Today, jobs and careers rarely follow a straight path. People move between roles and industries more often than previous generations. Companies are responding by focusing on hiring people with the right skills, rather than a specific degree or qualification.
As part of this, microcredentials, stackable qualifications, and partnerships between businesses and education providers have become central to how companies plan in a tight labour market.
“There are skills shortages right across the board,” says Meadhbh Costello, senior policy executive at Ibec, responsible for education, skills and innovation.
“We recently completed a survey of skills gaps in industry, and every sector is facing labour and skills shortages. These are undermining the performance of their business. Around seven in ten companies are facing recruitment problems, and eight in ten report missing skills in their business. We predict that competition for talent will increase in the coming five years.”
RM Block
The gaps are felt everywhere, from retail and hospitality to logistics, ICT, engineering and professional services, with digital and artificial intelligence skills particularly in demand.
While recruitment is part of the story, many businesses are tackling the challenge head-on through training and upskilling.
“The majority of businesses are investing in upskilling their workforce,” Costello says.
“They ensure employees have the support and skills they need to do both their existing job and the new tasks required of them.”
Jenny Hayes, head of the Ibec Academy, stresses the practical side of professional development. The Ibec Academy runs more than 200 courses a year, from half-day workshops to 12-day diploma programmes.
“We partner with companies and really get to know them,” says Hayes.
“Once we understand a company and its business, our role is to match the right expertise to the right organisation. Because we advise companies every day, we bring that real-world experience directly into our learning. Our programmes are practical, relevant and case study driven. They are designed to meet what customers need.”
Popular courses at Ibec include employment law, occupational safety and health, and a short course called influencing skills and personal impact.
Customised programmes, built specifically for individual companies, account for much of the academy’s work.
“We also run sector-specific programmes,” says Hayes.
“For example, we deliver programmes in the healthcare sector within hospital settings, working directly with those organisations.”
Mary Collins, a chartered psychologist and senior executive development specialist at RCSI, says that lifelong learning is a must.
“Lifelong learning is no longer just a ‘nice to have’. It is not about one or two days off-site; learning must be integrated into daily workflows through on-the-job training, coaching and mentoring,” says Collins.
“In RCSI, there is significant interest in microcredentials. People are looking for shorter, more focused, accredited learning opportunities. Stackable microcredentials allow learners to build credits towards, say, an MSc or BSc over time.”
In practice, that means employees can keep developing without stepping away from their jobs, and employers can respond quickly to new skills demands.
For Generation Z, the newest addition to the workforce, Collins says that education and training are often about “the three Cs.”
“The first is curation. Gen Z are very good at gathering data but need support around critical judgment and analysis and knowing what to prioritise.
“The second is communication: emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, social awareness, and the ability to have and manage difficult conversations.
“The third is connecting at a human level. This generation reports lower levels of stress tolerance, so supporting mental health and wellbeing, and developing strong human connections, is essential.”
Costello, meanwhile, stresses the importance of employers mapping their skills gaps.
“It is important to ensure that upskilling and reskilling programmes align with broader company strategies, identifying priority areas such as digital, AI and green skills,” she says. “This requires buy-in from senior leadership to recognise lifelong learning as crucial, including for resilience as we enter a more uncertain economic landscape.”
Costello says cost and time are the biggest barriers for both companies and employees. “The more we can provide national programmes that are free at the point of access – such as microcredentials, some of which are heavily subsidised through Solas and Springboard – the more we can address the cost issue. Flexible delivery, part-time study and online learning help employees fit training around work commitments. Ibec is also lobbying for a national training voucher scheme through the National Training Fund to help tackle both direct and indirect costs.”
Hayes says that the academy is well-placed to deliver the training employers and employees need. For smaller companies, which often struggle to invest in digital and AI skills, structured learning programmes can level the playing field.
“Within Ibec, we have in-house expertise in industrial relations, employment law and health and safety. When we deliver training on handling workplace issues, such as grievances or disciplinary processes, the information we provide is grounded in the practical experience of advising companies every day. Some of our courses even bring participants to the Labour Court and the WRC [Workplace Relations Commission] as part of the learning experience.”
Whatever the sector, the message is clear: embedding lifelong learning into company culture is essential. Flexible, practical, accredited learning is no longer optional – it is the key to staying competitive in a workplace where technology and talent needs evolve faster than ever.
“Employers need to understand their current skills base, align development with strategy, secure senior leadership buy-in, and integrate learning into day-to-day workflows,” Costello says.
“The organisations that thrive will be those that treat talent not as a fixed asset to be acquired, but as a capability to be continually developed.”
