Stay Informed on Corporate Sustainability

Author: Archie Villaflores

Encirc is investing £700,000 in a three-year workforce upskilling plan at its Derrylin glass manufacturing site in Fermanagh, backed by £157,200 from Invest NI. The training targets the technical, digital and leadership skills needed to support the plant's 2030 net zero manufacturing goal.

Author: Archie Villaflores

Bank of Ireland's Learning Exchange programme is returning on 16 October, offering subsidised training places to Irish charities and NGOs. The initiative, delivered with Accenture and Business in the Community Ireland, has run since 2012 and covers presentation skills, people management, negotiation and storytelling.

Author: Archie Villaflores

Revisiting the Education Awards 2026 earlier this year, Gaelchultúr and Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board took home the Best Collaboration Award – Domestic (Economic, Digital & Workforce Development), recognised for a scalable, QQI-accredited Irish-language workplace training partnership that delivered exceptional learner outcomes, clearly defined progression pathways, and strong evidence of continuous improvement across workforce development. The win sets a compelling benchmark for domestic collaboration in Irish education, demonstrating the standard of operational rigour, measurable learner impact, and strategic partnership design that entrants will seek to match now that the 2027 cycle has opened for entries.

Author: Archie Villaflores

Ireland’s first Business and Operations Apprenticeship launched in September 2026, creating a cross-sectoral Level 6 programme that brings private sector technology and retail employees into the same cohort as civil servants and semi-state workers. The 2026 and 2027 wave of new apprenticeships is a commercially significant skills infrastructure event.

Author: Archie Villaflores

Horsham District Council is relaunching its Business Training Programme, opening bookings from 4 December for new sessions starting next year. The scheme has delivered more than 480 hours of training to over 450 local businesses since it began four years ago.

Author: Archie Villaflores

Greater Lincolnshire has launched 21 new Skills Bootcamps, government-funded courses covering sectors from advanced welding to AI. The free training has upskilled more than 3,000 people since 2022 and directly targets local employer skills gaps.

Author: Archie Villaflores

The Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre has added four new courses to its AI Learning Lab, covering prompting, ethics, risk management and AI policy for small businesses. The expansion responds directly to skills gaps identified by Northern Ireland businesses through the £16.3 million Invest NI and Department for the Economy-backed initiative.

Author: Archie Villaflores

Microsoft's Dream Space programme has reached more than 70,000 students in Northern Ireland since launching in 2019, and schools are now being invited to register for the new academic year. The free STEM, digital and AI skilling initiative runs through Microsoft's dedicated hub at W5 LIFE in Belfast.

Author: Archie Villaflores

Teagasc has opened its 2026 Farm Business Options Training Programme, helping farmers and farm families explore diversification into renewable energy, tourism and artisan food. The programme, delivered with Local Enterprise Offices, gives participants structured business planning support and mentoring across the country.

Author: Archie Villaflores

Entries are now open for the Education Awards 2027, with Ireland's higher education, further education and training community invited to submit across 26 categories celebrating education excellence, digital learning, research excellence and student success ahead of the 18 December deadline. Winners will be announced on 15 April 2027 at the Johnstown Estate Hotel and Spa, where Ireland's most outstanding contributors to the education sector will be recognised before hundreds of senior executives.