Skillnet Ireland sets three-year strategy to upskill 100,000 Irish businesses

Skillnet Ireland has launched its new three-year strategy, Empowering Enterprise 2026-2028: A Strategy for Next-Generation Capability, setting out an ambitious programme to strengthen Irish business competitiveness through workforce upskilling in AI, digitalisation, and sustainability.

Business Plus reported that the strategy was launched on 3 March 2026 and was developed following extensive multi-stakeholder consultation with industry partners, government departments, education institutions, and representative bodies. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD attended the launch.

The strategy targets support for 100,000 businesses over its three-year lifetime to 2028. Among its key commitments, Skillnet Ireland will engage 15,000 new Irish SMEs in talent development and upskilling for the first time, including 1,000 start-ups and scale-ups focused on innovation capability.

The strategy is aligned with the Programme for Government and the Action Plan on Competitiveness, and is funded through the National Training Fund via the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Mark Jordan, chief executive of Skillnet Ireland, said: "At the heart of our new strategy is a clear commitment to ensuring Irish businesses have the talent needed to succeed in a period of profound change. Through targeted, industry-led upskilling solutions, we will strengthen enterprise competitiveness and build the expertise required for a low-carbon, digital and AI-driven economy."

Jordan added: "By strengthening collaboration across industry, government and education, and by fostering a strong culture of lifelong learning, we will contribute to a more agile, connected and resilient skills ecosystem. An ecosystem that supports regional growth, attracts investment, and enables enterprises across Ireland to thrive."

Brendan McGinty, chairperson of Skillnet Ireland, said the pace of change in AI was central to the strategy's framing. He said: "The rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence is emerging as one of the most profound forces reshaping the future of work. Alongside the transition to a green economy, evolving patterns of work and demographic pressures, AI is reshaping labour markets at unprecedented speed."

Minister Lawless said the strategy advances the organisation's enterprise-led model by responding to emerging business needs in areas such as digitalisation, AI, and green technologies.

Skillnet Ireland also acknowledged a structural funding challenge within the document, noting that demand for workforce development supports consistently exceeds available funding capacity. The strategy signals that additional resources will be required over its lifetime to fully deliver on its targets.

Read the full details of Skillnet Ireland's three-year strategy.