3,800 people across Kilkenny and Carlow 'upskilled' in 2022

In 2022, 3,800 people, and 1,000 businesses participated in upskilling with a Skillnet Ireland Business Network in counties Carlow and Kilkenny.

Figures from Skillnet Ireland reveal the national agency for workforce development delivered 19,600 training days across both counties last year.

54% of those who undertook training were men and 46% were women, while those aged 30 to 39 years were the largest group of people availing of upskilling support.

The vast majority (97.5%) of the 1,000 Carlow and Kilkenny companies that upskilled their workforce with Skillnet Ireland in 2022 were small and medium enterprises.

The greatest uptake came from the Agriculture sector followed by Services, Food & Drink, Health, Retail, Media & Audiovisual and Tourism & Travel.

The Skillnet Ireland Annual Report, for 2022 found that nationwide, upskilling and training programmes to the value of €70.2 million, were provided to almost 25,000 businesses and over 92,000 workers across the Irish economy and the regions.

In this, the EU Year of Skills, which runs until May 2024, Skillnet Ireland is making substantial progress in future proofing businesses in Carlow and Kilkenny, as well as enhancing the specialist skills of the Irish workforce through talent development.

“As a knowledge-based economy nurturing our highly skilled workforce is central to our national competitiveness,” said Skillnet Ireland Chief Executive, Paul Healy.

"Skillnet Ireland’s approach is based on flexibility, working with companies to respond to new industry trends in a fast and targeted way."