Clare companies are taking up opportunities for training and up-skilling of staff to meet business needs, helping with such issues as Brexit.
Figugures from the annual report of Skillnets, the national agency responsible for funding and supporting over 60 learning networks nationwide, reveal that the number of businesses accessing subsidised training in Clare grew by 42%, with over 565 businesses investing in their staff across a range of sectors.
Across Ireland, over 14,000 businesses are investing in their staff across a range of sectors. Ninety-two percent of the member companies that benefited from investment in training through Skillnets in 2016 were SMEs.
“The development and retention of skilled talent is critical to the competitiveness and growth of the Irish economy and to the firms that underpin it” according to Skillnets chairman, Brendan McGinty.
“2016 was a positive year for Skillnets, €25.9m was invested in learning and development through Skillnets networks with member companies committing €12.8m, and a co-investment from Skillnets of a further €13.1m. A growing demand for the Skillnets offering was evident with over 50,000 trainees participating across all of our programmes. A greater investment in the up-skilling of our enterprise leaders and employees will be a central component of our response to the challenges within our economy, including Brexit. Skillnets is well positioned to assist with this challenge,” he said.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.