Building resilience to COVID-19: The Training Opportunities and Supports Available to Enterprise
The COVID crisis has transformed the skills landscape in Ireland. Businesses face the challenge of responding to new ways of working and doing business, while also preparing for Brexit and global trends such as automation and digitalisation. To support workers in retaining and developing their employability and to help businesses respond to existing and emerging skills needs while boosting their competitiveness and productivity, the Government has launched a new package of reskilling and upskilling supports as part of the July Stimulus Package and Budget 2021. This includes an increase of more than 50,000 places for upskilling and reskilling through programmes such as Skills Connect, Skills to Compete, Skills to Advance and Springboard+. Many of these initiatives are targeting industry areas that are most vulnerable and impacted by disruptive changes in the economy and where there is a high demand for skills, such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, medical technologies, logistics and retrofitting. Below we outline some of the new and expanded initiatives for training, education and skills development.
Education and Training Opportunities
Skillnet Ireland has launched Skills Connect to support cross-sector employability through the rapid reskilling of workers most impacted by the COVID crisis. Skills Connect offers upskilling for jobseekers through free online training programmes and enterprise-led virtual job placements. The programme is offered by Skillnet Networks in areas where there is a high demand for skilled workers such as software programming, medical technologies, cybersecurity and customer service. Businesses who participate in the programme by providing virtual work placements benefit from access to a workforce with cutting edge and future-focused skills.
Skills to Compete is a SOLAS initiative focusing on the reskilling of those unable to return to their previous employment through targeted, modularised education and training. The programme aims to address gaps within individual skills-sets to develop their employability skills and digital capabilities by ramping up Further Education and Training skills provision through specific Level 4-6 courses.
The SOLAS Skills to Advance programme provides skills development for workers in jobs undergoing change and to those employed in vulnerable sectors. Assistance is also focused on SMEs and other organisations who have limited capacity in identifying and developing the skills of their workforce. The programme aims to equip employees with the skills to progress in their current job, or to avail of new job opportunities. Through Skills to Advance, employers partner with Education and Training Board to identify their skills needs and invest in their workforce by providing subsidised education and training to their staff.
For further information about Skills to Advance and Skills to Compete, visit the SOLAS website or via your local Education and Training Board www.etbi.ie
The Government has also launched an additional 17,000 free and subsidised higher education places on Springboard+ and Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 1 for people seeking to upskill or reskill. Springboard+ provides fully subsidised or heavily subsidised upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of high skills needs, including ICT conversion courses. HCI Pillar 1 focuses on graduate conversion and specialisation courses in the higher education sector. Places have been made available over a wide range of courses including artificial intelligence, smart factory technology and sustainable energy. For a list of funded higher education courses, visit the Springboard website.
A new Apprenticeship Recruitment Incentive has also been launched which will provide employers with €2,000 upfront for each apprentice registered between 01 March 2020 and 30 June 2021. A further €1,000 is payable after 12 months if the apprentice is still employed. To learn more about how to become a registered employer for apprenticeship provision and how to avail of the apprenticeship incentive, visit the apprenticeship portal website.
Developing a Skills Profile
Both the COVID crisis and the impact of Brexit are bringing about unprecedented transformations of our economy. While training and reskilling opportunities are available, businesses are challenged with assessing the supports and initiatives that would best meet their skills needs. In recognition of this challenge, the Regional Skills Forums have developed a package of supports for employers to help them understand and plan for their skills needs. The Skills for Growth gives access to a skills audit tool to capture robust data on the skills profile of a business and one-to-one assistance from a Regional Skills Manager links employers with the education options best suited to responding to their skills needs. Businesses can access Skills for Growth with the Regional Skills Manager here.
For any questions or further information about education and training opportunities, please contact Claire McGee, Head of Education and Innovation Policy, at claire.mcgee@ibec.ie or Meadhbh Costello, Policy Executive, at meadhbh.costello@ibec.ie.
Meadhbh Costello, Policy Executive, Ibec
