Minister Lawless meets Ibec to discuss skills and innovation in face of global uncertainty
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From: Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
- Published on: 29 April 2025
- Last updated on: 29 April 2025
Minister James Lawless TD has met with Ibec for a roundtable discussion on how our higher education, research and skills infrastructure can be used to tackle key challenges facing Irish business in an era of increasing geopolitical uncertainty.
Addressing the meeting, Minister Lawless said:
“It is an opportune time to take stock of where we are in terms of future readiness, given the recent threat of US trade measures, and what that might mean for the economy.
“We are fortunate to have a responsive, agile and flexible skills ecosystem. For the last twenty-five years, the National Training Fund has been a strategic national asset for reskilling and upskilling of our existing workforce.
“Our proven ability to meet emerging challenges is a key tool in mitigating against economic shocks, and boosting Ireland’s competitive advantage. Ibec is a key partner in supporting Ireland’s economic stability, not least through their partnership on this workforce development agenda.
“I’d like to acknowledge the tremendous work that Ibec does to increase understanding of the strategic importance for enterprise of skills for growth, productivity and innovation. This makes Ibec a very important partner in the skills ecosystem. I look forward to building on this relationship as we navigate uncertain territory and constantly shifting landscapes.”
Ibec is a member of the National Skills Council which is a demand-led structure, capturing the voice of enterprise in development of skills and labour market policies. They are also represented on each of the nine Regional Skills Fora, which bring together enterprise with education and training providers to address skills issues at local level.
Ibec is also a member of the National Apprenticeship Alliance which plays an important role in the delivery of the Government’s commitments in fully embedding apprenticeship in the national education and training system.