EU Expert Workshop on

Skills Development for

SMEs

December 7th 2018

About Skillnet

Ireland 1

The Big Picture……..

Mega Trends

Economic Power

Structures/Geo Political

Global Value Networks

Technological Change/

Automation

Major Implications for SMEs & Skills

Changing Consumption

Patterns

Demographics/Urbanisation/Environment

New Ways of Working

Enterprise

Led

• Decentralised

Approach

• Sectoral/ Clusters

Enterprise Groups

Control……

• Requirements

• Programme Design

• Procurement

• Delivery/

Coordination

Cost

Sharing

• Skillnet Ireland

grants plus…

• Contributions

from firms

• Creates

ownership/

commitment

• Agile

• Efficient and

effective

The Model……

Skillnet

Training

Networks

Women ReBoot

• Core to the success of the technology sector in Ireland is the availability of talent (specifically STEM skills).

• Important to encourage more women and girls to see the career opportunities that STEM presents.

• In collaboration with Skillnet Ireland, the Irish tech sector is making strides to (1) Tackle skills supply challenges , and (2) To redress the gender imbalance in tech.

• The ‘Women ReBooT’ is aimed at the pool of female talent who have taken a break from the tech sector.

• Initiative bridges the gap between talented, professional women and tech employers.

• Supported by 20 leading technology companies including: SAP, Microsoft, Mastercard, Fidelity, Logitech, MongoDB, Openet, Liberty IT, Datalex, Ocuco, Xilinx, Accenture.

The Shingo Prize

• Manufacturing Process Value Add: A source of significant competitive advantage for Ireland. (No 1 Ranking, Bloomberg Global Innovation Index)

• Shingo Prize: Premier global award for operational excellence. Awarded 10 times to Irish based firms.

• Training and best practice visits led by Advanced Productivity Skillnet recognised internationally as the enabler of the success of Irish firms in achieving the Shingo Prize.

Dermot O’Neill, Advanced Productivity Skillnet with four Irish Shingo Prize award winners: DePuySynthes, Abbott Clonmel, Lake Region Medical and Covidien Athlone.

National MSc Artificial

Intelligence

• Strong AI ecosystem in Ireland - AI is a workforce policy priority area. Needed a National MSc.

• MSc a collaboration by Skillnet Ireland, technology employers and the Higher Education system.

• Seed funding to develop the MSc from Skillnet Ireland Future Skills Programme. 38 tech firms participated in development phase.

• Academic partners: University of Limerick and the Irish Centre for High End Computing.

• Targeting 500 participants over next 5 years.

• National MSc hoids the potential to transform Ireland’s position in AI .

Heather Humphrys, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation

launching National AI MSc.

National Priorities We Support

Skills SupplyLifelong Learning/ Career MobilitySectoral Skills DevelopmentRegional Skills Development National Competitiveness

Deep Roots with Enterprise:

Partnering with the major Industry / Employee Bodies

66 Enterprise Led Training Networks

67 Enterprise

2018 Outputs (Forecasts)

Recent Evaluations

Skillnet Ireland selected as an

international best-practice case

study to guide policymakers on

designing and implementing

funding schemes for SME

training.

“The Skillnet decentralised model generates highly specialised

knowledge on employment and training related issues, resulting in

better alignment between labour market needs and the supply of skills”

• 89% employers: Skiilnet had a positive impact on addressing skills gaps

• 78% employers: Skillnet had a positive impact on enhanced service/product quality.

• 76% employers: Skillnet a positive impact on the long-term performance of their business.

• 73% employers: Skillnet a positive impact on increased staff engagement.

• Every €1million of State funding via Skillnets attracts €1.16 million in investment from

employers.

“Financial Incentives for Steering Education and Training, Getting Skills Right””: OECD, Oct 2017, p. 90-91

“Evaluation of Skillnets Training Networks Programme” Indecon International Economic Consultants, Sept 2017, p.9

“Upskilling SMEs” : International Labour Organization, Oct 2017, p. 3

National

Cyber Security

Initiative2

Lead Stakeholders

Supporting Stakeholders

CSI: Objectives

• Cybersecurity Skills Pathway. A plan to develop and coordinate a comprehensive

series of programmes to create an integrated and world class career path to

Cybersecurity excellence.

• Organic Skills Growth. To develop programmes that identify existing technical and

non-technical personnel who are not working in cybersecurity roles and provide

specialised and focused training to help them move into Cybersecurity. This is a

crucial new strategy to help organisations make quick inroads into the skills

supply-demand gap.

• Treat Cybersecurity as a Business Issue not just an IT issue. Cybersecurity should

no longer be seen only as a technical function but as a core business need.

• Attracting Young People. The systemic issue at the heart of the cybersecurity skills

shortage is essentially the lack of young people entering the profession and in

particular the lack of young women.

• Foster a culture of Continuous Professional Development in Cybersecurity

because the nature of the threat continuously evolves.

Key StrategiesHolistic Approach

CSI Targets 2019-21

Target Participant Companies:

• Target Companies Awareness Programmes: 1,000

• Target Companies Skills Development: 4,000

Target Individual Trainees

• Target Individuals Trained: 5,000

• Target Individuals achieve Standards: 1,500