Building Future Skills

By Gerard Walker Senior Economist, Future Jobs-Skills-Work Insights     The Demand for Skills in Ireland’s Built Environment Sector to 2030    The Expert Group on Future Skills has just published a report which identifies the skills required by the Built Environment sector over the next decade. This is to deliver on ambitions around housing, infrastru... Read More

National Training Awards 2020 winners

Abbott Ireland, Vascular Division scoop top prize at 2020 National Training Awards   Abbot Ireland’s Vascular Division scooped the top prize at the National Training Awards last week.   Abbott Ireland Vascular Division, which is based in Clonmel, County Tipperary, landed the Overall Excellence in Learning and Development Award in recognition of a consistently high stand... Read More

Reskilling Revolution to Support the Recovery

By Gerard Walker Future Jobs-Skills-Work Insights   The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an increase in unemployment across the world. In Ireland, the unemployment rate has risen to 16% with young people (15-25 years) hardest hit with 38% unemployed. The importance of investing in skills to combat unemployment and support recovery is a central message of several r... Read More

IITD book launch: New publication sets L&D Agenda for the future

  August 2020 IITD is delighted to launch our commissioned publication: LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT in ORGANISATIONS:  STRATEGY, EVIDENCE and PRACTICE.     Authored by Prof Thomas Garavan and his co-authors, Amanda Cahir O’Donnell, Claire Gubbins, and Carole Hogan, this publication for the ages has been underpinned by three years of research conducted by P... Read More

July Jobs Stimulus 2020 

By Gerard Walker, Future Jobs-Skills-Work-Insights   The Government's July Jobs Stimulus is aimed at helping businesses to protect jobs and create new jobs, supporting people without jobs, especially young people, building confidence and solidarity in consumers and communities and starting to prepare for a greener, more sustainable economy in the future. The stimulus package inclu... Read More

Government announce an additional 17,000 Upskilling/Reskilling opportunities

By Gerard Walker Future Jobs-Skills-Work Insights Some 17,000 upskilling and reskilling training opportunities within Higher Education have been announced by the Government. This includes 11,100 new places for people seeking to upskill or reskill under the Springboard+ 2020 programme and an additional 5,900 places over three years under the Human Capital Initiative. It includes 2,130 plac... Read More

Passing of former IITD President Dolores Carr-Wicks

Dolores Carr-Wicks, Past President IITD and IFTDO from Letterkenny, Co.Donegal It is with great sadness that one of the great characters of IITD passed away on Friday, June 19th.   Dolores was a great personality and was forever omni present for a period of 10 years in the 1990s and early part of the present century.   She was the Marketing and Training Manager of UNIFI in... Read More

Design Talent Report Published

    By Gerard Walker, Future Jobs-Skills-Work Insights The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs has published a new report entitled Together for Design: Digital, Product and Strategic Design Skills of the Future.   This report examines the future demand for design skills over the years 2020 to 2025 and can be accessed HERE.  It features a review of the design... Read More

Ibec’s vision of a Rebooted and Reimagined Ireland

By Gerard Walker Future Jobs-Skills-Work Insights    Several thematic policy areas and associated actions are proposed within Ibec's 'Reboot & Reimagine' publication which was launched this week, includes a dedicated section highlighting the importance of education and skills policy.   Focusing on “getting people back to work”, the Ibe... Read More

Planning for the Recovery - Supporting People back to Work

By Gerard Walker, Future Jobs-Skills-Work Insights     As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 32% of the labour force are currently in receipt of state support payments including 530,000 on COVID-19 pandemic support, 210,000 on the normal unemployed benefit, and 27,000 on COVID-19 illness benefit. Some 42,000 workers are being subsidised under the Temporary Covid-19 Subsidy Schem... Read More