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A total of 2,000 additional ICT graduates-level professionals will be provided in the coming year through the education system and the employment permits system as part of a series of reforms aimed at making Ireland the internet capital of Europe. The reforms are being driven by Jobs Minister Richard Bruton and Education Minister Ruairí Quinn.

The changes are part of Action Plan for Jobs 2013, and have an ultimate aim of providing Ireland with the highest proportion of ICT graduates as a share of third level graduates by 2018.

A series of new reforms to the work-employment permits system announced today by Minister Bruton will target:

• An increase of 50%, or 700, in the number of employment permits granted over the coming year in the ICT sector. International research has shown that for every high-tech job created, a further 4-5 jobs are created elsewhere in the economy.
• A reduction of 33% in the processing time for employment permits
• Improvements in the appeals process and a reduction in the number of appeals
• Broadening the highly-skilled eligible occupations list

The employment permit system is demand-led and there is a global demand for high-tech skills. Therefore the changes being made to the system seek to increase Ireland’s attractiveness as a location for international mobile talent.

Under the ICT Skills Action Plan published by Ministers Quinn and Bruton last year, an additional 1,300 ICT graduates will be supplied in 2013 by the education system, including:

• 700 additional graduates from ICT skills conversion Programmes
• 600 additional graduates from Springboard ICT courses

Minister Bruton said:

International research has shown that every high-tech job created leads to an additional 4-5 jobs elsewhere in the economy. These changes are a win-win for Ireland, and help will ensure that we can create a truly world-class ICT sector in Ireland, which will provide enormous benefits for the economy and large numbers of badly-needed jobs for Irish workers. I am determined that, through implementation of a range of ambitious reforms we will deliver on our aim of making Ireland the internet capital of Europe.

Minister Quinn said:

The first 400 graduates from the ICT conversion programmes are now available.

A further 300 graduates from the conversion programmes will be available before the end of the year as well as 600 graduates from high level Springboard ICT programmes. The impact of these initiatives will be to double the projected output of honours degree level ICT graduates from the education system in 2013.

Read the full press release

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