Jobs plan focuses on training based on sector demand

WHEN the economic crisis landed in 2008, Ireland was hit hard.

Between 2008 and March 2011 an estimated 250,000 jobs were lost in the private sector.

The Government’s action plan for jobs is a response to that crisis. It is designed to facilitate the transition from the old, failed economy based on property, banking, and debt to a new, sustainable economy based on exports, innovation, technology, and enterprise. The aim is to create jobs and restore the economy.

Addressing skills shortages is one of the many policy platforms that Government has as a tool to create jobs. Under the action plan, the Government will provide an additional 2,000 ICT graduate-level professionals in 2013, and by 2018 achieve the highest percentage of computing graduates in Europe.

The EU Foresight Study (Anticipating the Development of the Supply and Demand of eSkills in Europe in 2010-2015), anticipates that the EU labour market may face an excess demand of 384,000 ICT practitioners by 2015 — equivalent to 8% of the total ICT practitioners workforce.

In response to this skills gap, by 2018, Ireland aims to have the highest percentage of computing graduates as a proportion of all tertiary graduates. We have begun in 2013, through a process of increasing programme places, reskilling through the provision of conversion courses.

Our education and training system has a central role to play in the development of a highly skilled workforce. Reskilling conversion programmes such as Springboard 2013 and Momentum are provided by the Department of Education through the HEA, Fás, and Skillnets.

The Springboard programme provides free part-time higher education courses for unemployed people in areas where there are identified skills shortages. More than 10,000 places have been provided under the two rounds of the programme to date.

A new call for proposals for courses to be run under the programme in 2013 was issued to higher education providers at the end of February.

The joint Government-industry ICT action plan has been developed as a direct response to identified ICT skills shortages. It contains a comprehensive range of measures to build the domestic supply of ICT graduates, including the roll out of graduate skills conversion courses.

In February, more than 760 new places were made available on the conversion courses in higher education institutions around the country. This is in addition to the more than 700 places that were provided in 2012.

The State’s expert group on future skills needs, which is funded by my department, plays a key role in advising on future skills needs and any emerging gaps. Its research provides a valuable input, not only on the development of course curricula, but also informs the development of new competitive funding to address emerging skills needs.

Currently, 6,500 training places are being rolled out for unemployed people under the Momentum programme. The training, which is aligned up to levels 5 and 6 on the national framework of qualifications (www.nfq.ie), is targeted at areas of labour market demand.

There is a particular focus on the needs of unemployed people under the age of 25. Funding is also provided to Skillnets, where the development of training is led by representatives of industry. This ensures that training provision meets the needs of the sector.

In addition, a range of recommendations, to ensure the system continues to respond to enterprise needs, is being implemented through the National Strategy for Higher Education. The creation of a new further education and training authority, Solas, will also ensure a focus on the evolving skills requirements of industry.

All of these developments are clear indicators of the Government’s commitment to ensuring we meet our short, medium, and long-term skills needs.

The areas of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) subjects at post-primary level also comes into particular focus in the medium to long term. We must not allow ourselves to ever again rely on one or two sectors for growth and jobs. A conceptual understanding of mathematics is fundamental to economic growth.

Project Maths, far from “dumbing down” maths, actually places the emphasis on conceptual understanding and the development of problem-solving skills advocated by industry.

Students learn to think for themselves, to make connections between different mathematical ideas, and to reason. This speaks to the ideal of development and assessment of conceptual understanding and of the higher- order thinking and problem-solving skills so valued in the 21st century.

Curriculum change in maths is considered imperative to fuelling the next wave of economic growth. The shift from rote learning to a more collaborative learning experience, while extremely challenging for teachers and students, is designed to engender a conceptual understanding in a way that translates into a more participative model of education.

The Project Maths syllabus is designed to transform teaching and learning of the subject at post-primary level, so that students will develop instrumental understanding (knowing how), relational understanding (knowing why), and the ability to apply their knowledge and skills in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. A key objective of Project Maths is to encourage more students to take the subject at higher level.

The ultimate aim is to create future “thought leaders”. We must create a platform of scientists, technologists, engineers and young entrepreneurs who will fuel start-ups that will oxygenate the economy and society.

* Sean Sherlock is minister for research and innovation