The all-island skills conference, entitled Building Better Skills Together’, was launched by Tanaiste Mary Coughlan and the North’s Employment Minister Sir Reg Empey and was attended by the Republic’s Minister for Lifelong Learning Seán Haughey.

Top of the agenda was the importance of creating a suitably skilled workforce - tailored to the needs of employers, a key finding of a cross border think tank in a report entitled ‘All-Island Skills Study’.

Shared objective

Commenting on the publication of the report, Ms Coughlan said: “The importance of ensuring that we provide the necessary environment and supports to promote growth and to realise to the fullest extent the education and career potential of every individual is a shared objective of our respective administrations. I am particularly pleased, therefore, that co-operation in the joint review of the labour market of this island, and especially its skills development needs, has resulted in this All-Island Skills Study.”

Sir Reg Empey added: “Skills must be at the heart of any dynamic and innovative economy and this conference provides ample evidence that this message is supported at all levels throughout the island of Ireland.

“It is only with an appropriately skilled and flexible workforce can we support the growth of our indigenous industries and maintain levels of foreign direct investment that have benefited us all so much in recent years.”

Mr Haughey told the conference that ‘Ireland’s future development “is increasingly dependent on the skills and competencies of its workforce”.

“This conference is indeed historic as it is the first time that the key people who make and influence labour market policy, throughout this island, are gathered here together.”