National Skills Council

The National Skills Strategy 2016-2025 (NSS) recommended the establishment of the National Skills Council (NSC). The Council was established in April 2017 by the then Department of Education and Skills as an advisory, non-statutory body made up of high-level officials from public and private organisations.

In 2021, the OECD was contracted by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) to carry out a review of Ireland’s National Skills Strategy, and the associated skills architecture, including the NSC. In May 2023, the OECD published its subsequent report: OECD Skills Strategy Ireland: Assessment and Recommendations.

Following reform completed on foot of recommendations from the Report, the National Skills Council resumed its activities in its new form.

Minister O’Donovan launches revolutionary partnership on skills with the establishment of the new National Skills Council

Minister O’Donovan welcomes first meeting of the new National Skills Council

The National Skills Council is now an advisory, non-statutory body made up of high-level representatives from Irish industry, social partners and main non-governmental stakeholders. As the primary national partnership platform, the Council follows a demand-led approach and works to provide the Minister and Government with independent strategic advice to effectively shape policy responses aligned with labour market needs.

By providing demand-led expertise - based on current, first-hand experience of how things work on the ground - the NSC plays a vital role in shaping and delivering skills and workforce development policies to effectively enhance Ireland’s lifelong learning performance through reskilling and upskilling, while also addressing the many ongoing challenges presented by demographic change, digitisation and sustainability.

The National Skills Council’s Terms of Reference can be found below. It is a dynamic record and can be edited subject to Council’s agreement.

The National Skills Council is now a broadly representative partnership made up of :

• 8 enterprise representatives from different sectors/sized organisations,
• 4 representatives of the social partners nominated by ICTU, IBEC, ISME, and the Community and Voluntary Sector,
• 2 skills experts, one of which is an academic expert on transversal skills, and the other a labour market skills expert

and is chaired by an enterprise representative.

Biographies of the Chairperson, Dr Kevin Marshall, and Council members can be found here.

The NSC is supported in its work by the High Level Skills Implementation Group (HLSIG), which was established in 2023 and has been tasked with the delivery of whole-of-government and whole-of-tertiary engagement on national skills policy. The HLSIG is composed of ex officio representatives from Government Departments and Agencies and is chaired by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Skills. It provides policy expertise and operational support to the National Skills Council as needed.

Organisations represented on High Level Skills Implementation Group

Additional subject matter experts from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science may periodically join meetings of the HLSIG.

National Skills Council meeting documents

Previous meeting documents

National Skills Council meeting documents 2018 - 2023