In the past six years, more than 600 companies and more than 1,500 senior executives have developed strategic skills plans for their businesses by participating in the Spotlight on Skills programme. Developed by Enterprise Ireland in partnership with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and the Regional Skills Forums, Spotlight on Skills is delivered by the Irish Management Institute (IMI).
The initiative has three main objectives, according to programme manager Robyn Cosgrove. “The first is to give Enterprise Ireland client companies the opportunity to develop strategic workplace skills development plans,” she says. “The second is to empower companies to have a voice in the skills development ecosystem. And, thirdly, it gives them the opportunity to influence national and regional skills policy.”
The programme is run online, for the most part, and supports companies in identifying and addressing critical skills needs, building capability and achieving strategic growth.
“There is huge competition for talent at present and it’s heating up,” says Cosgrove. “It’s getting more difficult for companies to attract and retain the right talent. The Spotlight on Skills programme helps companies to put strategic plans in place and align them with the strategic priorities for the business. The plans are dynamic and can be updated over time as circumstances change.”
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The programme begins with a half-day online strategy clarification workshop. This helps to clarify the company’s strategic ambitions and priorities, and identify the organisational capabilities that need to be put in place to achieve those goals.
The next element is the critical skills workshop. Again, this is a half-day session conducted online. During the workshop, participants identify their critical skills needs, identify solutions to skills requirements and produce a company skills plan.
“Companies often don’t know what their skills needs are,” says Cosgrove. “They might have some idea at a very basic level, but they haven’t really thought about it before they join the programme. It provides an opportunity for senior leadership teams to look at where the company is going, map out the skills needed to get there and identify the gaps. They can use that to put the skills plan together.”
That is followed up by a one-to-one meeting between the participating companies and their IMI skills consultant to fine-tune and validate the skills plan. Further support is provided by Regional Skills Forum managers who can connect companies with relevant educational and training providers.
The nine Regional Skills Forums bring employers and the education and training system together to identify and meet emerging skills needs in their regions. The innovative and partnership-driven structure ensures that the responses developed are tailored to the unique skills needs of each region. The approach recognises that each region is different and therefore seeks to craft creative and tailor responses in ways that work for the region.
“The Regional Skills Forums help companies to navigate the wider skills ecosystem in the different regions,” Cosgrove explains. “There are so many supports out there and the Regional Skills Forum managers help companies to find the right ones and connect them with the right people. They connect them to relevant skills programmes available to them, like micro-credentials, apprenticeships, Skillnet Ireland programmes and so on. They also help companies to engage with education and training providers in the regions.”
The programme also gives participants the chance to have their voice heard in shaping the skills-development offering in their region. “We gather data from participants on their skills needs and gaps and feed that back into national and regional policy,” says Cosgrove. “Companies are also able to influence the development of new programmes and learning opportunities that will meet their specific needs.”
Peer learning among participants is another benefit. “Participants have said that learning from other participants has been really helpful,” says Cosgrove. “Seeing that other companies have the same problems and how they are looking for solutions to them is really powerful.”
“Participating in Spotlight on Skills helped us translate a complex technological opportunity into a concrete skills strategy, giving us clarity on the capabilities needed to innovate and grow,” says Rolando Cedeño, co-managing director of EsmarkFinch.
“By connecting us into the wider skills ecosystem – and enabling targeted engagement with our Regional Skills Forum manager – we were able to access the right training supports across leadership, ICT, mechatronics and automotive technologies. This focus on critical skills has helped us navigate change more effectively and has been instrumental in our significant growth in revenue and jobs in recent years.”
Spotlight on Skills is fully funded by Enterprise Ireland. To learn more about participating on the programme contact your Enterprise Ireland client adviser.
