Urgent action required to address growing cross-border skills gap

A report on future skills requirement in manufacturing across the island of Ireland has recommended urgent action be taken by both the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to address a skills shortage.

The All-Island 2025 Future Skills Report, published in June 2025, reveals that persistent and widening gaps exist in critical areas such as AI, process design, automation and robotics. Education and training systems are struggling to keep up with rapid technological change despite strong demand while industry struggles to attract new talent, particularly from underrepresented groups.

It also sets out a strategic goal of building an inclusive, collaborative and technologically responsive workforce emphasising that success will depend on increasing cross-border cooperation, modernising education systems and breaking down silos.

With 350,000 people employed in advanced manufacturing on the island of Ireland – 90,000 in the North and 260,000 in the Republic – it is at the forefront of industry 4.0, referring to the connected and smart systems designed to support production in real time, increasing productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.

Launched at the Louth Meath Education and Training Board’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence (AMTCE) in Dundalk on 12 June, the report was complied on behalf of the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence (AMTCE) at the Louth and Meath Education and Training Centre and the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. Funding was provided by InterTradeIreland.

The mutual sharing of knowledge and expertise serves to benefit both the institutions and the individuals involved and strengthens the sector as a whole.”
Minister Caoimhe Archibald MLA

The launch was attended by Caoimhe Archibald MLA, Minister for the Economy and Marian Harkin TD, Minister of State for Further Education at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in the Irish Government.

Key findings

• Growing skills gaps: While demand for advanced technical and transferable skills is rising, curricula and training lag behind. Engagement from young people, especially young women, is low; with those women being three times less likely to consider a career in advanced manufacturing than their male counterparts, with a lack of awareness of opportunities, alongside negative perceptions cited as factors
• Struggles in recruitment: Talent pipelines are being obstructed by a lack of visibility into career pathways alongside negative perceptions overall.
• System fragmentation: A lack of an all-island strategy, resulting in duplicated efforts, misaligned training, and limited cross-border collaboration.
• Education and industry are out of sync: Educators are struggling to respond to rapidly evolving industry needs with due haste, while employers are reporting difficulty accessing suitable training.

Recommended changes

• Government and policymakers: Establish a joint All-Island Skills Taskforce coordinate policy and planning in both jurisdictions alongside the funding of cross-border apprenticeships with mutual recognition of qualifications, particularly automation and robotics. Investments in real-time labour market data systems are also recommended.
• Education and training bodies: Form an All-Island Curriculum Development Unit focusing on advanced manufacturing to accelerate development. Expand micro-credential offerings in smart manufacturing and digital skills and engage with students through industry exposure programmes and school pathways, particularly those aimed towards women and underserved communities.
• Industry: The sector should partner more actively with educators to offer work-based learning and shape course content. Support national campaigns to modernise perceptions of manufacturing and highlight career opportunities. Share facilities and resources, reducing duplication and expand access.

Minister Archibald welcomed the report: “Advanced manufacturing is a key priority area for the North’s economy. My department has a dedicated action plan for the sector and through the City and Growth Deals we are investing heavily.

“In parallel, I recognise the need for a pipeline of talented people who have the skills to enable the sector to further grow and flourish. We must continue to work together on an all-island basis. The mutual sharing of knowledge and expertise serves to benefit both the institutions and the individuals involved and strengthens the sector as a whole.”

Minister of State Harkin says: “The report clearly shows that the capacity to maintain and expand competitive manufacturing on the island will be determined by our ability to skill, upskill and re-skill.

“Cooperation between governments, industry and academia has already demonstrated that by pooling our expertise and resources we can achieve a lot. The emergence of a broad spectrum of opportunities from micro qualifications to apprenticeships reflects the value of this partnership approach.”