Address at Opportunities 99' Exhibition
I am delighted to officially open Opportunities '99 - Ireland's largest career, education and skills fair. Great credit is due to all at FÁS, and to the many exhibitors here, for this outstanding showcase. My congratulations to the FÁS team which put it all together, particularly to Greg Craig.
It is very gratifying to look around and see so many representatives from industry, the educational institutes, training agencies and placement and guidance organisations. I wish exhibitors and visitors every success.
The changing face of the Labour Market
The days of insular Ireland are well and truly over. Our relationships - whether economic, monetary, social or labour - are defined in large measure by an international context, especially the European Union.
There is no doubt that the social partnership agreements since 1987, have played a major part too in laying the foundation and setting the context for this country's phenomenal growth in recent years. Government, along with the other social partners, is challenged to nurture and develop that process, especially for our young people, and for all those who still remain on society's margins - particularly the long-term unemployed.
Much has been written and said in recent times about skills shortages, difficulties in filling vacancies, and a tightening labour-market situation. Statistical and anecdotal evidence in that regard cannot be lightly dismissed. Genuine problems do exist in certain employment categories and sectors. Opportunities '99 represents a positive response to that situation - particularly in the context of addressing some of the information deficiencies which, undoubtedly, are out there. Through initiatives such as this, labour supply is drawn to fill demand.
There is, however, the other side to the coin. There are almost 330,000 more people at work than 7 years ago. Returned immigrants constitute a factor, and so too does increased female participation. From the perspectives of those in education, in employment and, more especially in unemployment, opportunities now exist in Ireland on a scale and diversity previously unimagined.
Greater Focus on Training is needed
The fiercely competitive nature of business today, across all sectors, cries out for relevant and competent skills. To that end, the State plays a vital role - through the education system, through agencies such as FÁS, and through a wide variety of active labour market measures.
As part of that role, we have of course an obligation as well to respond to changing situations. The establishment of the Education and Technology Investment Fund, and the upgrading of RTC's to Institutes of Technology, constitute imaginative responses to future needs. Many other examples could be given, and I can assure this gathering that Government will continue to play its part.
But equipping the labour market with the necessary skills is not solely the duty of the State. Employers too have a vital contribution to make. This has been recognised by the National Competitiveness Council, which has called for a business-led approach, led by the social partners, to upgrade skills levels in Irish companies.
Today, the more enlightened employers have taken this on board, and commit ongoing investment to training and upskilling but, sadly, many still regard this as an unnecessary overhead. The key challenge remains to root ongoing training for life in the business mind. Certainly, the Government is very open to assisting the advancement of that aim, in whatever way is appropriate and most effective.
Developing Partnership in the Workplace
As this millennium draws to a close and a new one beckons, it is particularly apt to reflect for a moment on the changing nature of work. On New Year's Day, 1900, neither Government leader nor farm labourer could have imagined what lay ahead.
The accessibility of education as a right; the development of sophisticated social inclusion policies; the EURO; the globalisation of market places; the arrival of the technology age; indeed, the outstanding success of social partnership itself.
It is clear, even at this stage, that partnership at the workplace level will assume growing importance. The 'them and us' mentality is melting away, slowly but surely. Employees are seeking a greater recognition of themselves as participative stakeholders in the enterprise, and the more discerning employers see the sound business sense of that. Imaginative human resource management policies are an essential part of the process, and employee share option schemes are just one recent innovation. I believe that the changed nature of the Irish labour market, and the transformed workplace environment, will accelerate the drive for new ways of shaping the employer-employee relationship.
The challenges of the Information Age
Another key area of fast moving change is technology. The Information Society and the world of electronic commerce are already upon us. We have come through a period where a number of important bodies have made recommendations on how to implement this new age. We are now pressing ahead with that implementation.
The Information Society offers tremendous potential to enrich our society, providing instant access to information on an almost infinite range of subjects, and opening up new ways of providing services to the public. It is also bringing exciting and rapid change to the world of commerce, where technology is the enabler of commercial activity in the global marketplace.
I am determined that Ireland will play a leading role in these developments, and in the operation of that E-Commerce marketplace.
Clearly, we need to ensure that we are producing a workforce which is skilled in the new technologies, and the Government is committed to playing its part in meeting this need, in the years and decades ahead. This includes catering for "the technology users" and "the technology specialists". We are in the midst of a hugely exciting time in this area, and I believe that those who choose to pursue careers in the technology and communications sectors, will not be disappointed. The challenges are great, but so too are the potential rewards.
I would also like to mention, at this stage, that I am delighted to have been invited to launch a new Internet Site on behalf of the European Social Fund in Ireland. I will be doing that in just a few moments, at their stand here at the exhibition. The European Social Fund plays an important role in the labour market area. Between 1994 and 1999, the Fund will have transferred
IR£1.6 billion to Ireland, representing over one third of all EU Structural Fund transfers to Ireland. Indeed, many of the exhibitors here today receive valuable assistance from the Fund.
New Possibilities at Opportunities '99
Potential rewards constitute the main reason why exhibitors and visitors alike are here. I know that many of you here are returned immigrants. The skills and experience you acquired abroad, will certainly stand you in good stead here. And the hurdles overcome in a foreign land will always represent a reservoir of strength, in successfully meeting the challenges of the workplace environment in Ireland.
I know too that many of the visitors to Opportunities '99 have been without work for quite some time.
Agencies like FÁS and schemes such as Youthreach as well as colleges private and public are there to help the citizen find his or her feet. Further confidence for all, I am certain, can be drawn from the fact, that this period of exceptionally high economic growth offers unprecedented opportunities.
I understand that follow-up research from previous exhibitions indicates that thousands of people found new job positions as a direct result of visiting this employment and training showcase. Little wonder, then, that the Opportunities Exhibition has more than trebled in size since 1996.
I am reminded that the National Competitiveness Council called, inter alia, for a strengthening of the links between education and the world of work. The large number of educational and training organisations represented here, constitutes a powerful acknowledgement of the interdependent relationships between education, work, the well-being of society, and competitiveness.
Conclusion
I want to conclude with a special word of thanks to all involved with Opportunities '99 - those involved in its organisation; those exhibiting here; and, of course, those who visit. Great credit is due to everyone. May every one of your visitors get the Opportunity here that they are looking for.
Thank you.