Boosting Skills and Productivity

1. Boosting Skills and Productivity

2. Enterprise-led approaches to skill development, training andnew qualifications: the Irish experience.Alan NuzumActing CEO, Skillnets Ltd.

3. Purpose • Explore the Irish context of public/private approaches to enterprise development • Show an example of stakeholder collaboration which is tackling skill development, training and qualification needs. • Explain how the network delivery model functions as a collaborative investment initiative • Give examples of how the network model can add value to existing provision and drive innovation and development

4. Irish Economic Context and Success Factors • Youthful population and rapidly expanding labour supply • Substantial inward investment inflows • The strategic deployment of EU Structural and Cohesion Funds • Pursuit of pragmatic and innovative government policies • A Social Partnership approach to economic development • An openness to international trade in goods and services, and to new ideas • An emphasis on education and technological innovation

5. Education and Training • Vital component of Ireland’s knowledge economy • Priority investment under the National Development Plan €12.6 billion covering early education, third level access, skills development and apprentices. • Public expenditure increased by 150% since 1985 • Participation in tertiary education increased from 11% in 1965 to 37% in 2003 • 66% of 25-34 year olds have completed secondary education • By 2020 half of the working population will be over 40 years old • This will be comprised of individuals currently in the workforce • Education and training employees receive during working life crucial for national competitiveness and individual career prospects • Skillnets was formed in response to the critical need for upskilling the workforce

6. Introduction to Skillnets • Formed in 1999 • Independent body – Industry Board (IBEC/ICTU/Chambers Ireland/CIF/SFA) • Established to facilitate training and development in Irish enterprises • Training Networks Programme funded through the National Training Fund • People in employment • Broad cross section of sectors, regions & companies • Particular focus on small/medium businesses • Private sector firms

7. Skillnets Vision To improve learning activity in enterprises leading to enhanced skills, employability and competitiveness

8. Key Features of the Skillnets Model • Mobilisation of groups of enterprises in networks • Private sector firms (particularly SMEs) • Enterprise-led approach • Upskilling existing employees • Strategic/sustainable approaches • Training and Development aligned to business needs • Best training practice & Innovation • Professional network facilitation • Co-investment (Skillnets/companies) • Support infrastructures and advisory mechanisms

9. A Skillnet Training Network

10. Why Training Networks Work Training is: • More suited to Enterprise Needs • More Cost Efficient • More Relevant & Useful • More Flexible & Accessible • More Informed & Beneficial • Better Facilitated

11. Key Outputs 1999-2005 • 114 networks operational • 6,122 companies participating • 35,315 workers receiving training • €24.24m grants committed to networks • €12.76m invested by companies

12. Enterprise-led approach and network focus • Enterprises provide direction on the training process • Business ethos - designed to meet business needs • Flexible - minimal constraints on enterprises allowing firms to identify their own needs • Co-funded - enterprises invest in delivery of objectives • Innovative - trying new concepts and ideas • Wide range of potential partners and stakeholders • Large companies transferring knowledge to SMEs • Professional inputs from trainers, academia and other advisors

13. Training Networks Programme Strategic Pillars

14. Pillar 1 2006-7:Driving skills strategies through sectors & partnerships • Agriculture/Farming • Construction • Design • Digital Media • Engineering • Financial services • Food producers • Greyhound industry • Information Technology • Hotels & Catering • Manufacturing • Media / Local Radio • Pharmaceutical/Biomedical • Plastics • Printing & Publishing • Private Healthcare • Retail / Wholesale • Services • Security • Software Development • Space Technology • Tourism • Wireless Technology

15. Pillar 2 2006-7:Growing the Skills Base • Increasing Adaptability of Workers to the Knowledge Economy • National Engineering Training Skillnet • Building Management Capacity in SME’s • ISME Skillnet • Hotbed Skillnet • Creative Industry Skillnet • Galway Executive Skillnet • South East Micro Skillnet • Facilitating Access and Adaptability • SLM Skillnet • Diverse Cultural Skillnet • Northside Business Skillnet • Adopting Advanced Business Practices • IBEC Alternative Dispute Resolution Skillnet • Positive2Work Skillnet • Business Excellence Skillnet • Design Shannon Skillnet

16. Pillar 3 2006-7:Developing Local Learning Responses • Border, Midlands & East • Carlow/ Kilkenny • Clare • Connemara Gaeltacht • Cork city & county • Fingal • Galway city • Killarney • Limerick • Roscommon / Leitrim • South Dublin / Kildare • Waterford • Wicklow

17. Pillar 4:Building learning & development best practice Certification / Accreditation Chamber Learning Skillnet Networks developing modules, diplomas, degrees Some Networks will become registered centres Impact Measurement Impact Measurement Skillnet Many networks introducing ROI Other Areas Benchmarking systems Capacity-building among internal & external training providers Awareness building and needs analysis

18. Best-practice and areas of special need • Certification partnerships • Measuring the impact of training • Low basic skills and literacy • New Possibilities for Small Business Training

19. Certification partnerships Networks engaged in many innovative approaches to certification, including: • Networks becoming registered centres • Networks developing new training modules and National Certificates • Contributing to framework development – quality assurance, APL. • Inter-network collaboration

20. Effective approaches to certification and qualifications • The involvement of companies, sector experts, education and training providers and certifying bodies working in partnerships. • Competence standards and models which are developed by companies together in strategic groups. • Qualifications and training systems that recognise the needs of the industry as whole rather than individual companies. • Qualifications that are overseen, monitored and updated by industry/education partnerships. • Qualifications that follow competence identification and assume that workers may change company, location, function but the industry as a whole can capture the returns from training investment. • Progression routes which span traditional separation of further and higher education allowing progression through awards from foundation certificate to masters degree levels. • Training processes that are varied, incremental and multi-faceted so that each company and individual can access new learning when and how appropriate i.e. all learners do not have to go through the same courses or learning methods. • Systems, which recognise and certify prior learning and experience developed during the working lives of individuals in the relevant industry

21. Measuring the impact of training • Pilot project to test impact measurement methods, • 9 Networks and 18 companies participated • Project included training and support for participants • Primary findings were that these methods can be applied effectively in an Irish context • Full report and case studies available

22. Low basic skills and literacy • Poor literacy and numeracy skills have adverse effects on the earnings and employment prospects of individuals. • 25% of Irish adults have literacy problems • Low basic skills is a thematic priority for Skillnets

23. Low basic skills and literacy • 9% of all trainees were in the unskilled/semi-skilled occupational category • 14 in-company undertook trainer training in LBS • DVD documentary produced • “Everybody’s business: Literacy, Numeracy and Language in the Workplace” guidelines produced. • Lessons learnt around the complexities of the challenge for companies and trainers.

24. New Possibilities for Small Business Training • SMEs critical in building and sustaining national competitiveness. • Training vital to SME development • Traditional inhibitors to SME training include funding and a knowledge gap in approaches to SME training. • 82% of companies participating in 2002-2005 TNP were small or micro • Skillnets is assisting small business access training more easily, more quickly and more cost effectively.

25. Key Learning • The enterprise-led approach is an effective means of addressing workplace learning • When engaged, enterprises are in a strong position to determine and satisfy their own training needs • Training networks require strong facilitation and support, both internally and externally