Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697803618839.pdf (Ireland)
Enterprise Ireland Opening Statement Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science 28th March 2023 Chair, Committee Members, I am Helen McMahon, Senior Strategic Policy Adviser, in Enterprise Ireland and I lead on the client skills area in Enterprise Ireland.
Enterprise Ireland welcomes the opportunity to present to the members of the Committee on the critical topic of the Future of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Irish Education and to outline the key priorities identified by Enterprise Ireland as essential to support enterprise development and the individual learners career journey.

Enterprise Ireland – Overview Enterprise Ireland’s purpose is helping Irish companies to start, grow, innovate and win export sales.
We work with internationally focused Irish enterprises across a broad range of sectors of the economy, with SMEs and larger companies, supporting them to strengthen their competitiveness and productivity, increase innovation, and realise their growth potential, contributing to employment and economic growth across all regions.

We also work with the network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices through our Centre of Excellence to support the growth of micro-enterprises across the country.
Enterprise Ireland’s Strategy for 2022-2024 is titled Leading in a Changing World.

Our mission is to accelerate the development of world-class Irish companies to achieve leading positions in global markets.

Central to this strategy is Enterprise Ireland’s commitment to support our client companies to address their skills and talent challenges.
In recent client surveys undertaken by the Enterprise Ireland and from our daily interactions with client companies, we are hearing that the most significant identified obstacle to growth is the availability of human capital and a skilled workforce, and this is particularly evident in the STEM skillsets.

Encouraging a responsive and agile education system is central to addressing the future skills needs of Irish owned companies and must be central to discussions on the Future of STEM in Irish Education.
Enterprise Ireland has identified the following priorities as essential areas for exploration: 1.

Enterprise Engagement: Direct engagement between education providers and Irish owned enterprises is critical to effectively address STEM skills needs, this should be supported by clear pathways for engagement, with dedicated enterprise liaison teams in the education institutions.

2.
2.

Evidence Based Decision Making: It is critical that decisions in relation to the future of STEM Education are informed by evidence-base skills data, which address regional and national skills gaps.

This will facilitate the development of targeted partnerships and skills interventions between industry, key stakeholders, and the education system.

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3.

Flexibility in the System: Funding models and programme design structures must be flexible, to effectively respond to future skills needs, demographic challenges and student demand.

Key to achieving this agile structure is the development of Micro Credentials and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), this supports ongoing workforce development and empowers the learner to take ownership of their career development and supports companies to develop talent attraction and retention strategies.

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4.

Diversity & Inclusion: Diverse and inclusive businesses are more innovative, creative, and dynamic, supporting diversity and inclusion is a key priority.

Creating further gender diversity in the student body should be a key focus in any strategy.

In addition, continued focus on access to and affordability of education for less privileged groups by virtue of socio-economic background, ability, ethnicity, or other factors must be a priority.

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5.

Technical & Cross-Functional Skills Needs: Multi-disciplinary teams that can work together cross-functionally will become increasingly important in the workforce.

Key to the successful growth of workforce development is embedding in-demand technical and transversal skills such as problem-solving, design thinking and teamwork, which will help future proof the supply of STEM skills in the economy.

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6.

Lifelong Career Guidance: Lifelong Career Guidance is critical to supporting learners throughout their career journey, encouraging upskilling and pathways of progression.

This supports building awareness of progression routes into STEM such as the critical role of apprenticeships and the opportunities for research talent.

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7.

Continual Professional Development: STEM education staff at all levels must be provided with continual professional development opportunities, particularly as skills, technology and education practices evolve.

8.

Unified Tertiary Education System: Lifelong learning is essential to sustain and develop a skilled workforce that can adapt and respond to changing skills needs.
To achieve this there must be clear and integrated pathways between Further and Higher Education to support pathways of progression.

In addition, it is imperative that all education providers are equipped with adequate infrastructure and technology that facilitates the delivery of high-quality STEM Education.

Conclusion Horizon Scanning and forecasting future STEM skills needs is critical to build a resilient workforce and respond to changing market needs.
It is essential that government policy and actions that relate to STEM Education such as Digital Strategy for Schools 2027, and the new National Strategy for Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy, must be progressed and aligned to avoid duplication of actions and support effective implementation.

I welcome any questions and would like to thank the Committee for the opportunity to talk with you today.