Dr Siobhan Bradley. (Pic: Gerard McCarthy)

The South-West Regional Skills Forum, a new Department of Education skills-development initiative between business and education & training providers across Cork and Kerry, is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Siobhan Bradley as Manager of the forum.

Dr Bradley previously held roles as European Project Manager at University College Cork, Policy & Research Manager at Cork Chamber of Commerce and Research Development Manager in Dublin Institute of Technology.

The South-West Regional Skills Forum is a new regional partnership structure that facilitates ongoing and co-ordinated engagement between employers and education & training providers in developing and implementing regional skills solutions aligned to industry demand and emerging growth opportunities.

The Forum will establish industry-led sector specific partnerships – initially in the manufacturing and engineering and pharma and bio-pharma sectors – where clusters of companies work around one table with UCC, CIT, IT Tralee, Cork and Kerry Education & Training Boards and Skillnets.

Dr Bradley, who has a PhD from Dublin Institute of Technology, is also a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick, University College Dublin and University College Cork.

She brings with her to the role a wealth of experience in leading the development and implementation of regional, national and cross-European education and economic development projects for the public sector, NGOs and commercial businesses.

“The support and buy-in from the Forum membership and businesses across the region, even at this early stage, is testament to the appetite across both industry and education to collaboratively in order to strengthen the region’s skills supply pool. My role is to facilitate the ongoing, structured dialogue between education and training providers and established and emerging enterprise sectors in order to develop strategic skills solutions to maximise employment,” said Siobhan Bradley, Manager, South West Regional Skills Forum.

The South-West Regional Skills Forum is part of a new Network of Regional Skills Fora created as part of the Government’s National Skills Strategy supported by the Department of Education and Skills.