New learning opportunity for SME senior managers

ISME (Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association) and IT Sligo have jointly launched the Certificate in Management Development, a new programme for Senior Managers in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The programme will commence in September 2008 and will run in Sligo, Dublin and Cork.

The Certificate was designed specifically to meet the management development needs of SMEs in Ireland and is highly flexible in terms of participation, with the emphasis on practical application in the company. It is also 70 per cent subsidised by FÁS which means it is excellent value as an investment in the future of any business.

Speaking at the launch, Pat Scanlon, Head of the Department of Business in IT Sligo, said: ‘We are delighted to work with ISME on this programme. The expertise and experience both parties bring are an ideal compliment to each other. We are bringing a highly practical and SME relevant programme which is academically certified to SMEs nationwide.’

Liz Carroll, Training and Development Manager of ISME, commented: ‘SMEs are a key element in the success of the Irish economy and it is their competitiveness which is essential. Unless Irish SMEs gain greater capability through training at management and functional levels, their ability to expand or maybe even stay in business will be severely curtailed. This programme aims to support SMEs in their development and improve their ability to compete.’

For further information on the Certificate in Management Development, contact ISME Training at training@isme.ie or 01 6622755.


Requesting training time set to be a legal right in the UK

Details of how up to 22 million workers in England will be able to utilise a new legal right to request time to train have been outlined by John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Speaking at the launch of a public consultation, entitled ‘Time To Train’, Mr Denham said he expected around 300,000 people a year to receive skills training who otherwise would not as a result of legislation that could be in place by 2010, subject to its successful negotiation of the English parliament.

Around one third of the UK’s employers do not train their staff and eight million receive no training at all. It is believed that making requests for training time a legal right will help ensure that all employers in the UK seriously consider training for their employees.

The UK government plans to spend over £3 billion on skills and training during the 2007/2008 period, rising to £3.6 billion by 2010.


Report: ICT sector in good health but skills challenges remain

The latest report by government skills body EGFSN (Expert Group on Future Skills Needs) has identified that despite recovering from the global downturn experienced in 2001, action is required to meet the skills needs of Ireland’s ICT (information and communication technology) sector.

The report found that demand for ICT skills is set to exceed domestic supply and that an increasing percentage of ICT jobs in Ireland require high level skills.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Chairperson of EGFSN Anne Heraty said: ‘Our challenge is three-fold; we need to boost the supply of high level graduates, upskill those already working in the sector and continue to attract highly skilled individuals through migration where necessary.’

The following are some of the recommendations to be found in Future Requirement for High-Level ICT Skills in the ICT Sector:
· Increased use of graduate internships and placement programmes that provide invaluable practical experience, in order to better prepare ICT graduates for the workplace
· Increased postgraduate training opportunities for students and ICT professionals, including the provision of more awards in specialised technologies and industries
· The development of more short term and part time courses in order to allow those working in the ICT sector to continue their professional development, upskill, retrain or specialise in a specific area of the industry.

Visit www.egfsn.ie for further details.