Skillnet Ireland and Enterprise Ireland Partner to Support Businesses Achieve Sustainability Targets

Skillnet Ireland and Enterprise Ireland have partnered to roll-out a Sustainability Leaders Programme, delivered by the Skillnet Climate Ready Academy, for Irish businesses. 

As a result of this partnership, by the end of June almost 100 Irish businesses will have benefitted from this fully subsidised industry-led programme which aims to support Irish companies to build capability within their organisations around ESG and sustainability performance. Embedding sustainability in business strategy is essential for Irish businesses to meet increasing expectations from staff, investors, customers and consumers, as well as evolving European regulatory requirements.

This micro-credential programme, which runs for 12 weeks, incorporates six workshops, and aims to drive and assist both firms and sustainability professionals to embrace sustainable business practices towards a net zero economy. 

Commenting on the impact of the Sustainability Leaders Programme, Paul Healy, Chief Executive, Skillnet Ireland, said: “Ensuring a comprehensive sustainability strategy is in place is crucial for businesses to maintain competitiveness and to meet corporate environmental regulations and responsibilities. Beyond regulatory compliance, sustainability upskilling fosters innovation, enhances brand reputation whilst also attracting and retaining talent.

“Skillnet Ireland welcomes this partnership with Enterprise Ireland to offer this Sustainability Leaders Programme to companies.”

Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said: “The journey to a more sustainable future is one that all businesses are working to navigate, and this important collaboration with Skillnet Ireland provides Irish businesses with a best-in-class Sustainable Leaders Programme, which can be transformational for companies in how they do business. Making your business more sustainable is not just the right thing to do, but it is now an expectation from clients and colleagues, and we all have a role to play in delivering changes required to tackle the global climate issue.

“Businesses are not alone in preparing for and delivering these important changes, and this programme, which is free to Enterprise Ireland supported companies, will equip participants with the expertise and confidence to deliver the changes needed to futureproof their businesses and play a positive role in tackling the climate crisis.”

The partnership between Skillnet Ireland and Enterprise Ireland was launched on a pilot basis at the end of 2023, with an initial programme focussing on Enterprise Ireland supported companies in the life sciences sector. Following on from the success of the pilot, two further cohorts of Irish companies are currently taking part in the Sustainability Leaders Programme. Due to the significant demand for this type of capability-development support, there will be further intakes later this year.

Sustainability Leaders: Programme Details

Those responsible for the sustainability management in their company will benefit greatly from the Sustainability Leaders Programme, and it is most suited to businesses in the early stage of putting a sustainability strategy in place. The programme has the dual target of developing trainee skills at an individual level and delivering tangible impacts at organisation level.

Following the completion of the course, participating businesses will have a tailored Sustainability Report and Charter for their business which captures the business case for action and an agreed plan for the first 12 months. The programme supports trainees in understanding where sustainability is used within the business and educates participants on how to conserve resources. 

The roll-out of the Sustainability Leaders Programme comes at an important time for Irish businesses. As of January 2024, Irish businesses at different stages are required to comply with the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) which will place significant responsibilities on these businesses to accurately report sustainability efforts and climate impact. The potential impact of CSRD on small and medium-sized businesses operating in the supply chain means ESG and sustainability roles will soon become integral to all operations.