Workplace upskilling vital to maintain healthy local economies – O’Connell

Significant demand for training within the workplace should continue to be met with skillsets that will insure our SME sector against any economic uncertainty, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy Maeve O’Connell said that Skillnet, Ireland’s national talent development agency, provided training for more than 90,000 people last year and this underscores the importance of the National Training Fund.

Deputy O’Connell said: “Skillnet, in partnership with industry and the education and training sector, provides upskilling programmes to enhance business competitiveness. 50% of the companies engaging with Skillnet’s services have less than fifty employees. This clearly shows that there has been a significant demand for industry led training programmes among our SME sector.

“As Vice-Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, I have met with officials from the Department of Further and Higher Education to discuss the National Training Fund and the General Scheme of the new National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025, which legislates for how the fund is released and spent.

“It is vital that we ensure that we can maximise the resources available through the National Training Fund through the principles of this bill.

“Focused upskilling on digital transformation, strategic innovation, creating strong leadership within companies and sustainability all support Irish businesses to become stronger and more competitive. As we navigate a potentially unpredictable economic path, our indigenous and SME sector’s viability must be protected and the National Training Fund has an important role to play here,” Deputy O’Connell concluded.