Education and Training Provision
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-02
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Tony McCormack (FF), Offaly

One of Ireland's greatest competitive advantages has always been the quality of the people. Increasingly, however, international investors are looking at not only educational attainment but how quickly a country's workforce can adapt to technological changes and acquire new skills. With AI, as we talked about earlier, transforming almost every sector of our economy, lifelong learning is becoming an increasingly important factor in attracting and retaining foreign direct investment. Countries that can rapidly upskill and reskill their workforce will have a significant competitive advantage and I strongly support the work the Minister is doing in this area. Will he outline how his Department is working with employers, higher education institutions and enterprise agencies to strengthen Ireland's culture of lifelong learning and ensure we will remain one of the most attractive locations in Europe for investment now and in the years ahead?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-02/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:14+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-02