Unknown Disruptive Drivers of Change 

These drivers can occur unexpectantly, such as with Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, imposed trade tariffs, and energy price fluctuations. Organisations need to develop adaptive and resilient skillsets to cope with such disruptions.

Identifying Workforce Skills Gaps

An Identification of Training Needs (ITN) can map the required competencies against the skills, knowledge, and behaviours for specific organisational roles. 

The first step is producing a taxonomy of the current workforce skill and competences profiles. This outlines the current level and nature of skills utilised and any relevant underutilised skills. This taxonomy may be updated as part of an employee’s performance and developmental reviews. An assessment is then made of the organisation's future competency and skills to drive its Strategic Business Plan.

The ITN can help identify any gaps in the required quality, quality, and diversity of skills. it can consider the required level of qualifications and length of experience required. Qualification requirements can be aligned to the ten levels of the Irish National Qualifications Framework (related to the eight levels of the European Qualification Framework). Skill gaps may be addressed through the upskilling/reskilling of employees, improved job matching, and /or by external recruitment. This process can also consider employees' individual development needs and career interests.

It is also necessary to factor in anticipated employee replacement/turnover. Skills lost through job turnover need to be replaced. On average, 4% to 10% of employees in any one year may leave due to changing jobs, retirements, illness, caring responsibilities, or career breaks. Some may also return from temporary illness, caring responsibilities, or career breaks. If the overall net job replacement/turnover is high, this will result in reduced skill capability. 

While there will always be a certain level of job turnover, the reasons for a high level needs to be examined. These may relate to  a poor workplace culture, lack of career progression opportunities, lack of competitive pay, and stressful working conditions etc. Proactive Employee Retention practices can reduce high employee turnover. 

Improved job matching/utilisation can also optimise the use of the existing skills base within the organisation. This aligns employees to new roles and tasks that best match their interests and skill profile. The potential for employees to transition into higher-skilled positions can also be considered. This process can  be used to support succession planning within an organisation. Mid-working-life career reviews can inform older workers about their late career path choices and the skills development required to support  progression.

OECD projections suggest that in the period up to 2030, the demand for skills related to interacting with computers, thinking creatively, analysing data and information, and communicating with persons outside an organisation will grow the most. 

                                       Skills for the Intelligent Age 

All employees require Foundation literacy, numeracy, problem solving, communication and digital Skills. The need for AI literacy is an emerging trend. These foundation skills are the building blocks for more advanced personal skills development. These life skills are also needed for participation in education and society in general. The latest OECD Adult Skills survey shows that 20% of adults lack these basic skills. The Skills for Work programme run by ETB Adult Education Centres is designed to meet the education needs of the employer and employees.

Socio-emotional - Social, Creative and Collaboration skills are essential personal skills for people working with technology. These include communication, teamwork, critical thinking, adaptability, relationship building, ethics, and emotional intelligence. The development of these skills can be embedded in training programmes. Irish workers remain strongly engaged in activities requiring social, creative, and collaborative skills. 

A “Growth Mindset,” curiosity, fresh thinking, resilience, and willingness to learn are all relevant. The demand for higher-order critical thinking skills. Employers seek talent with critical thinking skills for improved decision-making and leading research and innovation. Analytical and problem-solving skills help organisations decide what data is essential to address their business needs. People need to deal with complexity, develop their reasoning skills, and not over-rely on AI to provide an answer.

Advanced Technology skills include expertise in artificial Intelligence, data analytics, cyber security, blockchain, augmented reality, wearables devices, cloud, mobile 5G, social media, etc. Converging  Technologies are driving the creation of new products and services, disrupting, replacing established ones and increasing the demand for cross-disciplinary knowledge and skill sets. The level at which these skills will be required depend upon the size and complexity of the organisation. 

There are domain-specific digital skills requirements for professionals working in retail, hospitality, healthcare, accountancy, architecture, marketing, etc. For example, the following are identified digital-related healthcare skills and collaboration skills for effective working in healthcare teams.

- High-tech leadership skills to drive strategic digital technology-led healthcare innovation.

- Project planning skills for designing and delivering patient-centred digital healthcare solutions.

- Change management skills for engaging healthcare staff in introducing healthcare technology.

- AI and data analytics skills to support healthcare system decision-making and delivery.

- Regulatory compliance skills to ensure the quality and safety of digital healthcare technology.

Entrepreneurship and innovation are advanced skills needs. All organisations need strong management and project management skills with finance skills a particular requirement for SMEs. Talent management and Learning and development capability is essential for driving workforce development.

Organisations need High-Tech leadership Skills to assess the relevance and benefits of investing in and deploying new technology. This combines strategic leadership skills, high-tech savviness, business knowledge and people-centred technology insight to prepare the workforce for adopting new technology. This is against the challenge that despite advancements in new technologies, productivity growth in many OECD countries has slowed over the last decade, especially for SMEs.

                                                          High Tech Leadership skills 

Organisations that trade internationally require the right skills to compete in foreign markets including  market research, customer service, export marketing, logistics, foreign language proficiency and cultural awareness.

Addressing Workforce Skills Needs

Higher-skilled persons typically receive more training than low-skilled even though these need it most to sustain their employability. While two-thirds of Irish employees had their training needs systematically reviewed in the previous year, it is concerning that some 10% of workers rarely learn anything new. This mainly affects older and lower-skilled workers. 

Organisations can utilise apprenticeship programmes to deliver a supply of practical skills, including trades in the construction sector for which there is a high demand. Such training requires a constant supply of the right numbers and quality of skills to avoid skill shortages. The transition to a green economy requires new skills relating to renewable energies, energy efficiency, eco-construction, waste management, and carbon accounting.

Ageing and growing populations and the rising price of healthcare provision are driving the demand for health and social care skills. There are shortages of medical practitioners and nurses, both domestically and internationally. The World Health Organisation highlights the importance of increasing health workers' efficiency through digital technologies and modernising health education and training.

Larger firms are more able to organise and deliver upskilling/ reskilling themselves. Training for smaller firms may be delivered through employer-led enterprise networks and with education and training providers or professional training bodies. Complex training needs may be addressed off-site in simulated training centres such as the NIBRT Training  Centre for the Biopharma industry based in Dublin. SOLAS Skills to Advance programme and the Skillnet Network programmes are examples of initiatives that support employee upskilling.

The EU ERASMUS + programme supports the personal and professional development of students, trainees, and staff in the fields of education and training. It offers developmental opportunities to participants in higher education, vocational education and training and schools across the 27 EU countries. The ERASMUS+ mobility action is implemented through National Agencies, which in Ireland is Léargas, https://www.leargas.ie/.

An inclusive learning culture supports the development of the workforce at all levels. Workplace Learning Personas can be used to design relevant, engaging, and accessible learning content. These personas based on user insights can represent the different types of learners within an organisation, such as SME business owners, senior executives, professionals, older workers, women returners, young job seekers, and people with a disability. Personalised Learning Content can help address skill gaps for older and low-skilled workers. Large organisations may have a Learning Management System, which is a curated repository of training content, blogs, and videos that can be used to format course content and personalised learning.

Integrating different learning styles into training provision improves learning outcomes. Training formats can be made modular and flexible to fit work schedules. Relevant "nuggets of learning" can be developed, which learners can take at their own pace through blended learning. This facilitates the building up of "stackable" credentials towards a higher accredited qualification. Micro-credentials offer a flexible, targeted way to help people develop  skills for personal and professional development. There is scope for user-friendly digital technology and tools for teaching and learning. Immersive Technology training simulates experiences that are difficult to replicate in a working plant. Learners can practice and learn without risking exposure to hazardous materials, machinery, or dangerous situations. Proving practical relevant assignments post training can help embed the learning.  

Evaluation of Learning Impact
Evaluating the benefits of investment in learning and development helps secure senior management's buy-in. It can also inform how the training intervention may be improved. An assessment of learning development against the four levels of the Kirkpatrick training evaluation model – Reaction-Learning-Behaviour and Results can demonstrate the value of learning. It is essential to clarify the rationale for the training programme in advance and identify specific key indicators and metrics to measure their impact. Systems can then be put in place to collect and analyse the data. Both quantifiable and qualitative data are important. It is valuable to benchmark outcomes against those of similar training interventions in comparable organisations. 

Utilising the External Talent Supply

Inclusive recruitment practices draw upon a wide talent pool. Organisations can diversify their job search channels and consider altering their hiring practices to remove any existing biases against mid-career, persons with a disability and older job candidates for available positions. Screening and interview processes can take account of the strengths of this wider talent pool and hiring teams equipped to evaluate candidates accurately.

Skills profiling tools empower job seekers by giving them knowledge of those skills that enable them to move between jobs. Personal achievements may be recorded in a Portable Skills Portfolio, including work and life skills, training undertaken, formal and informal qualifications, voluntary experiences and testimonials from employers and colleagues.

Career and Job Changers

These are people who are currently employed in other organisations who may be thinking of a change in their careers or employers for various reasons.

Organisations that can offer greater career development opportunities, a culture of learning and development, interesting work, flexible work arrangements, competitive pay and benefits, and attractive working conditions will do best at attracting this source of talent. Organisations that can offer these will raise their reputation and brand as a attractive place to work where its employees are valued. 

Supply of New Graduate Entrants

The supply of graduates is a key source of new entrants. In the last year, 141,000 awards were made across the Irish Further Education and Training (FET) and Higher Education systems at various NFQ levels. SOLAS Education and Training Boards provide practical training for individuals to improve their employability. Graduates benefit from work experience placements to learn about the world of work and to develop critical thinking, teamwork, communications, and problem-solving skills.

• At second level education through career promotion activities such as Science Week and Young Scientist exhibition
• Offering work experience opportunities as through the Leaving Cert Applied at second level.  
• Providing role models in specific fields such as for encouraging more females in engineering, ICT and construction roles
• At third-level education through career talks at open days,  factory visits,  provision of work-experience opportunities, donation of equipment and expertise, teacher exchange placements, and updating of curriculum content.
• Upskilling and reskilling initiatives through the SOLAS Skills to Advance programme with SMEs and the HEA Springboard + programme.
• Participation in the delivery of training through the Apprenticeship and Traineeship systems and for PhD Researcher development in Artificial Intelligence, advanced materials and Bioengineering, networks and communications, energy, and biopharmaceuticals.

Unemployed Job seekers: In Ireland for example, the current number of unemployed persons is 128,500, most of whom (78%) are short-term unemployed (under one year). Many of these can transition quickly into employment with Public Service Employment support and/ or short-term training /education provision available through the SOLAS Educational and Training Boards and Springboard + programmes. 

Young Job Seekers: These often have less experience than job offers require. This is a barrier as they can only gain experience with a job. Organisations can benefit from hiring young job seekers and providing structured induction with mentoring and work experience. The current Youth Unemployment rate is 11.5% compared to the national rate of 4.5%. This represents some 45,300 young job seekers.

Migrants Workers and Refugees: Due to recent immigration inflow, Ireland has become a country of vibrant new communities. The EU Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion focuses attention on the importance of combining language training for migrants with developing other skills, recognising foreign qualifications, and understanding the laws, values, and cultures of the receiving society. SOLAS Education and Training Boards provide valuable English language training.

Women Returners Talent: Women returners comprise a valuable potential supply. They may have temporarily left employment for various reasons, including for career breaks and undertaking child and family caring responsibilities. Women Returner talent can be attracted back into employment with the right onboarding practices, upskilling support, and the offer of flexible working arrangements. Women network support at work is also helpful. 

Attracting International Talent: There is a pool of expatriate talent who wish to return to work and live in Ireland. International talent can also be drawn from across the EU through the EURES Ireland service , and from outside the EU through the Work Permit System. The proposed EU Talent Pool[11] aims to make the EU more attractive to third-world workers and will support the implementation of Talent Partnerships with non-EU countries. NARIC Ireland [12] provides advice on the academic recognition of a foreign qualification.

Collaboration between organisations and education and training bodies is essential for the design and delivery of relevant education and training programmes. These bodies include Higher Education institutions, SOLAS Education and Training Boards, Skillnet Business Networks, and the Public Employment Service- Intero. Financial support for employee upskilling is available through the National Training Fund. There is a potential to increase the level of this support. EU funding includes those drawn down by state agencies as well as the direct financing of EU programmes. Well-designed public employment and training can support the upskilling and reskilling of workers for alternative employment opportunities where job losses occur.

KeyTakeaways 

The Innovative Future Skilled Organisation - for the Intelligent Age model harnesses the complementary strengths of people and technology to generate growth and productivity improvements. Skills intelligence assessments are made. There is an investment in continuing lifelong learning that ensures all employee's skills are updated. The successful deployment of new technology is supported by high-tech leadership skills, the design of people and technology interfaces, workforce engagement, and reskilling/upskilling. Learning approaches address personalised learning needs. The introduction of High-Performance Workplace and Flexible working practices supports skills attraction and retention. Inclusive recruitment practices help draw upon a wider pool of talent. The effective engagement of organisations with Education and Training bodies at the regional and local level can support the development of relevant and responsive training  programmes aimed at employees and graduates.

Please cite this paper as: An Innovative Future Skilled Organisation - for the Intelligent Age, Gerard Walker,  Future Jobs-Skills- Work, Insights, Feb 2025