Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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44. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which a continuous supply of graduates in the academic and technical areas is provided for in order to meet requirements of industry and education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23227/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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It is essential more than ever that our skills ecosystem has the agility and flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and skills needs of the workforce, labour market and society, with the backdrop of the accelerating and intensifying digital and green transitions. In this context, one of the key themes of the OECD Review of Ireland's National Skills Strategy published last May was the need to secure a balance in skills through a responsive, diversified supply of skills in Ireland.

The tertiary education system plays a central role in ensuring that our graduates from higher education, further education and training and from apprenticeship are equipped with the essential transversal skills, on top of vocational and professional skills and competencies that will equip them for success in work. These skills enhance their employability and ensure graduates have skills to continually adapt to diverse tasks and contribute meaningfully to the workplace and the society.

The agility and flexibility of the tertiary system is underscored by responsiveness to priority industry and enterprise workforce needs under key policy initiatives that require whole-of-government efforts and collaboration such as, for example; the Action Plan for Apprenticeship; Funding the Future; the Green Skills for FET Roadmap; and the National Digital Strategy Harnessing Digital.

However, with the pace and scale of changes fuelled by twin and demographic transitions taking place globally, the importance of lifelong learning in personal, professional, and societal development cannot be overstated. For individuals and business to thrive in the new world, learning and upskilling should continue throughout the life course and become a social and economic investment into the future.

As highlighted in the OECD Review there is a substantial provision of lifelong learning opportunities across all the tertiary education system in Ireland, offered, for example, through such initiatives as Springboard+, the Human Capital Initiative, Skills to Advance and the work of Skillnet Ireland- and its leading role in supporting employers of all sizes, with their upskilling and reskilling needs.

This is why together with our partners across the skills ecosystem, including the network of nine Regional Skills Fora, we are collectively placing a renewed emphasis on lifelong learning and recognising skills as a cornerstone to empower people and businesses, and support innovation and competitiveness.

Those concerted efforts aim continue to build on the success we have had to date and achieve a step change in lifelong learning to further improve balance between skills demand and supply.