Regional Skills Fora 2023 Insights

Ireland has an advanced skills policy ecosystem, driven out under the broad framework of the National Skills Strategy. The primary skills architecture includes the National Skills Council and a network of nine Regional Skills Fora (RSF), which were established in 2016.

Regional Skills Fora

The Regional Skills Fora foster engagement and collaboration by providing an opportunity for employers and the education and training system to work together to meet the emerging skills needs of their regions. This involves identifying, interrogating and validating skills needs, while acting as an impartial broker to ensure that employers are linked to the right places to get responses they need. The Fora also provide valuable bottom-up information and insights to ensure that Ireland has a skills agenda, at national level, which is evidence-informed and serves its purpose for people across the country.

The primary objectives of the Regional Skills Fora are to provide:

• a single contact point in each region to help employers connect with the range of services and supports available across the education and training ecosystem
• more robust labour market information and analysis of employer needs to inform national skills policy and new programme development
• greater collaboration and utilisation of resources across the education and training system and enhancement of progression routes for learners
• a structure for employers to become more involved in promoting employment roles and opportunities for career progression in their sectors