Passion, planning and people are the three 'Ps' that many business owners attribute their success to and, for many, having the right people is the most important.
Skilled, innovative teams are critical to the success of any business. And for businesses looking to grow it is imperative that they anticipate and plan for the future skills needs in their sector.
In short, how do you mind the skills gap?
Enterprise Ireland has long sought to identify skills trends and to help our indigenous companies plan for future needs to keep our sectors competitive in the global market.
One of the key offers available to our client companies, and those with the backing of Údarás or their Local Enterprise Office, has been our Spotlight On Skills programme. The programme is run by Enterprise Ireland in partnership with the Irish Management Institute and the Department of Education and Skills. The course is designed for senior management team members and enables businesses to create a company skills plan to identify and address their skills needs, a vital component of any plan to achieve growth.
It is a programme that has made a real difference to the management team at diagnostic reagent manufacturer Aalto Bio Reagents, which has seen demand soar for its products needed for Covid-19 testing.
"Aalto Bio is experiencing double-digit growth at present and as we expand adding new hires is key to our current and future strategy," said managing director, Philip Noone.
"Having participated in the Spotlight On Skills programme we now have a fluid strategic hire plan in place specifically looking at our skills gap with a clear plan in place to hire the required employees," Mr Noone added.