Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3 Networking Event
By James Holohan
Posted: 21 November, 2024
Innovation in Action was the key theme of a special networking event of HCI pillar 3 projects from across Ireland, organized by the Higher Education Authority, this week.
In 2020, the National Training Fund made an investment of €208 million over five years in the Human Capital Initiative’s Pillar 3 Innovation and Agility programme.
It did so with support for future skills focused project teams that sought deep collaboration between enterprise and the higher education sector in important economic areas such as cybersecurity, construction, and medtech.
The fruitful innovation and impact of this investment – principally in enterprise focused people – is evident for all to see and experience.
Building on existing enterprise engagement, HCI projects report over 70,000 enterprise engagements. For example, there are now numerous instances of enterprise-HEI innovation and collaboration on the co-design and co-delivery of courses. Traditional learning formats now sit alongside enterprise ready curriculum development and other dynamic and agile learning activities such as hackathons, ideation workshops, innovation clubs, entrepreneurship workshops, and challenged based learning.
Open incubators and enterprise centres are exposing learners to cutting edge innovation and facilitating the creation of future skills and jobs. While across various projects we see technology-mediated innovations such as AI-enabled software services, quantum computing, digital sculpting, 3D printers, immersive hubs and drones, as well as virtual and augmented reality, producing graduates with work ready skills.
In areas such as RPL, micro-credentialing and transversal skills, we are seeing transformative system level innovations being introduced into the higher education system that are already affecting tens of thousands of learners and companies.
These system improvements, and other transformations in areas such as creativity, sustainability and additive manufacturing will continue to reverberate beyond the lifetime of the projects.
All this innovation is based on the principle that close academic and enterprise staff collaboration produces skills synergies and innovations that facilitates education in ways that are responsive to the needs of the economy, learners and society.
And it is no surprise that HCI project innovation and agility is now attracting much interest and admiration. None of this success would have been possible without NTF funding. Nor would it have been possible without the creative and open-minded collaboration between enterprise and the dynamic teams who make up the twenty-four HCI Pillar 3 projects. It is people who are driving this innovation, who are building these future skills, and they deserve our congratulations.
You can read the HCI Pillar 3 Innovation in Action brochure for more information.
Pictured at the Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3 Networking Event at the Gibson Hotel, Dublin on November 20th 2024 were (from left to right): Sorcha Carthy; HEA, Meadhbh Costello; IBEC, Dr. Vivienne Patterson; HEA, Natasha Kinsella; Regional Skills Manager Dublin, Dr. Kevin Marshall; Chair of the National Skills Council and Caoimhe Hope; DFHERIS.
