National Skills Strategy Submission ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, is the only INDEPENDENT body representing owner managers

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1 National Skills Strategy Submission ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, is the only INDEPENDENT body representing owner managers of small & medium businesses in Ireland. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) constitute 99% of all businesses in Ireland, employ over 800,000, which equates to 68% of Private Sector employees and 52% of total employees. ISME welcomes this opportunity to submit views related to the National Skills Strategy SMEs form a very significant component of the Irish economy, in terms of employment, regional spread, contribution to the Exchequer, and the role they play in the social and enterprise infrastructure. In the years ahead, as Ireland continues towards a more knowledge-based economy, the importance of the SME sector will increase, and the vitality and dynamism of the sector must be supported, to ensure continued economic growth and high living standards throughout the country. Ultimately SMEs can play an even stronger role in Ireland s future economic growth and success create more new jobs and enjoy greater sustainability and longevity. It is therefore essential that any skills development strategy is fully cognisant of the key issues for SMEs and provides relevant supports to help overcome any barriers to engagement with skill development. SMEs form a very significant component of the Irish economy, in terms of employment, regional spread, contribution to the Exchequer, and the role they play in the social and enterprise infrastructure. In the years ahead, as Ireland continues towards a more knowledge-based economy, the importance of the SME sector will increase, and the vitality and dynamism of the sector must be supported, to ensure continued economic growth and high living standards throughout the country. Ultimately SMEs can play an even stronger role in Ireland s future economic growth and success create more new jobs and enjoy greater sustainability and longevity. It is therefore essential that any skills development strategy is fully cognisant of the key issues for SMEs and provides relevant supports to help overcome any barriers to engagement with skill development. DEVELOPING RELEVANT SKILLS RELEVANT SKILLS What do you consider to be the relevant skills for development in the period to 2025? There are many technical skills that will be relevant in the future but we have no idea now what they are as they don t exist currently. What is required is a flexible system to be able to introduce these new skills quickly and to a high standard. There are more generic skills which will be needed by all to cope with what is expected to be ever faster change flexibility, ability to learn, team working, commercial awareness, entrepreneurship. Interest and enthusiasm for the company they work for is a key attitude and a certain amount of resilience will also be required. These generic skills do not need to be taught but it is possible to develop them by how the learning is assessed and how assessment is structured. Do we have the right mix of initiatives to deliver the future needs of enterprise, the economy and society? ISME National Skills Strategy Submission Page 2.

2 What supports enterprise, supports the economy and assuming policies are correct, supports society. There may be additional societal supports needed but many of these would be outside the remit of DES. It may be more important to question the level of balance between the initiatives. Are some more heavily supported than others? Is this balance the optimum? Does it deliver the requirements? What are the long term ROIs of the different initiatives? How can employers and education and training providers work more effectively to identify and address skills needs and ensure the work readiness of learners? One of the key issues is the lack of clarity of what is available to employers and who to contact if interested in engaging with the provider (especially education providers). Even for those familiar with the provider systems it can be very difficult (or impossible) to find or be directed to the relevant person for a particular query. For those who have never been part of the particular system, e.g. third level education or FET, etc. it is not easy to find out what opportunities are there or who to talk to about what you are interested in. This can be made more difficult by the use of certain language by the providers that is not used or understood by an outsider. There are many ways employers could engage with education and training providers to identify and address skills needs and ensure work readiness of learners. They could: ce could use them as a live example for a project/thesis, e.g. develop a marketing plan for company x or other company improvement/development projects. However, there are very few employers who would know that this would be available to them and those who do probably don t know how to access these opportunities unless they already have a contact in a provider. Each provider is probably different in how this would work. Therefore, one point of contact is essential. This individual should be able to direct queries to the relevant person and should ensure that a timely response is given. (Academia and the world of business often work on different time scales both in relation to speed and academic holidays.) All opportunities that are available in each establishment should be easy to find out and a single point of contact should also be easily accessible. Most education and training providers are government funded and they need to realise that it is their responsibility to engage effectively with employers they are given taxpayers money to do this. Employers objectives are to run their businesses effectively. If this means engaging with training and education providers they will do it. However, it has to be easy to do and the time frame has to fit in with the employers time frame, otherwise it is not the most effective use of their time in managing their business. In an ideal world all providers would have the same system but this is unlikely to happen due to their autonomous nature. So without that in place, each establishment should have an employer section on their website. This should outline the benefits an employer can get from engagement with the provider, what this actually entails, i.e. what options for engagement are available, and who (one person) they should contact if they are interested in engaging with the provider. This person should be familiar with all offerings from the provider and be able to guide the employer to the correct ISME National Skills Strategy Submission Page 3.

3 person who will deal effectively with their query. They should also ensure that follow up is done in a timely manner. A query coming in June (when academics are on holidays) and being responded to in October, when the start of the new academic year is over, is not acceptable in the business world. In ISME, we respond initially to a query within 24 hours and then agree a suitable deadline for delivery. We recommend that providers commit to a similar policy in recognition of the fast-paced world of business. This does not mean that should queries come directly to a person who can deal with it, e.g. through an already established relationship, that they are automatically sent to the one point of contact. As relationships build then other routes can also be available. However, for first point of contact it is important that access is clear and simple. This can then feed in and be connected to the on-going work of the provider and the work of the regional fora. MEASUREMENT AND TARGETS. What indicators should be used to measure progress in the new Skills Strategy? Number employed (this should steadily increase) - % established ebsites what was the result, nonengagement not appropriate, lost due to time, lost due to attitude, lost due to lack of relevance, etc. also be measured depending on the type of contact, e.g. 5 work placements number of placement days (100), company project number of projects done and usability of the project by the company, etc. sults in place from time of initial contact. number of training/education days) LIFE LONG LEARNING How can we motivate more people to participate in life-long learning? What are the attitudinal and structural barriers to learning that needs to be overcome? The low percentage rate for lifelong learning in Ireland could be to do with the lack of understanding of the term by respondents and the lack of formal recognition for on the job training (whether through training in a skill, self-directed learning, learning by doing, coaching, mentoring, etc.), self-directed learning outside of a formal setting and learning from community, club and sporting activities. Research focused on the recognition of prior learning in Ireland found that: Of the 22 institutions who participated in the research, 14 estimated the numbers of applications for recognition of evidence of prior learning processed on an annual basis. For these 14 institutions the estimate of cases for the recognition of prior formal learning is approximately 1,300 in total and the estimate for cases of non-formal and informal learning is approximately 450 in total. ISME National Skills Strategy Submission Page 4.

4 (A current overview of Recognition of prior learning (RPL) in Irish higher education, Focused Research Report No , National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.) The above figures show that the RPL process is not assisting in the recognition of non-formal or informal learning. The process can be arduous and not seen to be worthwhile (both for the provider and the learner). This process needs to be simple and easily accessible. Sometimes it would be easier and quicker to sit an assessment for the competency/ies to be assessed than to put together the required portfolio. RPL needs to be fit for purpose or replaced by another system. What actions can be taken by employers to support and encourage increased participation in lifelong learning? for exams, study leave, etc. without impacting their holidays. em to allow formal recognition of on the job learning, which does not necessarily involve training providers. (Something similar to how this is done for apprenticeships.) What actions can be taken by education and training providers to support and encourage increased participation in lifelong learning? flexibility of provision (e.g. provide a certificate for each module successfully completed and a collection of these make up a qualification.) What actions can be taken by the State to support and encourage increased participation in lifelong learning? o increase Skillnets funding and decrease the level of matched funding requirement, o give added tax breaks for those who support employee formal education o allow Skillnets networks support individual participation in training and education, not just what the Skillnet provides, e.g. provide a level of grant to an employee participating in a masters programme that the company have approved. ts regarding employability, earning power, etc. to a wider audience. -formal learning. How can we give recognition to prior learning including skills acquired in work, home or community settings? yes/no dichotomy rather than a rating.) ISME National Skills Strategy Submission Page 5.

5 Identify what is best practice in this area What barriers need to be addressed in order to stimulate investment in training by Irish enterprises? employers often address an immediate felt need rather than looking at the long term. The training needs to be available where and when they want it. every day spent training is a loss in productivity for that day. This has a cost implication for the employer in the immediate term and possibly a service implication which can have other longer term knock on effects. More detailed evidence of the ROI for an employer. the training needs to be relevant, practical and immediately usable. If training can provide an immediate return, e.g. a marketing plan, increase speed in using Excel, etc., then an employer is more likely to invest in it. What barriers need to be addressed to encourage disabled people to engage with education and training? The Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities, identifies a number of barriers to be addressed regarding supports for employment. Many of these could also be addressed to encourage engagement with training and education, e.g. software to be able to use computers for the visually impaired, signer for the deaf, flexibility in delivery etc. for those with mental health problems. REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE How can the range of work place experiences be expanded, particularly in SMEs, to increase opportunities for learners to gain practical experience as part of their education and training programme? experience to them. place experience in one. experience works for all. provider, especially for the first placement offered.) companies. -ordinator of working in an SME and of having a work - REAP) so that the of contact in the ed by SMEs vs large SKILLS INFRASTRUCTURE Is the structure and architecture for the education and training system fit for purpose? These need to be improved: academic year is not always suitable for those in the workplace ISME National Skills Strategy Submission Page 6.

6 CPD of lecturers/trainers, etc. to ensure that their knowledge and skills are up to date, both as trainers/educators and in their area of specialism. Is there a need for greater collaboration particularly in the post-secondary sector to support learners to access learning opportunities and to meet the skills needs of employers? guidance would be beneficial. (Better understanding of their abilities and identification of interests would often be of benefit.) on route at all levels. For example, very few business owners who don t have an academic qualification (post level 6) would know that they would be able to do an MBA without having to do a degree first. More transparency is required. Then there is also a need for more assistance to be provided around assignment writing for those who do access such programmes without an academic qualification. This would mean a short session, maybe one hour and then detailed feedback on their first couple of assignments. (Ideally before they have to formally submit the assignment.) model, i.e. greater funding to encourage additional engagement and to increase the number of networks. How can we encourage the provision of a range of programme offerings by education and training providers that are relevant to learners and enterprise needs? What can institutions do to ensure their policies and practices are inclusive and open to people with disabilities and other under-represented groups? Communicate with their representative organisations and find out what would be the ideal. Over-education ndards of the past. It is generally thought that the results achieved by students today are not on a par with students in the past, i.e. that those with A1s in the Leaving Cert or firsts in degrees are not on a par with similar results in the past. tion of occupational standards and career paths so that it can be seen how people with FET qualifications can progress both educationally and in their career. How can education and training providers and employers work together more effectively to respond to the results of the Employer Survey to achieve greater satisfaction amongst employers in future with the skills of graduates? Introduce a single point of contact and promote the opportunities that employers have to engage with education and training providers. For example, there are many ways employers could engage with education and training providers to identify and address skills needs and ensure work readiness of learners. They could: ISME National Skills Strategy Submission Page 7.

7 students could use them as a live example for a project/thesis, e.g. develop a marketing plan for company x or other company improvement/development projects. ACTIVATION SKILLS SUPPLY What changes can be made to the approach to training and skills development to improve the employment prospects of people who are long term unemployed? to ease their way into participating in training and skills development and so may need to pace their engagement with the provider. How can the education and training system better engage with unemployed people with low levels of educational attainment? How can we encourage people with disabilities and other under-represented groups to return to education or to return to employment? What measures can be taken to improve the progression of young people from education and training as well as those not in education or training, including early school leavers to employment? o take the risk on employing someone without work experience, e.g. Jobs Plus continuation/expansion. Increase the support with the increased risk, either through financial means or by providing mentoring/coaching support for both the employee and employer. What can we do to facilitate and support the return of skilled Irish migrants in the coming years? work. How can we encourage older people to reskill and retrain and continue to participate in the labour market? What skills will they require? their current abilities and encourage development through recognition of achievements to date. How best can this reskilling and retraining be facilitated? ISME National Skills Strategy Submission Page 8.

8 Probably in a peer cohort. EFFECTIVE USE OF SKILLS What changes could be made to ensure that future skills needs of the economy can be anticipated and communicated most effectively to education and training providers, employers, students and those already in employment? Labour Market Research Unit). This work should be easily accessible. How can all stakeholders work more effectively to increase awareness of skills requirements and career opportunities among both school leavers and those already in the labour market? ss. How can the new network of Regional Skills Fora best contribute to the development of the skills base in each region? ing of employer engagement by the providers. ernal to the region. How can we ensure a better understanding of the skills that are available, for instance in creating a common understanding of language proficiency? How can we promote a more effective use of skills at work? In particular, how can managers be supported to identify effective work and organisational practices that make the best use of the skills available to them? Provide a template/tool for skills assessment and skills needs. One possibility would be to distribute this through the Skillnets networks and get them to train managers in carrying this out in the companies and provide a greater level of funding for companies who engage in this process. Funding would need to be provided for the training. How can this be best promoted among SMEs? management development. who engage in their own and their company s ISME National Skills Strategy Submission Page 9.

9 Positive role models. How can workplace learning be used more effectively to link training provision more closely to employer needs? that means it is therefore intrinsically relevant.) what is important. Training needs to focus on the doing rather than the ideas. What additional measures are required to support entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurship skills in Ireland? through forms of delivery and assessment and don t need to be in a formal class. delivery and assessment. How can SMEs be better supported and encouraged to engage with training? SMEs they should receive a higher percentage funding support than large companies.