Workforce Development

The community and voluntary sector workforce is on the frontline of service delivery and advocacy work across Ireland, in areas such as developing disability services, extending childcare provision, and providing appropriatehousing.

The community and voluntary sector workforce is on the frontline of service delivery and advocacy work across Ireland, in areas such as developing disability services, extending childcare provision, and providing appropriate housing.

The skills of this workforce are the solid foundation on which the social infrastructure of community life in Ireland rests and are central to the delivery of a significant proportion of public services. These skilled workers have demonstrated their capacity, innovative potential, and commitment over decades.

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OECD review

The OECD review of the National Skills Strategy , published in 2023, identifies the sector as a significant stakeholder in the national skills agenda.

This echoes a previous report by Indecon that found investment in training within the nonprofit workforce in Ireland is low when compared to other sectors in the Irish workforce and to nonprofit sectors in other countries, notwithstanding a return of nearly €3 in productivity gains for every €1 spent in upskilling supports.

Recent developments

Government has recently recognised the significant benefit to investing in reskilling and upskilling in the sector, with a welcome increase in National Training Fund (NTF) investment under the Skills Package of €800,000. To ensure long-term impact, we recommend

  • ongoing support and resourcing for training and skills across the sector, as well as enabling organisations to respond to the challenges posed by AI and other technological advancements.
  • establishment of a National Skills Observatory, supported by the NTF, which will collate and distribute reliable and recent data on skills across the entire Irish workforce, including the community and voluntary workforce, and support the timely development and investment in responses to these emerging needs.

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