Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

494. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has engaged with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to ensure there are adequate third level courses in areas needed for renewable energy such as floating wind turbines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11555/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The growth of the renewable energy sector is critical to meeting our Climate Action targets. The Government is committed to ensuring that the education and training system is appropriately positioned to support the growth and development of the skills required by this sector into the future.

In this context, my Department is participating on a cross-Departmental Offshore Wind Energy Taskforce established under the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to drive delivery and capture wider and longer term economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables in Ireland. This encompasses the workforce and skills requirements to underpin the development of Ireland’s offshore wind industry.

It is important that projected workforce requirements are informed by the expertise of the relevant sectoral, Departmental and industry experts, with my Department contributing based upon its responsibility to align the future output at third level education with such current and emerging workforce plans.

The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) Skills for Zero Carbon report was published in November 2021. This report sets out the demand for skilled workers required to support the growth of renewable energy generation over the coming 10 year period. Engineers, electrical and electronics technicians, ecology and environmental experts among others will be required to support the development of this vital element of Ireland's move to a zero carbon economy. The Offshore Wind Energy Taskforce, through its focus on skills and workforce requirements, represents a structured response to the specific skills identified in this report.

The education and training sector is already working collaboratively with the wind industry to deliver on required skills needs across both further and higher education institutions, and important skills and workforce responses are already in place to meet the needs of the offshore wind sector. These include, for example, the Green Tech Skillnet, promoted by Wind Energy Ireland, the representative body for the Irish wind industry, and co-funded by Skillnet Ireland through my Department. The Skillnet delivers training to support the optimisation of renewables on the Irish grid in the short, medium, and long term through upskilling and management development in wind, solar and hydrogen technologies, from planning, construction, and maintenance training as well as business supports in human resources, marketing and finance.

In the Further Education and Training sector, there are currently a number of education and training opportunities established. Kerry ETB has developed the Wind Turbine Maintenance Technician apprenticeship programme which was launched in March 2022. Kerry ETB is the coordinating provider for this Level 6 three-year apprenticeship. This Apprenticeship is for people who wish to pursue a career in the maintenance of large scale commercial wind turbines. It is designed to meet the needs of the growing Irish renewable and sustainable energy sector. This apprenticeship will create a pathway into this career for school leavers or those who do not currently possess any relevant qualifications.

At higher education level, my Department supports a number of initiatives, through the National Training Fund, to enable us to meet the challenges and skills needs associated with the twin digital and green transitions. These include the Springboard+ initiative, focused on reskilling and upskilling in areas of identified skills need, and the Human Capital Initiative, which provides a range of programmes that seek to ensure that the higher education system as a whole responds to the constantly evolving skills needs of the economy.

In the 2022/23 academic year, there are a number of courses being delivered under Springboard+ and HCI Pillar 1, Graduate Conversion Courses, with a focus on renewable energy, including offshore wind, and sustainability more broadly. These include a Postgraduate Diploma in Wind Energy at Dundalk Institute of Technology, funded through HCI Pillar 1; and a Masters of Engineering in Energy Infrastructure at Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, funded through Springboard+.

The HCI Pillar 1 Call 2023 invited HEIs to submit course proposals for funding for a range of areas, including full and part time courses in renewable energy, and specifically called for courses that related to offshore renewables – Planners for Offshore Renewable Energy; Marine Ecologists; and Grid Engineers. The call closed on February 2, 2023 and applications are under evaluation. Courses will commence in academic year 2023/2024.

My Department will continue to work closely with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communication and relevant partners in industry and the wider education sectors to achieve these goals.