Over 1000 Midlands businesses participated in upskilling in 2023
Skillnet Ireland's annual report for 2023 has revealed that over 3,000 people from 1,000 businesses in counties Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath undertook upskilling with them last year.
The National Agency for Workforce Development delivered over 28,100 training days in Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath last year. 58% of those who undertook training were men and 42% were women, while those aged 30 to 39 years were the largest group of people availing of upskilling supports.
The vast majority (96%) of the Laois, Offaly and Westmeath companies that upskilled their workforce with Skillnet Ireland in 2023 were small and medium enterprises. The greatest uptake came from the Food & Drink sector followed by Technology, Agriculture, Services, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing and Health.
In 2023, Skillnet Ireland provided upskilling and training programmes to the value of €83.4 million to over 26,600 businesses and more than 97,700 workers nationally, across the Irish economy. Companies contributed €31.4 million or 37% of the total investment towards upskilling their staff, a €4.9 million increase on 2022, signalling a high level of buy-in from industry sectors to develop their teams in partnership with Skillnet Ireland.
Commenting on the uptake of Skillnet Ireland supports from businesses in 2023, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan TD, said: “The Irish economy continues to benefit greatly from Skillnet Ireland’s delivery of industry-led upskilling initiatives for businesses of all sizes.
"More than 97,000 people working in companies across Ireland took part in upskilling with Skillnet Ireland in 2023, across areas of increasing importance such as sustainability, digitalisation, innovation, and leadership. These results demonstrate the significant work that is ongoing to nurture and support our nation’s greatest asset, our talent.”
Skillnet Ireland Chief Executive, Paul Healy, said: “As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Skillnet Ireland, there is increasing recognition among employers of the importance of upskilling in a competitive and rapidly evolving business landscape. By investing in staff, through the cost sharing approach with Skillnet Ireland, businesses in this region, and throughout the country, are more agile and adapt to technological advancements more seamlessly. Upskilling is proven to increase employee retention and creates a pipeline of future talent. I would like to commend the almost 27,000 companies that chose to work with Skillnet Ireland in 2023 and for putting the development of their teams centre stage. We look forward to continuing to support businesses, and the Irish workforce into the future.”