Research and Analysis Services for Expert Group on Future Skills Needs 'Design Skills in Ireland' Report

Tender description

The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) on behalf of the Expert Group for Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) is commissioning a concise piece of research and analysis, for the development of a ‘Design Skills in Ireland’ report. The study will aim to estimate enterprise sector demand for design skills over the medium term of five years 2020-2025 and measure the provision of higher and further education design courses across education institutions. This refers to the three design disciplines identified as areas of focus for Ireland in the 2017 Winning by Design report – Digital Design, Product Design and Strategic Design. This will include identifying if there is a gap between the supply and demand of design skills in enterprise and recommending a series of actions to bridge any potential gaps. The successful tenderer will undertake quantitative analysis of design skills, both technical and transversal, in demand by the enterprise sector in Ireland in both the discrete design sector and across the wider economy; quantify the extent to which the content of design education and training provision covers the new and emerging areas of design and reflects the available career opportunities for graduates; undertake broad stakeholder consultation to determine the relevance of existing design graduates to the design needs of the enterprise base in Ireland; and identify how any potential gaps in design skills education and training provision should be addressed, including highlighting future trends and demand impact and actions that can be undertaken in the short-term to bridge any gaps between supply and demand. The tenderer will be required to integrate the findings from all these elements into a final report. The project will commence in May 2019 with a final report due by Q4 2019.