Boosting

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Boosting Skills and Productivity
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Enterprise-led approaches to skill development,
training andnew qualifications the Irish
experience.Alan NuzumActing CEO, Skillnets
Ltd.
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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

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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

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Education and Training

• Vital component of Irelands 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

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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

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

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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

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A Skillnet Training Network
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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

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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

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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

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Training Networks Programme Strategic Pillars
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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

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Pillar 2 2006-7 Growing the Skills Base

• 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

• Increasing Adaptability of Workers to the
  Knowledge Economy
• National Engineering Training Skillnet
• Building Management Capacity in SMEs
• ISME Skillnet
• Hotbed Skillnet
• Creative Industry Skillnet
• Galway Executive Skillnet
• South East Micro Skillnet

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
• Everybodys business Literacy, Numeracy and
  Language in the Workplace guidelines produced.
• Lessons learnt around the complexities of the
  challenge for companies and trainers.

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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.

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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