More than 142,950 learners have used the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) pathway to upskill or reskill since the €300 million HCI programme started, according to the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which has just released figures on its course performance.

To date, 1,711 new industry-led courses have been created and delivered across the programme’s 24 projects in high skill needs areas including AI, engineering, manufacturing, sustainability and other sectors.

The new government-subsidised micro-Credentials proved a popular choice for a whopping 5,182 learners seeking flexible upskilling, with 837 courses subsidised.

The increase in micro-Credential courses has been underpinned by MicroCreds a €12.3 million project led by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) and working in partnership with seven IUA universities, including University College Dublin, University College Cork, University of Limerick, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, University of Galway and Maynooth University.

Industry engagement

There have been 89,525 enterprise engagements with the HCI’s Pillar 3 programme to date.

This is a major increase from the summer 2023 mid-project review of the five-year, government-funded HCI education programme which found that 23,000 students had engaged in over 1,000 specialist HCI courses around the country since 2020.

The €300 million HCI programme was established in 2020 as part of the National Skills Strategy 2025 to create new courses with input from industry to address specific skills shortages in Ireland through a variety of innovative and market-dynamic modules to help employees upskill or reskill. The HCI also delivers on objectives of the OECD Skills Review Ireland 2023.

Dr Kieran McNally, Senior Executive Officer at the HEA explained that the programme has seen a steady increase in industry participation, with 89,525 enterprise engagements since 2020 to help create new courses through the investment of the National Training Fund (NFT) Employers Levy.

“HCI Pillar 3 has shown itself to be a game changer for industry and employers through the collaboration of higher education institutions, local SMEs and global multinationals. To date, the HEA has facilitated 90,000 collaborative engagements between higher education and enterprise to address skill shortages in industry and help employees to be future ready for changing jobs markets,” Dr McNally said.

“The HCI courses are enterprise-driven courses co-designed and co-delivered with industry to fill skills gaps. Through our industry partnerships, we are able to provide 21st century skills through courses that are at the forefront of the most cutting-edge technology and innovations, such as manufacturing and mechanical engineering, using AR, VR, robotics, and 3D printing; chemistry with AI and 3D animation,” he said.

Dr Kevin Marshall, chair of the National Skills Council Membership and Head of Learning and Skills at Microsoft Ireland has called on the Government to improve funding for Micro-Credentials.

In the recent National Skills Council Strategic Advice 2025 publication, Dr Marshall said for Ireland “to efficiently adapt to constantly evolving demands, we need a skills system that is flexible, responsive and forward looking”.

“Accelerating impacts of digitalisation, automation, demographic shifts, and the transition to a greener economy, demands that we rethink how we develop, adapt and invest in skills – with these actions forming the cornerstone of our strategic approach to skills,” he said.

He said the Skills Council welcomed the recent government decision to extend funding support to the IUA’s MicroCreds project up to April 2026, acknowledging the success of the HCI pilot project.

Dr Marshall called on the Government to introduce a number of measures in its Budget 2026, such as the introduction of a sustainable funding solution for short-form and lifelong learning, establishment of the Micro-Credential Learner Fee Subsidy beyond the current ‘proof-of-concept’ phase.

“Since its introduction in March 2024, this subsidy has been critical in raising awareness of the benefits of micro-credential learning and encouraging participation in the courses, while offering courses at a reduced fee rate.

“This is fundamental to Ireland’s ambition to increase lifelong learning participation rates,” Dr Marshall said, adding that the sophisticated Microcreds.ie website could also be rolled out as a national portal for learners, with the help of funding and input from other upskilling/reskilling programmes.