Skills Insights Note 2025-1

A new series of short Skills Insights Notes was endorsed at the December 2024 meeting of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN). These Notes will be prepared alongside the longer research studies the EGFSN typically undertakes and will provide an opportunity to publish more frequent and topical pieces of work.

The first Skills Insights Note provides an overview of the key findings and recommendations of the five most recent EGFSN reports from 2021 to 2024. A number of common themes and cross sectoral synergies emerged across these reports. These include the need for greater collaboration between industry, Government and academia; continuous skills development and life-long learning; the importance of apprenticeships and alternative training pathways; the need for a responsive and agile secondary and tertiary education system; and the importance of transversal and digital skills.

The recurring presence of these themes across multiple EGFSN studies suggests that the insights gained are likely relevant to other areas of the labour market and could offer valuable benefits if widely implemented across other sectors of the Irish economy.