More to do, says expert skills group

Raising skills levels and delivering high-quality graduates will be the twin priorities of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) going forward, the body's chairperson said today.

Anne Heraty said: "The Enterprise Strategy Group clearly identified education and training as one of the five areas in which Ireland can build sustainable competitive advantage.

"When planning to exploit this advantage we must now take into account the fact that we are moving from an era of investment led growth to one where innovation will be a key driver."

Ms Heraty added that, in order to make progress on its key objectives, the Expert Group would look forward to active engagement with bodies such as the higher education institutions.

She went on to say there had been "concrete progress" in implementing the recommendations of the Expert Group’s reports, which were aimed at ensuring that Ireland’s skills needs are met in a timely fashion.

She said the progress points included increases in third-level and training course places, the promotion of careers in science, technology and engineering, concrete strategies to attract foreign researchers and the establishment of a comprehensive national training/trainers database.