ADVICE CENTRE:Given the scale of economic crisis brought about by the collapse of the world's financial system, it is heartening to see that there has been an increase of more than 3,000 applications to the CAO for entry in September 2009.

The simple message that everyone can boost their career prospects by gaining additional skills has been taken on board by students.

The fact that over 10,000 mature applicants have registered their interest in undertaking a programme of study with the CAO this year indicates how older students also appreciate the longterm value of education.

Government action is now needed to support all adults – ongoing education and training is vital if we are to retain and sustain employment.

Poul Rasmussen, the former Danish prime minister, addressed this issue in Dublin recently, calling for European governments to respond creatively and flexibly to the needs of all learners by investing in education. He said this support must be comprehensive across the entire age spectrum, starting with a national system of free pre-school education, which would create thousands of new teaching jobs. It would continue on to the provision of state-funded training and education for all interested adults. He suggested this such investment in education and training was essential for Ireland’s economic recovery.

In my view, four elements are essential, to achieving the published target of upskilling 500,000 adults by 2020, as outlined in the Government’s skills strategy. If we do not meet this target, we will lose the vast majority of our cutting-edge, high-technology industries and will fail to attract the next generation of highly mobile investment.

There must be an up to date online source of information about the skill requirements of today’s labour market. The Irish Times recently published details of how inadequately the national training agency, FÁS, is fulfilling its responsibilities to provide accurate information for job seekers regarding the skills required by employers today. At least this failure has allowed a small group of Irish entrepreneurs to create an alternative source of high quality labour market information which can be found online at www.careersportal.ie. This site is now the one used by the majority of guidance counsellors in their work with clients with both school students and adults.

A comprehensive source of information on all the educational opportunities available to potential full- and part-time students from basic literacy programmes to doctorate programmes must be widely available. The good news is that this service is up and running. Qualifax is now an integrated part of the services provided by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland. It is updated daily and is available at www.qualifax.ie.

Potential learners of any age should have access to the services of guidance counsellors free of charge. This has been Government policy since the launch of the National Guidance Forum report in 2007, but has not been progressed in any way.

If we are going to get adults interested in pursuing ongoing training and education, the Government must provide them with a credible high street career guidance service. Neither the employment services staff in FÁS, nor the employment facilitators attached to every unemployment office throughout the State, are trained to provide the level of support required to meet the needs of matching the ever-changing needs of the labour market, with the hope and aspirations of those seeking long-term secure employment. Now is the time to invest in a national career guidance service.

There must be a radical restructuring of current employment and unemployment legislation and taxation policy to help those currently in employment and the unemployed with education and training. Even if an adult in a low- to medium-skilled job wants to engage in education and training to improve their opportunities of securing a higher skilled occupation, they would face barriers every step of the way. We need to rewrite our entire legislative framework so that employment and education and training can operate alongside each other throughout the entire span of our working lives.

The hope is that the Government manages properly to integrate these four elements successfully. If so, there is a good chance that we can be one of the economies which recovers first from the current economical downturn.

The Republic will again be seen as the natural location for new investments by those looking for a home for the development of new technologies. The other challenge is to make sure we have a modern physical infrastructure and tax friendly policies. But boosting education and training is essential.

•  Brian Mooney is a guidance counsellor at Oatlands College, Stillorgan, Dublin