The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys yesterday announced targets to deliver more than 47,000 graduates with high level ICT skills by 2022.
Technology Skills 2022: Ireland’s Third ICT Skills Action Plan sets out priority actions to meet Ireland’s needs for graduates skilled in computing and electronic and electrical engineering to support and drive economic performance over the coming years. The plan is informed by research conducted by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN).
The ambitious targets in the plan aims to increase the total number of graduates with high-level ICT skills by more than 5,000 every year by 2022. Before the introduction of this plan it was intended to increase the number of graduates annually, from across the education and training system, to 9,230 by 2022 - an increase of 1,800.
The interventions outlined in Technology Skills 2022 will now provide a further 3,200 graduates every year by 2022 – meaning more than 12,450 people will graduate in high-level ICT Skills areas in 2022.
Programmes will target areas of high demand and high potential growth, including Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Animation, Gaming, Blockchain, Internet of Things, 3D Printing, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Cybersecurity/Next Generation Security.
Tech Skills 2022 was developed through collaboration between the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, with input from the education and training sector, State agencies and industry.
Launching the action plan at Pramerica in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Minister McHugh said, "Our ability to produce, attract and retain graduates with high-level ICT skills is vital to our future economic performance. Technology Skills 2022 sets out a programme for co-operation between the education and training sector and industry which will ensure that we have the skillsets in place to drive development both within the technology sector and, given the fundamental nature of technology, across the wider economy."
He added, "The education and training sector has responded strongly to demand for high-level ICT skills, with a 70% increase in the numbers of graduates with degree level qualifications over the past six years. This plan will support targeted funding to help the sector, once again, deliver on Ireland’s skills needs – with a target of up to 12,500 graduates per annum by 2022."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
