2026-05-12

156. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way his Department is aligning higher education courses with current and projected skills shortages in Ireland; if he will provide details of any new initiatives in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34803/26]

As the Minister knows, the jobs requirements by companies are very fluid at the moment, especially with the introduction of AI. What steps are being taken to ensure that higher education courses are aligned with current and projected skills shortages, and will with Minister make a statement on it, please?

I thank the Deputy very much. He mentioned AI and skills shortages and understanding the new trends that are emerging in higher education and across training our graduates and, indeed, our apprentices. That is an absolute priority for me and the Department. We are doing a lot of work on skills and identifying skills needs and skills gaps, working through SOLAS, the National Skills Council, the expert group on future skills needs and other groups and agencies. I have done a couple of things in recent times. One is that we have set up the national skills observatory, which is data driven and, effectively, a database for the State to be able to plug in searches and see what patterns have emerged in terms of job vacancies, job advertisements, skills needs and employer reports. That would be a real-time engine to see what skills employers are seeking and, indeed, what is on the move and what is going in the other direction. I have also commenced a series of skills round-tables, where I bring together employers from different sectors along with the training agencies, SOLAS, the HEA, the ETBI and the different higher education institute and university associations. That conversation I am having will, at the next event on the 27th of this month, focus on construction skills. The Minister, Deputy Browne, and Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, are joining me for that as well. We will be bringing the construction employers into the room and looking at the trades, apprentices, engineers, architects, town planners, etc., and asking whether they are receiving the skills, graduates and competencies they as employers require from the training system and skills system, especially at a time when construction of housing is our number one goal as a Government and, indeed, more broadly across infrastructure, building out our railways, grids, ports and energy supply. We have a huge construction challenge, so it is particularly timely. The next event I am planning for the month after will look at the impact of AI on the professional workforce, consultancy firms, accounting, legal firms and so on. That deep dive will bring employers around the table to have a solid engagement.

I welcome the focus on aligning higher education with current and projected skills shortages. Like the Minister said, it is about meeting with the industries to figure out what requirements are needed but also to find out and make sure that the courses we are providing at the moment are giving the students the proper skills when they actually finish those courses. It is clear that artificial intelligence is now fundamentally changing the nature of work and the skills that will be required in the years ahead. Across every sector, whether it is healthcare, manufacturing, finance, education, agriculture or retail, AI and digital technologies are rapidly reshaping how businesses operate. Our education system must be agile enough to respond to the challenge and there is now a growing need not only for specialist AI and technology graduates, but also for broader digital literacy and adaptability across the workforce. At the same time as we embrace these new technologies, we also have to ensure we do not lose the core knowledge and fundamental skills on which industry will depend.

The Deputy is exactly right. One of the interesting outputs of the inaugural skills round-table I held about six weeks, which had the accommodation sectors at it, was that there was a common theme. Regardless of semiconductors, biosciences, pharmaceuticals or construction, there was a common theme. They said they want to be able to hire graduates, trainees and skilled workers who have broader skills, such as communication skills, teamwork skills and the ability to work on a team, analytical skills and strategic skills and the ability to make judgment calls on a particular set of facts. That is one thing the computer will never be able to replace - that human intuition and experience and that unique set of circumstances that has brought us all to where we are. As I noted recently, there is a concern that some firms may be beginning to put a brake on graduate recruitment and might be thinking that AI can replace certain junior jobs. However, there is recognition that we need the senior people and experienced people in every organisation. If people stop hiring at the entry level, they never get to the experienced layer beyond that. It is something employers really need to take stock of.

I thank the Minister for his response. While AI presents enormous opportunities, there is also understandable concern among many workers and students about how it may affect future employment. I think it will actually increase employment, but it is important that our education system prepares people not just to adapt to technology change but benefit from it. Will the Minister outline what steps are being taken to ensure that students across all disciplines develop AI and digital skills while also maintaining the core fundamentals and professional knowledge that remain essential in the workforce?

There are a couple of things. I recently launched a website called aiready.ie. The Deputy might have tried it out. I urge anyone who has not already to do so. That website is specifically targeted at short AI familiarity skills. It is not necessarily building up to expert user level but building up an awareness of AI and how it works - how it can be used, for example, in a small business, for personal use, planning a holiday packing list, organising an event, etc. It is the intention that it will help with that. That is very much the first phase of it. That will ramp up over time, with multiple courses added to it. I am also working with my team to look at the micro-credentials delivered through Springboard+, Skillnet and similar courses to have a wider range of offerings, with greater subsidies available for learners who might want to take them up. Some might be in employment, some may wish to go independently, but I am looking at greater subvention of those courses to make them even more affordable than they already are. Those are two measures. The Higher Education Authority has published guidelines around the use of AI in education to make sure that student competence is still coming through both in terms of testing but also in terms of the competencies and skills that are being taught to the student.