Change comes fast and can hit hard. In most of our workplaces, we are adjusting to new technologies, new ways of doing business and even entirely new roles.
Most obviously, the sudden rise of artificial intelligence is placing new demands on the workforce, but many of the jobs that we will be doing in 2030 don’t exist today.
As we head into a year of global uncertainty, how can employers keep the workforce future fit, and what can individuals do to keep pace with the changing environment?
“Both employers and individuals need to keep pace with emerging trends,” says Orla Bannon, head of careers and development at Trinity College.
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“With 23 per cent of jobs expected to change in the next five years, according to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report, many people will need to move between declining and growing jobs.
“For employers, they need to understand where their sector is going, what future reporting and/or compliance requirements will arise, and what emerging technologies are shaping their industry. This will then help them to identify skills gaps in their workforce and seek opportunities to upskill or reskill in those areas.
“Individuals need to look ahead to what their job might look like in the future, or what they want it to look like, and map out the skills they’ll need to get there,” Bannon says.
Laura White, associate director of experienced hire recruitment at KPMG, says that all new roles are driven by change.
“Some of this change is environmental, some is driven by technology and some as a result of increased compliance requirements,” White says.
“Many of the newer roles are as a result of the dramatic change in the range and number of clients and the almost eye-watering scale of the issues and opportunities they face. For example, we have biodiversity specialists on our team. Even 10 years ago that would have sounded fanciful — now it’s normal.”
Companies are increasingly looking at innovative and flexible ways for their staff to upskill and retrain. Sinéad Cogan, head of organisation effectiveness at AIB, says that they have implemented structured continuous professional development options for their staff, with employees having access to online courses and certifications.
“Technology has become an integral part of learning, with virtual classrooms and online resources making education more accessible than ever,” Cogan says.
“In addition to technical skills, there is now a greater emphasis on soft skills, such as communication, resilience, collaboration and decision making, that are essential in diverse workplaces, faced with a multitude of changing external factors, political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal.”
She points to a career structure with clear pathways for AIB’s staff, with quarterly Invest in You sessions that support this culture, with mentorship and coaching gaining prominence within recent years.
Geraldine Carroll is associate vice-president for graduate and professional studies at the University of Limerick and a committee member on the Irish University Association’s micro-credentials steering committee.
Carroll says that there are several global megatrends, including AI, which will eventually affect all Irish businesses and require some level of adaptation.
“Emerging jobs forecasting from Indeed, Google and LinkedIn, places data scientists, machine learning engineers, AI specialists and robotics engineers in high demand. Likewise, green skills demand has risen globally and nationally, including jobs that span across industries from finance and transport to manufacturing in a race to carbon negativity. And the shift from fossil fuel reliance to renewable energy has created excellent opportunities for engineers, new and mid-profession, to pivot their skills,” Carroll says.
She says that universities are instrumental in feeding the labour force and that labour market forecasting plays a key role in developing a talent pipeline, from third-level degrees through to continuous professional development options such as micro-credentials.
Solas, the further education and training (FET) agency, always has an eye on the labour and skills needs of Ireland’s economy. Mary Lyons, director of enterprise, employees and skills at the agency, says that a report it produced in partnership with Deloitte Ireland has highlighted new and emerging occupations in sustainability.
The need for improved environmental, social and governance skills was highlighted by 52 per cent of respondents, while 66 per cent believed that developing sustainable skills and talent at their organisation was both urgent and important, Lyons says.
“While new roles are forming in emerging areas like sustainability, AI [artificial intelligence] and advanced manufacturing, the skills required in already-established professions are transforming,” Lyons says. She points to examples including accounting and finance professionals upskilling to meet new requirements, and farmers and agricultural workers also having to upskill and adapt their practices to meet the measures set out in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan.
Lyons says that demand for FET courses is rising, with the learner base growing by 17 per cent between 2022 and 2023.
“Last year alone, one in 10 adults in Ireland — about 423,000 people — were engaged in FET activity including courses for jobseekers, upskilling for employees, apprenticeships, and construction skills schemes. This echoes the need for and desire to upskill to adapt to the needs of our changing economy across all sectors – not just the emerging ones,” Lyons says.
Some options for lifelong learning
Micro-credentials
The Irish Universities Association leads the Human Capital Initiative-funded MicroCreds project which has produced hundreds of micro-credentials (short, accredited courses) from seven university partners in multidisciplinary areas, all promoting lifelong and career-wide learning in Ireland, says Geraldine Carroll of UL, who also sits on the IUA’s micro-credentials steering committee.
“UL is one of these partners. The micro-credentials subsidy call has enabled thousands of fee-subsidised places on these courses, running in 2024-2025,” she says.
“There are great opportunities to study short courses, now heavily subsidised by the government.”
Micro-credentials at UL are offered as either standalone modules or form part of a larger award progression route.
“Standalones like our recently introduced environmental impact assessment and energy economics, developed in consultation with Green Tech Skillnet, are responsive to a particular growth sector — in this case, wind energy,” Carroll says. “Learners can choose to opt for standalone or continue on a curated learning pathway at UL. For example, the MSc in artificial intelligence allows eligible learners to study its micro-credentials, progress to a certificate, and/or to the final Masters.”
See MicroCreds.ie for more information
Employer-supported learning
Many firms provide in-house training for workers, while some will even pay for continuous professional development courses, and/or provide study leave options.
“We have a dedicated award-winning Business School on campus with a vast range of courses for people to take,” says Paul Vance, head of resourcing at KPMG. “You could liken it to a ‘fourth level’ experience and it’s still part of the appeal of a career that you never stop adding to your knowledge and insight. What has changed is the range of courses — it has expanded exponentially and most of them are available virtually.”
Solas
In 2019, Solas, the further education and training agency, launched the Skills to Advance initiative, providing upskilling and retraining to employees and employers in a diverse range of areas. The programmes are delivered through the education and training boards, which are dotted around the country.
“Training is available in online, in-person, and blended learning formats, and programmes are flexibly scheduled to suit the needs of the company,” says Mary Lyons, director of enterprise, employees and skills at Solas. “To deliver on value and accessibility, micro-qualification courses are highly subsidised, short in duration, and are delivered flexibly to suit business schedules.”
In addition, Solas’s eCollege offers fully online on a continuous basis with no waiting lists and with flexible completion times, includes courses across digital, ICT, sustainability, and business.
See Solas.ie and eCollege.ie.