a further 4,119 places are being provided on Modular Skills Provision courses during the current academic year.  All courses are shorter and more focused and are offered in a flexible manner, allowing people to gain important skills without taking a considerable period away from the labour market. They represent a new route into lifelong learning, and provide upskilling and reskilling opportunities for those who need it, while ensuring that they remain close to the labour market.

The Right Course, my Department’s one stop shop for businesses, employees and unemployed people, outlines the range of third level options available at www.gov.ie/therightcourse.