Around 80 per cent of the Republic's workforce will still be active in 10 years' time, and needs to be part of an ongoing retraining programme, the employers' lobby said yesterday. Launching a new training initiative in the pharmaceutical sector, IBEC said such moves were vital if economic growth was to be sustained.

"Ireland's strong economic performance is creating a demand for workers who are confident, flexible, skilled and able to adapt quickly to change," IBEC said. "Eighty per cent of our current workforce will still be working in 10 years' time - unless we put training measures in place, Ireland's competitiveness and the future employability of its workforce will be seriously undermined."

"To maintain our strong economic performance it is essential to increase the current skills level of those at work, through innovative training," the group said.

IBEC said its "Pharmachem Industry Awareness Programme" formed part of the overall campaign to highlight the benefits of training in industry. Similar interventions were being planned for the food, security and retail sectors, the group said.