100 new permits for NCT testers announced to address skills shortage
The quota of General Employment Permits for Vehicle Road Worthiness Testers (NCT Testers) has been extended by another 100 permits. A further 100 workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) can now be recruited to help reduce waiting times for NCT appointments.
The quota increase follows constructive engagement between the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Transport in recent months, and a review of the workforce challenges affecting the National Car Testing service.
This measure will help alleviate the pressures being faced by the NCT service provider, who has struggled to source workers in the domestic and European labour market.
Evidence provided by consultation with the Department of Transport and the NCT operator points to significant ongoing recruitment challenges. The extension of this quota will be a particularly welcome boost to the efforts to reduce the well-documented backlog in the NCT system.
“More Testers working in our NCT Centres is the best way to reduce the current backlog of appointments and help ensure that drivers can access appointments in their local NCT Centre when they are required,” said Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Neale Richmond.
“As we have reached full employment, with over 2.6 million people at work in Ireland, there are some skillsets that are increasingly difficult for businesses to access, and these Testers are a prime example. Where these skills are lacking both here in Ireland and throughout Europe, the Employment Permits system allows us to source these workers from the rest of the world.
“Cases like this show how responsive the Employment Permits system is and how it can benefit both businesses, workers and the people of Ireland.”
In order to ensure that the Employment Permit systems is working effectively for Irish businesses, a full Public Consultation of the eligibility for employment permits is currently underway.
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