People
People issues, includes skills, training and education, employment, social cohesion and labour mobility. The broad aims of this theme are in:
- Ensuring that there is a skilled workforce and that skills planning and forecasting is undertaken on an all island basis in order to ensure optimal complementarity between the supply and demand for labour in both jurisdictions;
- Optimising opportunities for north south collaboration in training — in particular through mutual recognition of qualifications and joint training initiatives where appropriate;
- Strengthening business and education linkages on the island of Ireland, in particular in relation to the university and 3rd level sector, but also across all areas of the education system;
- Carrying out research and monitor published reports to establish current level of skill shortages, mobility of labour between Ireland and Northern Ireland and inward migration from the 10 new EU member states;
- Reviewing remaining barriers limiting cross border recruitment (i.e. information gaps, recognition of qualifications etc.) and take action to reduce/remove significant remaining barriers;
- Assessing the potential role of the JBC in contributing to social cohesion on the island of Ireland, with particular reference to the workplace.
