Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2025
971. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason his Department’s programme expenditure has decided to decrease the outrun target numbers of places for Skillnet Ireland learners upskilling who are unemployed from the outrun target of 2,650 in 2023, 1,800 in 2024 and only 1,500 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32541/25]
View answerSkillnet Ireland is a business support agency of the Government of Ireland funded by the National Training Fund. Using funding provided by my Department, it continues to invest in workforce activation programmes via its ‘Skills Connect’ programme which is designed to help businesses meet emerging talent needs, while helping workers to rapidly reskill and adapt to a changing job market. Designed in partnership with enterprise, ‘Skills Connect’ identifies skills that are in demand from businesses within a sector or region, as well as skills that are transferable across sectors. It delivers upskilling and re-skilling programmes that enable rapid re-entry into the workforce.
Each year, my Department, in consultation with Skillnet Ireland, determines annual targets aligned with the available budget for Skillnet Ireland programmes for unemployed learners seeking employment. The headline target for ‘Skills Connect’ has declined annually since 2023 due to the end of temporary funding that had supplemented Skillnet Ireland’s core budget, enabling increased training in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, Skillnet Ireland’s ‘Skills Connect’ programme supported 2,046 trainees across 26 Skillnet Business Networks exceeding the target of 1,800.
The Deputy will appreciate that the figures provided constitute forecasts rather than fixed targets, given that all programmes delivered by Skillnet Ireland are demand-led and subject to variation accordingly.
