Ireland’s Tech Industry Needs to Prioritise Upskilling - Skillnet Ireland

Chairman of MIDAS Ireland, says Ireland’s tech industry needs to prioritise upskilling if it is to remain globally competitive

Ireland may harbour some of the world’s leading technology companies but if we don’t address the growing skills gap, we may lose our ability to continue to compete on a global scale, according to one of Ireland’s leading technologists in the ICT sector.

Leonard Hobbs, the Chairman of MIDAS Ireland, said that while Ireland’s advancement in the electronic systems sector continues to be at the forefront of global technologies for now, it is clear that more needs to be done to encourage Irish tech companies to upskill their existing workforces and promote electronic engineering as a viable employment option, if Ireland is to remain internationally competitive.

“Electronic devices are so entrenched in our everyday lives they are literally unavoidable – whether it’s phones, Bluetooth devices, fitness monitoring apps or household appliances; if it has an electronic current running through it, it has been designed, built and manufactured by an electronic engineer.”

“But due to the lack of experienced electronic engineers in Ireland, we know many of our members are recruiting overseas to help fill the widening skills shortage.

That is why we and Skillnet Ireland have been working closely together with some of Ireland’s leading tech companies, such as; S3 Group and Intel to help identify what specialist skills they need to strengthen their existing workforces and provide them with effective training solutions.”

One of the first successes of this collaboration between Skillnet Ireland and MIDAS Ireland has been the capacity to bring the internationally acclaimed Professor Behzad Razavi, Director of the Communication Circuits Laboratory at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to Ireland to deliver a specialist electronics course to over 60 of Ireland’s top electronic engineers at UCD this week.

Skillnet Ireland, Chief Executive Paul Healy applauded the ingenuity of the new MIDAS Electronic Systems Skillnet and encouraged more technology companies to take advantage of these types of staff development opportunities which is key to future proofing businesses, no matter the size.

“We’re very excited to welcome Professor Razavi to Ireland, so he can share his expert knowledge with the country’s top electronic engineers. Skillnet Ireland works with over 500 tech companies providing over 300 programmes designed to upskill experienced staff within the technology sector, and strengthen the capacity of these companies to compete nationally and globally.

“With over seven Skillnet Networks supporting the ICT, Software, Fintech, Animation and Aerospace sectors, Skillnet Ireland are well placed to support the technology sector to develop the talent needed for business success.

“Our mission is to facilitate increased participation in enterprise training and workforce learning in Ireland. We work closely with over 15,000 employers annually to design tailored training programmes to ensure that your business has the skills it needs to thrive. Currently, Skillnet Ireland provides a wide range of valuable learning experiences to over 50,000 trainees.”

Pictured left to right: James O’Riordain, Chief Technology Officer at S3; Professor Behzad Razavi, Director of the Communication Circuits Laboratory at UCLA and Paul Healy, Skillnet Ireland Chief Executive

If you would like your organisation to grow and succeed, get in touch with Skillnet Ireland and avail of a wide range of funding, supports and training services to assist your team.

Article originally appeared on the Skillnet Ireland website. Click here to read

Article Published: 28/06/2018