Enterprise-Related Training and State Policy in Ireland: the Training Support Scheme. ESRI Policy Series No. 25. May 1995

Education and training policies have received increasing attention in recent years with the recognition that human resources - the skills and competencies of the work-force - are crucial to raising productivity, enhancing competitiveness and increasing wages and living standards. In Ireland, as in most countries, the bulk of State support for human resource development is allocated to initial education and training - prior to entry to the labour force - and to the training an retraining of unemployed workers. This concentration of public support is appropriate because of the need both to ensure that all citizens have sufficient education to participate fully in the society and economy and to produce a skilled work-force. Training of unemployed workers is driven by the perception that the Jack the resources to secure training for themselves. Enterprise-related training is a key element of human resources development but is generally regarded as the responsibility of the private sector since the returns to training of workers accrue largely to private actors - employers and workers. State intervention to promote enterprise-related training is, therefore, generally limited to measures to correct for market failures which result in levels of training which fall short of socially desirable levels.