Abstract:

This paper examines the decision-making of experienced workers as they navigate the complex process of returning to education to find a new job in a new industry, and in this case study the industry is the hi-tech Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices manufacturing sector in Ireland. It is broadly practitioner based research across a single extended case study as illustrative of real-world phenomena.

It builds on previous research presented at the INTED2022 and ICERI2023 conferences. This paper examines what lessons can be learned from previous reskilling initiatives when looking to transition a workforce from a declining sector to a growing hi-tech sector of the economy.

This is a 5-year case study (2018 to 2022) that looks at the transition of workers into the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device manufacturing industries in Ireland. The 3,028 experienced workers in this case study were all looking to upskill and/or reskill into the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing industry, which was going through significant growth.

It examines both university-accredited courses and shorter micro-credentials skills-specific courses, and the benefits of having these work in conjunction with each other when moving a workforce into a growing sector of the economy, which had significant skills shortages that needed to be filled over a 5-year timeframe. This paper is going to specifically discuss:
- The current routes to manage the Transition of new Employees into a new hi-tech Industry Sector
- The role a Private Training Provider can play in Reskilling such a Workforce
- The alignment of this approach with Government Strategic Goals for Reskilling Workers

The flexibility and responsiveness of a “reskilling existing workers” route to meet market needs, relative to third-level courses and apprenticeships, is of particular relevance to Government and industry for responding to large changes in a workforce, either planned or unplanned, and so research focused on the challenges of implementing a scalable solution, while keeping the adult learners' needs at the center of the provision, is critical.

The methodology for comparison draws heavily on Bereday’s model of comparative styles and their predispositions (Bereday, 1964).

Patterns have emerged from the insights gained, and it is interesting that the outcomes from the reskilling initiative have remained consistent across the adult learners, independently of a number of major national and worldwide economic factors over this 2018 to 2022 timeframe.

The workforce demands for the Pharma Industry in Ireland (between 2016 and 2026 totaling 21,800 new employees for the sector), are half of the predicted new employees needed to meet the Irish Government’s targets for the Zero Carbon Economy. The EGFSN “Skills for Zero Carbon” 2021 Report notes approximately 54,346 new employees will be needed to support the Green Economy in Ireland by 2030 - and so this paper, could provide insights that may be of value to Government strategies, by better understanding how the Pharma sector in Ireland has successfully met significant growth demands in a specific hi-tech economic sector - and these lessons could possibly be applied to the Government strategies require to meet their agreed targets for a Zero Carbon Economy.

Keywords:

Online learning, zero carbon economy, green economy, adult learners, government reskilling initiatives.