Building Skills

Updates from November 2023 Steering Group meeting

FET will build skills to anticipate and respond to rapidly evolving regional and national needs. FET can facilitate a pathway that will link to a particular career or profession, either directly or through ongoing study in higher education. It will not only provide a pipeline of talent for employers, but it will also provide them with a resource to ensure that the skills of their workforce remain relevant and equipped for cutting-edge technology and practice.

The Building Skills Implementation Advisory Group will bring all key stakeholders around the table with a role in driving strategy delivery within this pillar to focus on implementation of the Building Skills action plan.

Building Skills Workstream:

  • Development of a national centre for electric vehicle skills at Longford Westmeath ETB announced by Minister Harris on 13th November 2023

  • The procurement process was recently completed for FET for Enterprise which provides strategic advice on the future direction and positioning of FET as a resource for employees and employers which reflects the expertise, ethos, and ambition of FET.

  • Skills to Advance had 18,985 starters to the end of October 2023. This represents a 103% achievement of the 2023 target of 18,501.

  • The procurement process has been completed in relation to drafting a renewed Employee Development policy framework in the context of the FET for Enterprise model and in the context of emerging skills trends. Work will commence in Q1 2024.

  • To date 23 micro-qualifications have been validated by QQI in green skills for sustainability, digital, robotics, aquafarming, business innovation and market development. Most ETBs have progressed through differential validation to make the micro-qualifications available nationally.

  • Training overviews on the Circular Economy, Lean Practice for Sustainable Business and Sustainable Supply Chain Procurement were delivered to ETB tutors to build capacity in the sector.

  • To support and raise awareness of the new micro-qualifications in green skills for sustainability a national promotional campaign ran for six weeks across radio, social, digital and press to boost awareness. To leverage the ETB networks a green skills week ran in November to increase awareness at a local level of the green skills micro- qualifications.

  • Stakeholder engagement continues to scope out the potential to expand the suite of micro-qualifications in digital to include AI, Datafication, Cloud Computing and others.

  • EES contribute to a number of national policy fora implementation groups such as Biopharmachem and the Financial Services recommending the development of new FET micro-qualifications in priority areas.

  • FET developments to promote upskilling and reskilling under Skills to Advance have been presented at EU online conferences in Berlin, Cedefop and OECD events as well as Dublin Regional Skills Fora with a planned webinar to be delivered to the Small Firms Association client companies.

  • The first ever female winner of the Apprentice of the Year was recently announced.

  • Apprenticeship registrations are up 8.2% when compared with the October 2022.

  • Sanction was granted for the recruitment of additional Apprenticeship Instructors.

  • Green Skills event took place on in September– Constructing Green Futures (as part of European Sustainable Week). All relevant FET Staff invited to discuss the future of green construction, skills gaps and opportunities.

  • Building Bridges Project on prisoner education and pathways continues to progress with further discussion with the Irish Prison Service on the role out of Moodle. A FET information day will be held in Mountjoy at the end of November. NZEB training is due to commence in Midlands and Wheatfield prisons.