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The talent grid: wiring Ireland’s FDI powerhouse

The Challenge

​Ireland’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) sector is the cornerstone of the nation’s economic prosperity. With FDI companies employing approximately 11% of the total national workforce, the sector contributes hugely to employment and economic activity, with FDI firms injecting €38 billion annually into the Irish economy through expenditure on pay, materials, services and capital investment.
But it’s talent that lies at the heart of Ireland’s FDI proposition and the competitive advantage that the country draws from its well-educated, skilled and adaptive workforce.

The Approach

Despite best intentions, FDI clients can sometimes have a disjointed experience when engaging with Ireland’s education and research system. Former Skillnet Ireland CEO and Futurus partner Paul Healy understood the need to build stronger connections between government agencies, education providers and the research system to provide complimentary supports to help power FDI growth.
In June 2022 a strategic partnership between IDA Ireland and Skillnet Ireland was launched to support FDI companies in navigating the State workforce development system and brokering the best systemwide upskilling solutions for companies.

The Shift

Paul saw the need to rewire the system. Through years of relationship building with FDI site leadership and the IDA, and by positioning Skillnet Ireland as the largest state supported provider of training supports to the multi-national sector, he helped lay the groundwork for a smarter, more connected grid. The 2022 strategic partnership signed between IDA Ireland and Skillnet Ireland was a switch that lit up the network, bringing together the IDA’s business development expertise with Skillnet’s nationwide talent development engine. By tapping into Skillnet Ireland’s sectoral and regional networks, FDI companies now have access to a host of bespoke, responsive talent solutions tailored to their strategic challenges and growth ambitions. The journey is made easy and seamless for the site leadership with a laser focus on the client experience. This isn’t just about workforce development, it’s precision engineering for Ireland’s most important economic circuit.

What were the lessons?

1. See the Whole System, Not Just the Problem
Strategic leadership requires zooming out, getting on the balcony. FDI growth isn’t just about investment attraction, it’s about talent, infrastructure and experience. The real insight was reframing the challenge as a system wide opportunity, not a narrow skills gap.

2. Trust Is the Hidden Architecture
In complex environments, authority alone doesn’t unlock change, relationships do. Years of credibility and trust building across IDA, corporate site leadership and education partners created the foundation for genuine alignment and fast execution.

3. Align Strengths, Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
The power of this partnership was in connection, not duplication. By aligning the IDA’s business development engine with Skillnet Ireland’s talent delivery network, the system became smarter, leaner and more responsive, without adding to the complexity.

4. Design Around the End User
The mark of systems leadership is making complexity feel simple for those it serves. This initiative worked because it put the FDI client at the centre, creating a seamless, high trust experience that delivered precision talent solutions with strategic impact.