Ireland – A Great Place to Study for International Students

Welcome to Ireland

Dublin's strength and success comes from its diversity and unique mix of cultures. The city is constantly changing - retaining a sense of tradition while also embracing the new. We are proud to reflect these aspects of Dublin at DBS; many of our students are from Ireland, but we also attract students from all over the world. This background gives you the outlook you need to succeed in an increasingly global and competitive job market.

While studying, you will benefit from our world-class teaching facilities. Student life in Dublin is not just about your study – it’s about the friends you make and the time you spend exploring one of the most fascinating cities in the world.
Education in Ireland is managed by Enterprise Ireland, the government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets.

Education in Ireland's goals and objectives include:

•To promote Ireland as a quality destination for students.

•To promote and support the international activities of Irish education institutions.

•To act as a national point of contact and referral to and from Irish suppliers of education services and the international market place.

•To promote Irish education expertise as a valuable resource for international institutions, development agencies and governments.

•To liaise with education interests and government to identify and remove barriers to the development of the international education sector.

Ireland at the heart of Europe

Ireland is a committed member of the European Union and provides companies with guaranteed access to the European market. As an English speaking country in the Eurozone, Ireland provides an ideal hub for organisations seeking a European base. The brightest talent from across Europe is attracted here, mixing with our own to offer a multinational and multilingual melting pot of skills with a positive attitude to match. 

Talent & Education

Ireland is a stable, competitive, secure and pro-business country, with the fastest growing economy in the Eurozone.

The Irish Government is committed to sustainable management of public finances and Ireland receives an ‘A’ grade from all major credit rating agencies.

Ireland has the youngest population in Europe. The population is forecast to increase by almost one million people to 5.75 million by 2040.

Ireland has one of the most educated workforces in the world. The share of 30-34 year olds in Ireland with a third level qualification is 56.3%, compared to an EU average of 40.7%.

Ireland’s education system is amongst the best in the world. It ranks in the top 10 globally as an education system that meets the needs of a competitive economy.

Ireland is implementing a comprehensive, forward looking National Skills Strategy & Action Plan for Education, which aims to make Irish education and training the best in Europe by 2026.

Technology Skills 2022 is Ireland’s Third ICT Skills Action Plan and is a collaborative partnership with Government, the education & training system and industry to meet Ireland’sICT skills needs.

There were 380,000 non-Irish persons employed in Ireland in Q2 2019 (16.5% of total employment).

Proportionally Ireland has the fourth highest international workforce in the EU.

Ireland ranks 1st globally for attracting and retaining international talent.

Companies recruiting from outside the EU can avail of streamlined employment permit applications under the Trusted Partner Initiative.

Ireland is the 2nd most competitive economy in the EU and the 7th most competitive in the world according to IMD.

Maintaining and improving competitiveness as the economy grows is a key Government priority.

OECD Figures for 2017 show Ireland as 1st in the world for labour productivity.
Promoting productivity across the Irish economy is a core pillar of the Government’s Future Jobs 2025 Initiative.

Ireland will invest €116 billion in public infrastructure and capital works under the National Development Plan 2018-2027.

Track Record

Ireland has a proven track record as a successful location for world leading established and high growth multinational companies from around the world.

One third of multinationals in Ireland have had operations in the country for over 20 years, illustrating the longevity, resilience and commitment of these companies to Ireland.

A young, well-educated and productive workforce

Ireland’s young workforce is capable, highly adaptable, educated and very committed to achievement. Ireland has the youngest population in Europe with a third of the population under 25 years old and almost half the population under the age of 34.
Source: IDA Ireland website, April 2018

Critical Skills

The Irish government offers a ‘green-card’ type employment permit; the Critical Skills Employment Permit. The website of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation describes the main objective of the Critical Skills Employment Permit as having been designed to attract highly skilled people into the labour market with the aim of encouraging them to take up permanent residence in the State.
Occupations such as ICT professionals, professional engineers and technologists are catered for under this type of employment permit.
More detailed information on these critical skills can be found here
Source: Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation website, April 2018