Issues to be Examined
There are a number of issues which remain to be addressed and will require further investigation in order to:
- Increase employer commitment to education and training; and
- Increase and incentivise employee commitment to education and training.
These include:
- How best to assist employers, especially in the SME sector, in identifying training needs for their staff which will benefit their firms: The level of demand for training and education is not commensurate with the perceived need for it. One of the reasons is that individuals and businesses are not aware of their skills shortcomings. In order to engage with individuals and firms and meet their needs, individuals and enterprise need to be able to assess their strengths and weaknesses from a skills perspective. Enterprise agencies (FÁS and Enterprise Ireland) and representative organisations and Skillnets should continue to assist companies in identifying the training needs of their employees. Brokerage systems to help companies identify their needs and source training are being used elsewhere. The opportunities presented by such systems should be further investigated.
- How best to ensure that publicly-funded education and training is appropriate for enterprise development: There is a need to develop ways of capturing data on skills needs at a regional and sectoral level and feeding it back to education and training providers. This would give employers and the enterprise sector greater ownership of their own training programmes. The role of skills advisory bodies in facilitating this process should be further investigated.
- How to achieve flexible and responsive provision: The provision of education and training courses should reflect the needs of individuals and enterprise. This would foster improved linkages between the education system and enterprise, as already recommended by the Enterprise Strategy Group. The accelerating pace of change at all levels within the economy, and particularly in relation to skills, necessitates flexible and responsive provision. There must, therefore, be genuine dialogue between publicly funded education and training providers and those seeking learning. The provision of workplace based training which is fitted around working hours needs to be actively promoted.
- How to structure schemes aimed at incentivising employer and employee involvement in education and training: The Expert Group have not undertaken a detailed analysis of the funding mechanisms that are required to stimulate participation by employers and employees in life long learning and that would best fit the requirements of the Irish context. The Expert Group has formed a tentative view that the most effective way to ensure flexible and responsive provision of training may be to empower individuals and enterprises through funding, rather than through direct support for providers. Such mechanisms require further research and analysis. An immediate examination of mechanisms adopted elsewhere to encourage participation in continual learning, such as Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs), paid learning leave and co-financing, should be conducted and the results then used to guide policy.
- The Expert Group have previously recommended the provision of strong career guidance support for those in the workplace including the use of better on-line skills assessment tools. Approaches are outlined in Careers and Labour Market Information in Ireland Report 2006.
Integrated Government Policy
In order to meet the skills needs of the Irish economy as set out in this report, it will require coherent policy spanning several government departments. In particular it will continue to require an integrated policy approach between the DES and the DETE and an implementation mechanism which coordinates the activities of all relevant stakeholders.
Policy initiatives should be ‘learner’ and ‘enterprise’ centric rather than being developed from the perspective of education or training providers. This approach would be demonstrated by adopting agreed national objectives, increased co-operation between both departments and their agencies, and co-funding of initiatives. In relation to One-Step-Up, an integrated policy approach would also be enhanced if an implementation mechanism under the auspices of DETE and DES was put in place to coordinate the activities of all stakeholders.
Implementation
DETE and DES should agree a mechanism to monitor and report on the implementation of the National Skills Strategy. Consideration should be given to publishing a report on an annual basis detailing progress.
Challenges and Opportunities
The Expert Group’s vision of Ireland in 2020 in which a well educated and highly skilled population contributes optimally to a competitive, innovation-driven, knowledge-based, participative and inclusive economy requires that significant challenges are met by Government, enterprise and individuals. The rewards for meeting these challenges are great. The costs of not meeting these challenges are equally high. Ireland now possesses an opportunity to determine the shape of its economy going forward. A highly skilled, well educated population will drive productivity, innovation and entrepreneurship and increase living standards for all. The consequences of inaction will be a labour force that does not meet the needs of future industry much less act as a driving force in shaping that industry.
The objectives that the Expert Group has outlined to achieve its vision are ambitious. Significant upskilling of those in employment, increasing the leaving certificate retention rate and increasing progression to third and fourth level will require a sustained and coherent effort by all stakeholders. Ireland can learn from best international practice in relation to skills development while at the same time developing its own innovative policies which reflect the nuance of Ireland’s particular stage of development.
World class skills, education and training can provide Ireland with a unique competitive advantage which will allow us to remain ahead of the curve economically, while improving living standards in a participative and truly inclusive society.
