As 2015 comes to a close, it marks the end of a busy and successful year for Skillnets. In this December issue of ‘Skillnets News’ we share developments and updates on some of the substantial initiatives that the organisation has been involved in. We also take the opportunity to reflect on recent achievements, with stories from across our training network community.
The hugely successful open call for new network proposals, launched earlier this year by Minister Damien English T.D., has resulted in a total of 11 new networks coming on board during 2015. The six most recent networks represent sectors such as construction, green energy, and hospitality, and the North-West, Mid-West and South-East regions. You can read more about these six new networks here. A new call for network proposals in 2016 will be launched in January next year and we look forward to collaborating with industry to identify areas of future growth and skills needs, further expanding the reach of our network community.
Further recognition of success achieved this year has come through our continued involvement in the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs 2015 and the upcoming actions for Skillnets in the 2016 strategy. Our commitment to the development of skills regionally has been strengthened by our role in the Regional Skills Fora, and our networks continue to play key roles on the steering groups representing the regions. Supporting SMEs remained an important part of our work during 2015 and we were delighted to partner with Ibec on a series of Start-up Gathering events across the country in early October, attracting over 850 attendees.
In the international financial services sector, Skillnets and Finuas networks contributed to the development of the Government’s IFS2020 strategy which outlined a number of key actions for the Finuas networks. In November, under the umbrella of the Summit Finuas Network, a new report in partnership with Accenture was launched. ‘A Skills Needs Analysis of the International Financial Services Sector (IFS) in Ireland’ outlines recommendations for the industry to tackle current and future skills needs in the IFS sector, which are aligned with objectives set by the IFS2020 strategy. You can read more about the report here.
It has been a progressive year for Irish enterprise, with improved signs of recovery in the economy and an increase in the number of people in employment. The success of our open calls indicates the growing demand among companies for addressing skills shortages in the workplace. Wider government strategies have highlighted the importance of work-based learning programmes and enterprise-led training for the development and retention of staff. As an expert in this field, Skillnets is in an excellent position to play a leading role in providing solutions to ensure Ireland has a skilled workforce and remains an attractive place for international investment.
The end of the year is often marked in academic circles with graduation ceremonies, which celebrate the accomplishments of participants who have embarked on an educational journey to improve their skills. I am delighted to see so many positive graduation stories from our network community highlighted in this newsletter.
These stories represent just a fraction of the tens of thousands of people who participated in Skillnets training programmes across the country this year, taking part in enterprise-led courses, developed by industry in partnership with our training network community. These courses have been designed to tackle current and future skills shortages, and play a key role in ensuring sustainable economic growth.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate each and every trainee on their achievement in participating in a Skillnets training course, and to commend the companies that have committed to investing in up-skilling their workforce.
This year has also seen the departure of Skillnets CEO Alan Nuzum, who left the organisation after ten years in the role in October. I would like to extend our sincere appreciation for his tremendous contribution and all that he achieved at Skillnets. I wish Alan well in his future endeavours and would like to congratulate Paul Healy on his appointment as the new Skillnets CEO. Paul will bring over 20 years senior management experience in commercial environments to the role and we look forward to welcoming Paul in the New Year.
As the Chairman of Skillnets, I have the pleasure of working with a strong Board and a team of highly dedicated staff along with our community of over 60 training networks throughout the year to ensure the delivery of quality training programmes, which are crucial to maintaining the economy’s competitive growth. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank you for your continued support and together, we will continue to strengthen Skillnets’ role in supporting the training and the development of employees in Irish business.
Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Brendan
Read more news stories from the Skillnets newsletter December 2015
Read more network stories from the Skillnets newsletter December 2015