Talent to thrive

Ireland is one of the top employers of medtech professionals in Europe thanks to our rich talent pool of third level graduates and dynamic supports for upskilling.

Ireland has one of the largest shares of tertiary education with 47% of 25- 64-year-olds having third level degrees, with 85% of tertiary educated adults employed and enjoying greater earnings according to the OECD. Lifelong learning through programmes like Skillnet, Apprenticeship’s and Springboard can help ensure upskilling and reskilling of the Irish workforce. Since the last strategy, the Irish Medtech Skillnet and Connected Health Skillnet has provided bespoke training for the sector. Our manufacturing and polymer technology apprenticeship programmes are delivered across five third level institutions with ambitions to expand. Delivering industry led training will help Ireland’s knowledge economy compete globally by staying ahead of the latest trends in technology and business.

We will continue to create diverse and best in class talent to enable the future success and competitiveness of medtech in Ireland.

To achieve this we will:

  • Conduct a global benchmark and Future Skills Needs Analysis on the current and future skills needs for the medtech and digital healthtech sectors to 2025.
  • Promote the societal value created by the medtech industry and showcase it as an attractive place to work for graduates, postgraduates and experienced hires.
  • Leverage new global workforce recruitment options to support the skills demands within the sector.
  • Increase the participation of diverse groups at all levels across the organisation, including women in leadership.
  • Foster existing talent to grow through lifelong learning support within the Irish medtech and relevant healthtech industry.

We will foster collaboration between the education providers and the medtech industry to strategically enable lifelong learning and develop the workforce with the skill areas most in demand now and in the future.

To achieve this we will:

  • Lobby for a well-funded education and research ecosystem that will deliver next generation innovation talent.
  • Foster strategic collaborations between the Irish medtech industry and third level institutions to facilitate the development of ‘in demand’ education programmes.
  • Foster collaboration between Irish and international academic institutions to unlock the high quality research needed to enable Irish organisations develop new healthtech solutions.
  • Ensure and guide the strategic development of the Irish Medtech Association Skillnets, Springboard and Apprenticeship programmes to support the development of in demand talent for the sector.