Through the FIT’s AI Training Centre of Excellence, learners can engage with AI education, training and certification opportunities.
Fastrack into Information (FIT), a non-profit representative organisation for the technology sector, has announced future plans to address the growing AI skills gap across Ireland. FIT believes it will equip people in Ireland with the skills needed to access the opportunities being created by AI.
Upskilling will be delivered through FITs AI Training Centre of Excellence, which aims to connect students with AI education, training and certification opportunities via a developing ecosystem of technology, industry and education partners.
The AI Training Centre of Excellence assesses learners’ current capabilities, provides guidance and maps individuals to learning pathways that are aligned with their current knowledge, interests and career aspirations.
FIT noted that roughly 2.9m people make up Ireland’s workforce and equipping 400,000 individuals with high-value AI skills is a meaningful contribution towards preparing the country for the future of work.
Commenting on the announcement, Peter Davitt, the CEO of FIT, said: “The profile of Ireland’s workforce and the roles people perform will be radically transformed by the capabilities of AI in the years ahead.
“We want to ensure that people from every part of society are future-fit, equipped with the skills and confidence needed to take advantage of the employment opportunities and wider benefits AI will create.
Davitt added, “Our ambition is to ensure access to AI skills is not limited by background, education, employment status or geography. By helping 400,000 people develop AI capabilities by 2030, we aim to support an inclusive approach to workforce transformation that benefits individuals, employers, and the wider Irish economy.”
Nathan Cullen, the country general manager, at IBM Ireland, which runs IBM SkillsBuild, a free digital education programme available through FIT said: “The countries best placed to benefit most from AI will be those that invest in their people as much as the technology itself.
“Building a workforce equipped with the skills needed to adopt, develop and apply AI will be critical to Ireland’s future competitiveness, innovation, and economic growth.
“Through IBM SkillsBuild, we are proud to make AI learning resources available to FIT’s learners, helping more people access practical AI learning opportunities and to support FIT’s goal of development of the AI skills needed by Ireland’s workforce for the future.”
Earlier in the year, Forrester released research indicating that a failure to commit to long-term and inclusive AI education can greatly impact organisations and widen the AI skills gap.
Accenture recently released the Generating Impact: Turning frontier AI capabilities into frontline productivity and growth in Ireland report, which explored how AI is still in its infancy when it comes to workplace proliferation and change.
Key figures indicated that artificial intelligence is starting to reshape the skills prioritised by a modern workforce and that AI-related skills are among the fastest growing in terms of what is sought after by employers and organisations.
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