“Skills to be top of Agenda if we want a Knowledge Economy” – Minister Martin

National Skills Conference, Thursday 26 October,

If Ireland is to achieve a knowledge-based, innovation-driven, participative and inclusive economy in 2020 with a highly skilled workforce, over 500,000 people within the labour force will need to be upskilled. The Leaving Certificate completion rate will have to rise by 2020 and participation in third level will have to increase over that period. This was the key message at the Forfas / Expert Group on Future Skills Needs Conference held today at Farmleigh.

Speaking at the Conference, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Micheál Martin said, “while our education and training system has served us well and has been a major contributor to our current sustained economic success, the research of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs makes it clear that Ireland cannot afford to be complacent. Without significant further education and training of those already in employment, there will be too many low-skilled people in the labour force in 2020 that won’t be able to access employment opportunities”

Based on the available demographic and economic forecasts, in the region of an additional 950,000 positions in the workforce will need to be filled between now and 2020. Of these, about 630,000 are likely to come from young people completing formal education, while the additional 310,000 is likely to be filled by net immigration and increased participation by individuals returning to work.

Anne Heraty, Chairperson of the Expert Group said “Ireland has an opportunity to drive economic development through building skills capability. It is important that we have a sufficient supply of highly-skilled individuals with third and fourth level qualifications to drive enterprise development. At the same time it is equally important that we upskill those that currently have the lowest skill level. Unless there is significant upskilling within the workforce, some people will be left behind and find it difficult to access job opportunities in the knowledge economy of the future.”

Highlighting the importance of skills as a National Agenda item, Martin Cronin, Chief Executive of Forfás noted “the expected involvement of so many key stakeholders at a National Skills Conference is in itself reflective of the importance that is now being placed on Skills and Human Resource Development.”

Concluding Minister Martin said he looked forward to bring to Government research currently being undertaken by the EGFSN research, which will form part of the development of a National Skills Strategy. The publication of such a strategy is part of the Governments commitments under the social partnership agreement Towards 2016.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Tel: (087) 2319471 or Martin Shanahan, Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (01) 6073133.

Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment Press Office 01-6312333