Minister Kelleher opens theChartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Annual Conference

‘Training must represent value for money and realise a good return’

“Much of the success of recent years derived from the strong knowledge base in our economy. That is why the management and development of people remains a critical component in sustaining our economic success”, said Minister for Labour Affairs Billy Kelleher today (Tuesday 20^th May 2008) when he opened the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Annual Conference in Kilkenny.

Minister Kelleher said: “Ireland like every other country is facing a range of competitive challenges at this time. However, these challenges also represent an opportunity. If we can respond effectively to the challenges we are now facing we will be placing ourselves in a considerably stronger position to reap the rewards of any forthcoming economic upswing.

Stressing the importance of ongoing training and development of our workforce Minister Kelleher said: “People are one the most important assets of any organisation and the importance of using training and development of our people to build organisational capability should not be underestimated. It has been the case in the past that when competition sharpened and profit margins got tighter, spending on training and development was often one of the first budget lines that companies scrutinised more closely. I would encourage managers, wherever possible, to continue to invest in upskilling people. Ultimately, a key source of competitive advantage, in this increasingly knowledge-driven economy, will be the skills and adaptability of the workforce. Yes, training, like all other investments, must represent value for money and realise a good return. It should be targeted, it should be results focussed and it should be delivered “just-in-time” so as to maximise the benefits to companies.

“For our part, the Government is continuing to invest in the skills of our workforce. Through the current Social Partnership Agreement “Towards 2016”, and the National Development Plan the Government is committed to investing in human capital. In fact over the lifetime of the NDP the Government will invest €7.7 billion in the Training and Skills Development Programme. This year alone my Department will invest €77 million in the training of those in employment and this will facilitate the training of approximately 86,000 people.

“Our success in implementing the vision contained in the National Skills Strategy will be dependant, not only on the Government’s commitment to lifelong learning, but also on the commitment of companies and individuals. I would therefore strongly urge all companies and individuals to actively engage in education and training programmes. Only by committing ourselves to upskilling can we hope to create and sustain competitive advantage in the area of skills, which will enable us to effectively compete with our competitors”, Minister Kelleher concluded.

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