Speech by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, at the Launch of the National Skills Strategy ‘ Tomorrow’s Skills’

Check against delivery

My colleague the Minister for Education and Science, Ms Mary Hanafin, and I are delighted to be here today to launch `Tomorrow’s Skills – Towards a National Skills Strategy’. This important document sets out Ireland’s strategic skills objectives to 2020. It will be an important input to policy on developing our human capital through upskilling, training and education programmes for the period to 2020.

The implementation of the National Skills Strategy will be an important complementary strand to the Strategy for Science, Innovation and Technology launched by Government in 2006. Together they will move our economy to one that is knowledge-based and innovation-driven.

This work by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs was undertaken at my request. The Group has undertaken comprehensive research and consulted widely. The results of that process are being published here today.

The work published today has been considered by Government and the objectives set out in the Human Capital strand of the National Development Plan have been informed by its contents.

The Government entered into specific commitments under Towards 2016 aimed at developing the most vulnerable low-skilled sections of the labour force. Part of that commitment is to publish a National Skills Strategy in 2007 and today’s publication of this report also fulfils that requirement.

The report is set against a background of an education and training system which has to date served Ireland well and which has played a key role in the attraction of Foreign Investment. The challenge now is to `remain ahead of the curve’ as the Enterprise Strategy Group’s report had it.

For the first time this National Skills Strategy sets out clear long term objectives as to what our education and training systems need to deliver if Ireland is to develop competitive advantage in terms of world class skills, education and training.

The Forfás study shows that if Ireland is to progress ahead of competitor countries we need to increase our focus on skills development at a number of levels:

• Firstly, and perhaps most importantly we need to increase the upskilling of those in employment. The study says that 1.43 million people in the current workforce will still be in employment in 2020.
  • An additional 500,000 people within the workforce therefore need to be upskilled over the period to 2020 through either education or training. The majority of these, or more than 300,000, currently do not possess a leaving certificate or equivalent qualification. This highlights the level of the challenge facing us.

• Secondly, we need to ensure that the output from our education system at all levels reaches its potential; this includes increasing retention rates to Leaving Certificate and higher progression rates from second to third level. I’m sure my colleague will deal with this in greater detail.

• Thirdly, we need to address the skills needs of the immigrant population and those re-entering employment.

Improving the skills profile of the labour force requires a series of linked initiatives, involving individuals, employers and the relevant Government departments. The solutions include development of the One-Step-Up programme already supported by the Government.

The report also highlights the need for:

• career guidance and mentoring for those at work
• assistance for individuals and companies in identifying their skills needs
• more awareness programmes which highlight the benefits of education and training and
• the need for flexible and responsive provision.

The burden of achieving this vision will fall on the State, Enterprise and Individuals and there is significant return to all three parties.

Enterprise will need to clearly identify and articulate their short and long-term skills needs. This needs to be proactively communicated to education and training providers at regional, sectoral and national level. They also need work in collaboration with providers in developing programmes which respond to those needs.

Education and training providers will need to develop innovative responses which meet the needs of those in the labour force. In some cases, this will require a reorientation of emphasis, away from the traditional school-leaving cohort towards those in the workforce and recognition that different offerings are required.

Work also remains to be done in relation to identifying the precise mechanisms to implement some of the recommendations of the Forfás study. To this end the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs will be tasked with identifying the most suitable initiatives in an Irish context to incentivise employers and employees to engage in training and education.

I will also task my Department with developing new initiatives programmes and enhance existing programmes to ensure the implementation of the National Skills Strategy. They will work closely with the Department of Education and Science and other Government Departments and State agencies to ensure successful implementation.

I will also be asking the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs to report annually on progress in relation to the findings set out in this document.

Finally, I would like thank the Chairperson, Anne Heraty and membership of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs for undertaking this work so expediently. I would also like to thank Forfás and the FAS Skills Labour Market Research Unit for the research support that they provide to the Expert Group.

The Expert Group has contributed significantly to skills and labour market policy over the past number of years and I sure that they will continue to do so.

Link to report:

http://www.skillsireland.ie/press/reports/index.html

ENDS/ETE1711a