Skillnets, the Government-funded agency tasked with addressing businesses’ skills shortages, provided almost 50,000 training days to unemployed jobseekers and helped reskill thousands of company employees last year, according to a newly published independent evaluation.

A ringing endorsement of the State-funded training body Skillnets has been made by companies using the service, with 97% saying it has helped fill skill gaps and 87% acknowledging its contribution to a rise in productivity.

MOVES by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan to slash e10 million from a retraining scheme were branded disastrous by opposition parties last night.