A Community and Voluntary Sector Voice on the National Skills Council
The Wheel joined the National Skills Council (NSC) as the representative of the Community and Voluntary Pillar in September 2024. This is the first time that the community and voluntary sector has had a seat on this important forum.
The National Skills Council provides expertise from across society to advise Government on skills policy in Ireland. Through our representation on the Council, we aim to highlight the needs and priorities of community and voluntary organisations. We have a particular focus on the skills and training requirements of the almost 300,000 people who are employed in our sector, and the 1 million people who regularly volunteer to support their communities.
The current Council has met 5 times since September 2024. Topics for discussion have included the collection and analysis of skills-related data, the use of the National Training Fund, Regional Skills Fora, and Transversal skills.
In July the Council published its first advice to Government. This note, entitled Skills Matter, contains a range of strategic priorities including:
The establishment of a National Skills Observatory to act as a central source for skills data and research
Providing a vision for the use of the National Training Fund to meet the needs of employers and the lifelong learning agenda
Mainstreaming Micro-credentials in order to promote more flexible learning pathways
Over the coming months, the Council will carry out a mapping exercise which will identify the main elements of the national skills infrastructure and key stakeholders.
The next phase of the Council’s work will prioritise the following areas:
Basic skills, including literacy, numeracy and digital literacy
AI Skills
Lifelong learning
SME skills needs
If you have an interest in skills and training, and how the community and voluntary sector can contribute to this important national agenda, then please get in touch directly with Mairead O’Connor, our representative who sits on the Council – mairead@wheel.ie
Watch out for updates and further opportunities to engage with this work over coming months!