97. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on engagement between his Department, Cork Education and Training Board and employers in Cork North-West regarding skills shortages in sectors including construction, healthcare, agrifood, manufacturing and renewable energy; the new initiatives planned for the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37625/26]

My Department is working to ensure that education and training provision around the country, including north-west Cork, continues to respond to regional skills needs.

My Department supports a network of nine Regional Skills Fora to enable region-specific response to identified skills needs. The South West Forum plays a key role in facilitating structured partnerships between education providers, including Cork ETB, and enterprise. Cork ETB also works directly with employers to develop training aligned with identified skills needs, with many courses including work experience and options for people already in employment to upskill.

Cork ETB offers substantial provision in North Cork, particularly through its Mallow and Charleville campuses. This provision includes Post Leaving Certificate level 5 and 6 courses in areas including healthcare, computing and administration; construction programmes spanning from Safepass to carpentry and joinery apprenticeships; as well as Skills to Advance employee upskilling with employers spanning the agri-food, construction and hospitality industries.

More broadly, Cork ETB has a number of important initiatives addressing skills needs of strategic importance.

Cork ETB's Life Sciences Centre is an excellent example of an ETB working closely with local employers, and tailoring high quality provision to meet employer needs.

Ireland aims to deliver at least 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030, and my Department is leading a multi-faceted approach to build the skills base required to underpin a successful offshore wind sector. A key initiative is the National Offshore Wind Training Hub, which is being developed to support this objective. To be delivered in partnership with local partners including Cork ETB, the Hub will act as a focal point for offshore wind skills development in Ireland.

This will benefit from the lead role of Cork ETB and the NMCI in delivering the Irish input to the pilot Irish- Scottish offshore wind internship, which is currently underway.

In parallel, retrofit training is expanding under the National Retrofit Plan. Since 2022, over 1,900 learners have participated in Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) courses through Cork ETB’s NZEB Centre of Excellence alone.

In recent months, I have commenced a National Skills Roundtable forum. Following a plenary session in March, I am hosting sector specific gatherings of industry and education and training experts, to discuss relevant skills measures and gaps. I recently heard from the construction industry. I will be hosting a Roundtable on clean energy in November, with a focus on offshore wind. I know this will be of interest to many partners in Cork and I look forward to getting their input.

My Department will continue to work with Cork ETB and other stakeholders to support provision that is aligned with the skills needs of the Cork region.