A highly educated workforce with skills to meet the current and future needs of employers is a key differentiating factor in Dublin’s economic offering. This has evolved over many decades, spurred by the efforts and activities of multiple organisations – including Local Authorities.
Fingal County Council has been a driver in this sphere, developing the first Local Authority Skills Strategy in the country in 2019. Significant change has occurred in the intervening period and the Council has recently developed and launched a re-vamped Skills Strategy to 2029.
This strategy has been developed in collaboration with multiple stakeholders, and has been informed by several key factors, including:
- Engagement with the European Union Interreg Project SKYLA to inform best international practices;
- Broad-based consultation, including with the county’s dedicated Skills Strategy Implementation Group (SSIG);
- Surveys and engagements with local employers and unions; and
- Forecasting of skills demand and supply, and associated ‘skills gaps’ to 2029.
In terms of the latter, and as shown in the chart, significant gaps are forecasted to arise in several sectors. These notably include the wholesale and retail trade (a net requirement for 1,800 people per annum), industry (1,400) and human health and social work (1,300).
Annual Net Requirement by Sector (2024-2029)
In order to address such ‘gaps’, and prepare the Fingal labour force for a future in what is a rapidly evolving economic environment, the new iteration of the county’s Skills Strategy has been developed. The Strategy has been informed by the above factors and also reflects ‘megatrends‘ which will be influential in terms of skills needs in Fingal in the years ahead. These include:
Building on the guidance which the Future Fingal: Economic Development Strategy and Fingal Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) have provided, the 2024-2029 Skills Strategy sets out five key pillars to target in the years to 2029. They are:
- Access to real time labour market intelligence: To better understand Fingal’s labour market, and specifically identify existing and emerging skills needs.
- Sector skills support: To target skills needs in priority sectors, ensuring adequate learning and development pathways are established to meet sectoral skills demand.
- Increasing awareness: To increase awareness of available skills supports and provisions across the county through targeted marketing and communication.
- Improving labour market participation: To unlock a wider talent pool by increasing labour market participation and supporting people to enter employment.
- In-work progression: To support upskilling and reskilling needs and the continuation of lifelong learning, supporting access to skills development initiatives.
Through ongoing collaboration with our partners from across the economic and education landscapes, Fingal County Council will continue to innovate and pursue initiatives to further enhance the skills offering in the Dublin region. This includes the annual ‘Xplore Your Future’ Transition Year Expo, and the empowering of sectoral sub-groups to pursue specific measures which are tailored to local needs.
The Fingal Skills Strategy provides a focal point for the future development of the Fingal talent pipeline – and is a stimulant for the betterment of the wider labour market in the Capital.
Future Fingal: Fingal Skills Strategy 2024-2029 is accessible at www.fingal.ie
Director of Economic, Enterprise, Tourism & Cultural Development, Fingal County Council.
