Three in 10 workers left school at Junior Cert
Adults who want to return to education to improve their basic skills face many barriers, including financial, time and social restraints, which need to be addressed.
The National Adult Literacy Agency is today hosting a conference for policy-makers on how best to improve basic adult education in the workplace.
The survey found that, as well as significant amounts of employees with Junior Cert or less and 10% with no secondary education, 25% of adults lack basic literacy and numeracy skills.
The National Skills Strategy notes this could have a “seriously detrimental effect” on Ireland’s plans to remain economically competitive.
The aim of today’s conference is to examine how to upskill 330,000 individuals within the workforce up to Leaving Cert level by 2020, as set out in the National Skills Strategy.
The think-in, titled Towards a Knowledge-based Economy: Basic Skills in the Workplace, will provide an opportunity for Irish policy-makers and researchers to learn from international best practice. It will focus on government and employer-led programmes that integrate basic education in the workplace.
Acting National Adult Literacy Agency director John Stewart said the link between enhanced basic skills and social and economic development is widely accepted.
“If Ireland wants to compete with other economies, there needs to be a concerted effort to develop an implementation plan to support more adults to improve basic skills.”
Having a workforce equipped with the right skills is critical to the economy, he said, with the coming years likely to see labour productivity as the key determinant of economic growth in Ireland.
“The National Skills Strategy recommends individuals that do not hold a Leaving Cert should be assisted to achieve such a level, without incurring tuition costs.”
* www.nala.ie
