Upskilling is key to keeping ahead of the jobs market

First the good news: Ireland’s economy is growing. According to the Hays Salary and Recruiting Trends Guide, a huge 79 percent of Irish businesses expect to increase activity in 2016 and 86 percent plan to recruit over the next year. There’s good news for graduates too – 58 percent of all honours degree graduates find employment immediately after college. The increase in jobs opportunities has also meant that Irish emigrants are returning home – around 1,000 every month according to the Central Statistics Office.

Now the bad news: Irish employers are suffering severe skills shortages, particularly in the technology and construction sectors, both of which are booming. In 2015, Ireland’s IT sector grew by 15 percent, and as tech companies expand their Irish operations, the demand for employees is only expected to increase. An impressive 738 jobs were added to Ireland’s tech sector in a single week this May. A further 1,100 tech jobs were announced in June.

IT, construction and finance are the most competitive sectors in Ireland. Employees in these industries have found their salaries increasing rapidly as companies are eager to hold on to staff. On average, salaries in these industries increased between 5 and 10 percent last year. That’s far in excess of the 2.5 percent increase just over a third of Irish employees received in 2015; others saw their salaries increase by less than this, remain the same, and in some cases, decrease.

The skills shortage is an opportunity for anyone considering changing career. There are now far greater options for anyone looking to return to education, with more part-time and evening courses available than ever before. Irish colleges and universities have been increasingly focusing on “lifelong learning”, a key education area aimed at adult learners. Furthermore the government has committed to upskilling. The National Skills Strategy, published earlier this year, aims to double the number of people upskilling by 2025.

Finding the right course has never been easier either. The Which Course Virtual Week, Ireland’s first online educational event, takes place this September. Which Course Virtual Week has grown out of the successful Which Course Expo, which has run at the RDS in Dublin since 2007. For the first time, the educational fair will take place as an online event. Like a traditional educational fair, students can collect prospectuses and course details, and they have the opportunity to meet with educational institutions, talk through their study options, and enrol in a course.

Which Course Virtual Week takes place from Monday 12th to Saturday 17th September. Over the course of the event there will be a series of talks by educational experts, career coaches and industry insiders at the virtual Seminar Zone. In addition, prospective students will also be able to make an appointment with a professional development coach and avail of free expert career advice at the Career Clinic. Which Course Virtual Expo, the Seminar Zone and the Career Clinic are absolutely free of charge for all prospective students.