The future success of Ireland's economy will depend upon a strong education and training system to address skills needs in the country, an expert has declared.

In her forward to the Forfas Expert Group on Future Skills Needs - Statement of Activity 2009, chairperson Una Halligan explained it is also vital to "upskill and reskill those who are made redundant" in order to address the impact of the downturn on jobs and adapt to changing demands from employers.

She stated: "To ensure such initiatives are effective, labour market activation programmes should focus on delivering skills that are relevant to enterprise and thus improve the employability of individuals."

According to the report, the number of school leavers entering higher education in Ireland has increased, boosting the number of highly skilled graduates, while more students are also opting for advanced courses over the past 12 months.

Forfas is the national policy advisory body in Ireland for enterprise and science and is an agency of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.