From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins have today launched the 2023 European Year of Skills in Ireland with the publication of the OECD Ireland Skills Strategy Report.
The Government today agreed to publish the OECD Ireland Skills Strategy Report.
The findings from the OECD include:
Minister Harris said:
“The change in our professional and personal lives is not going to cease. Whether it’s digitisation of society or other trends we live with, like climate adaptation, the pace of transformation will only increase.
“We have a short window of opportunity to ensure that these transformations lead to a new age of good work, good jobs and improved quality of life for all. We must work together to achieve this.
“I will report back to Government shortly on the next steps including the need to consider a new Skills Act.”
Minister of State Niall Collins added:
“In a learning culture, skills are a top, strategic priority. They are assessed, worked on and renewed all the time, with everyone taking responsibility for skills - both individually and within enterprise.”
OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said:
“A strong focus on skills has been central to Ireland's strong economic performance and improvements in well-being.
“However, there are significant challenges ahead with labour shortages, slowing productivity growth and the need to successfully navigate the skills implications of the green and digital transformation of our economies, while dealing with the impact of population ageing.
“Ireland can and must build on its strengths by better balancing skills demand and supply, by fostering greater participation in lifelong learning, leveraging skills to drive innovation, and strengthening skills governance."
The Year of Skills represents a call to action for Ireland, to work together to address the global challenge represented by the scale and pace of change in the world of work. Learning as we know it has changed to meet these challenges.
The focus of the European Year of Skills is lifelong learning.
This means investing and empowering people on their learning and development journeys, helping them get the right skills for the right jobs.
Minister Harris is calling on everyone in Ireland to put skills at the centre for this year - and to take the opportunity to learn a new skill.
Funding is available to support a wide range of upskilling and reskilling initiatives that meet the demands of a changing world, address skills shortages and contribute to the digital and green economy.
Minister Harris said:
“The challenge is set, and I know we will rise to it this year. We have form on this. We are a people with the capacity for change.
“We have always been an island of learning, a country of creativity, a skill so crucial for the future world, inside and outside work. Our young people are global role models.
“Our people are our gold, and we must invest in that resource with momentum and unabashed ambition. Today I issue a call to action to everyone to step up and engage in the new era of learning now upon us.”
OECD Skills Strategies provide a strategic and comprehensive approach to assess countries’ skills challenges and opportunities and build more effective skills systems. The OECD works collaboratively with countries, states and regions to develop policy responses that are tailored to each one’s specific skills challenges and needs. The foundation of this approach is the OECD Skills Strategy framework, the components of which are:
This project was led in Ireland by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in partnership with the OECD.
The project took the form of extensive policy analysis by the OECD and extensive stakeholder engagement on skills issues facing Ireland. There were four policy Priority Areas of the project:
The project has been concluded with publication of the OECD report.
The European Year of Skills was announced by President von der Leyen in her State of the Union address in 2022, calling on Member States to take a renewed priority focus on upskilling, reskilling and continuous learning. The Year of Skills is a EU-wide initiative to ensure that people get the right skills for quality jobs and to help companies, in particular small and medium enterprises, address skills shortages.
The particular emphasis of the Year of Skills is on lifelong learning, by fostering easier recognition of qualifications across borders, by bringing organisations and people together to share their experiences and insights, and setting out how EU initiatives and funding possibilities can help. In Ireland, the broad work of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and partners will be recognised and encompassed in the Year of Skills, with a focus on raising awareness, engagement and uptake in continuous learning for all.
Lifelong learning is measured by the participation of the adult population (25-64 year-olds) engaging in education and training in the last four weeks. Eurostat measured this in Ireland as nearly 14% in 2021. Top EU performers, Sweden and Finland, had rates of nearly 35% and 31% respectively.