Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) - Ireland (Ratification: 1979)

Articles 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the Convention. Formulation and implementation of education and training policies. Cooperation with the social partners. The Government reports that significant progress has been made towards meeting the objectives set out in the National Skills Strategy adopted in 2007, “Tomorrow’s Skills – Towards a National Skills Strategy”, produced by an expert group on future skills needs, with the aim of attaining a well-educated and highly skilled population for the period up to 2020. The Committee notes that a new National Skills Strategy 2025 was launched in January 2016, with the objective of providing an education and training system that is flexible and innovative enough to respond to a rapidly changing economy and society and to provide the right mix of skills needed now and in the future. The goals of the new Strategy include increased engagement in lifelong learning. As part of the new national skills development architecture, the Government refers to the establishment of the National Skills Council, and the new mandate of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), whose role is to research and identify skills needs. The Government indicates that the EGFSN’s findings have been reflected in the Irish education and training system strategies adopted in recent years, as well as in the country’s enterprise policy framework. The National Skills Strategy 2025 is closely aligned with broader government policies, including: Enterprise 2025; the Action Plan for Jobs; Pathways to Work 2016–2020; the Action Plan for Education 2016–2019; and the Further Education and Training Strategy 2015–2019, which focuses on delivering quality vocational education and training that meets employers’ needs. In addition, the Further Education and Training (FET) sector has undergone reforms to include labour market-focused programmes as well as programmes to promote social inclusion. In this regard, the Committee notes the establishment of 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in 2013, which are tasked with the delivery of primary, post-primary and further education. The Committee further notes a series of further education and training programmes provided by the Government, including: the Youthreach programme, which provides two years of integrated education, training and work experience for unemployed early school leavers with no qualifications or vocational training for persons in the 15–20 age bracket; the Skillnet Ireland programme which enables enterprise-led training; the ICT Skills Action Plan 2018–2026, which establishes a framework for meeting the future skills needs of Ireland’s growing technology sector. The Committee also notes the establishment of the Apprenticeship Council in 2014, which is responsible for the expansion of apprenticeships in Ireland, as well as the “Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland 2016–2020”, published in January 2017, under which SOLAS is currently reviewing pathways to participation in apprenticeships for under-represented groups. In its observations, the Congress of Irish Trade Unions (ICTU) indicates that the ETB Act 2013 abolished the previous system of ensuring balanced representation of the social partners through the Vocational Education Committees. The ICTU also observes that the Government plans to give business and industry a greater say in the strategic direction of education policy and spending in the context of a new five-year “human capital initiative” for higher and further education. The ICTU expresses the view that these measures are not in conformity with Article 5 of the Convention, which requires policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training to be formulated and implemented in cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated detailed information on the vocational guidance and training policies and programmes adopted and implemented and on their contribution to achieving the objectives of the Convention, particularly the promotion of access to education, training and lifelong learning, including for under-represented groups. It requests the Government to provide information on the nature and extent of the apprenticeship programmes, particularly for under-represented groups. The Committee further requests the Government to provide information on measures taken to coordinate education, training and employment policies, as well as on the involvement of employers’ and workers’ organizations in the formulation and implementation of such policies and programmes, particularly through the ETBs.

Articles 1(5) and 3. Specific categories of persons. The Committee notes with interest the measures taken by the Government to promote equality and social inclusion in vocational education and training. The Government refers to the third National Access Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (2015–2019), which identifies target groups that are currently under-represented in higher education, including persons from socio-economic groups with low participation rates in higher education, students with disabilities, first-time mature student entrants, part-time/flexible learners and further education award holders. The Committee notes that the vision of the national access plan is to ensure that the student body participating in higher education at all levels reflects the diversity and social mix of Ireland’s population. The Government also reports on the adoption of the Employee Development Policy Framework – “Supporting Working Lives and Enterprise Growth in Ireland” – in 2018, which seeks to develop the skills of persons belonging to disadvantaged groups in the Irish workforce and supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that need assistance to invest in and develop their workforce. In addition, the Government refers to the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015–2024. The Government also reports that the key theme of the Department of Justice and Equality’s National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017–2020 is to promote equality for women and girls across all areas of life, including in education and in the workplace. The Strategy aims to improve access to education, training and employment opportunities for Traveller and Roma women by including actions in the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy 2017–2020 in support of initiatives in relation to education and employment, including community-based support for the retention of Traveller and Roma children in the education system. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed up-to-date information on the vocational guidance and training measures targeting specific categories of persons with the aim of increasing their participation in education and employment. The Committee further requests the Government to provide detailed up-to-date information, including statistics disaggregated by sex and age, on the results of such measures, including the number of beneficiaries and the impact of the measures in promoting access to opportunities for lasting employment.