Whether agricultural mechanics will be added to the government’s critical skills list continues to be a pressing matter following further discussions in the Dáil.
The shortage of agricultural mechanics was highlighted by independent TD Carol Nolan during a Dáil debate yesterday, Thursday, June 22.
The Laois-Offaly TD said the lack of agricultural mechanics is a “crisis”.
Vacant agricultural mechanic roles
In the debate on apprenticeship and further education and training, Nolan gathered figures from the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) regarding agricultural mechanics and provided them to the Dáil.
Nolan said: “As I understand it from the FTMTA, there are in excess of 670 vacant positions for agricultural mechanics across the industry.
“On average, every farm machinery dealership has two open positions for a qualified mechanic.
“85% of farm machinery dealerships are trying to recruit with 67% having positions open for more than six months,” she added.
Nolan acknowledged the “enormous and prolonged difficulties” that the agricultural sector had towards recruiting skilled staff.
Critical skills list
The debate raised the matter of the critical skills list which was also discussed recently in the Dáil.
The critical skills list is those eligible for an employment permit for skilled workers who are qualified in professions where there is a shortage of skills in Ireland.
Nolan said: “Organisations such as the FTMTA clearly cannot source workers suitable [such as] Irish/EEA (European Economic Area) nationals to undertake the work that is needed and that is why they have called for a review of the critical skills list to support the inclusion of agricultural mechanics.
“Minister Coveney informs me that the next review of the lists is scheduled to commence in the coming weeks and that stakeholders and interested parties are invited to register their interest to receive notification on the employment permits page of the department’s website.”
“There also needs to be a renewed focus on developing apprenticeships for these roles so that we can draw our own young people in to develop a rewarding and necessary set of critical skills,” Nolan concluded.