The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) launched the ReSHAPE (Regional Skills Horizon and Pathways to Employment) platform on 12 March 2026 at Technological University of the Shannon in Athlone. The initiative includes an AI-Powered Skills Platform specifically designed to support jobs and economic transition in the Midlands sub-region, which has been identified as an area requiring significant workforce transformation.
The platform offers AI-assisted skills matching, career pathway guidance, and access to retraining opportunities for workers facing structural economic changes in the region. It is a publicly funded initiative operated under the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly mandate, which is a statutory regional body within Ireland’s planning and development governance framework.
The launch aligns with Ireland’s national Digital and AI Strategy 2030 and Minister Lawless’s broader push to reach 1 million people with AI literacy skills. The Eastern & Midland Region includes Dublin and its broader hinterland stretching to Athlone, covering approximately 2.6 million of Ireland’s 5.1 million population.
Who it affects: Workers in the Midlands area of the Eastern & Midland Region seeking retraining and career transitions; employers seeking skills-matched candidates in the region.
What is notably missing: The ReSHAPE platform is a skills matching and guidance tool, not a direct AI literacy training programme. It facilitates access to training rather than delivering AI curriculum itself. No dedicated AI literacy course content is housed on the platform at launch. Participation is voluntary and demand-driven.