WEALTH July 12, 2026 0 Comments

Unlock the Future: How ReSHAPE Could Be the Game-Changer No Entrepreneur Saw Coming

What if artificial intelligence wasn’t just some distant, sci-fi buzzword but a down-to-earth partner you could actually rely on to navigate the wild, winding roads of today’s ever-shifting job market? Well, hold onto your hats, because the Midlands region is pioneering exactly that with ReSHAPE — a fresh, AI-powered platform that’s not just about crunching numbers but about genuinely connecting people, their skills, and meaningful career pathways. Launched officially in March, this digital marvel is designed to make sense of the evolving workforce puzzle by helping workers upskill and employers find their perfect match. It’s like having a personal career coach and a regional workforce strategist rolled into one — minus the fancy jargon! What truly sets ReSHAPE apart is its commitment to real people and real change, supported by a strong ethical backbone and smart tech that talks the language of skills and opportunities. Ready to see how AI can actually make your work life simpler, smarter, and more secure? Dive in and explore this game-changer yourself. LEARN MORE

A new initiative in the Midlands is demonstrating how artificial intelligence can be applied in a practical, people-centred way to address real workforce and economic challenges

Officially launched in March, the Regional Skills Horizon and Pathways to Employment (ReSHAPE) platform is a user-centric, AI-powered digital platform designed to connect workforce skills, training provision and employer demand in the Midlands region.

The AI-powered platform helps individuals to understand their existing skills, explore training opportunities and identify pathways into emerging careers, enabling them to upskill, retrain and future-proof their livelihoods in a rapidly changing economy.

“Importantly, ReSHAPE makes AI relevant and accessible to everyday workers, employers and training providers. Rather than being seen solely as a technology for large enterprises or specialist sectors, it shows how AI can support lifelong learning, workforce development and regional resilience,” Carmel Halligan, programme manager at Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), says.

“In doing so, ReSHAPE contributes to Ireland’s broader digital transformation agenda by helping people and organisations to make informed decisions based on skills intelligence and data.”

While ReSHAPE is currently focused on supporting workers and communities in the Midlands, the vision is to create a scalable model that could ultimately inform workforce planning and skills development at a national level.

The concept for ReSHAPE emerged from the recognition that the Midlands region is undergoing significant economic and environmental transition, creating a need for practical tools that support workers, communities and employers as they adapt.

“The world of work is changing rapidly. Skills requirements are evolving, careers are becoming less linear, and employers are facing increasing challenges in finding people with the right capabilities,” Halligan says.

The platform was developed collaboratively by researchers, software engineers and domain experts from TUS, Munster Technological University and the University of Limerick. Together they brought expertise in AI, data analytics, skills intelligence, education and workforce development.

Why ReSHAPE is different

What makes ReSHAPE distinctive is that it was developed around public-interest objectives.

“The universities involved defined the governance framework, ethical principles and intelligence models to ensure the platform reflects the needs of learners, employers and training providers,” Halligan notes.

“The platform is also built around recognised frameworks such as European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations [ESCO] and incorporates strong GDPR, ethics and cybersecurity protections.”

The AI within ReSHAPE does much more than provide a conversational response. It analyses information supplied by users, including employment history, qualifications and skills, and maps this against recognised skills frameworks, particularly the ESCO framework.

The platform identifies existing capabilities, highlights skills gaps and generates personalised pathways linking users to occupations, training opportunities and future career options. “The objective is to help people to understand where they are today, where they could progress to, and what learning opportunities may help them get there,” Halligan says.

Unlike general-purpose AI assistants, ReSHAPE combines AI with structured skills data, validated taxonomies and curated training information. Recommendations are based not only on a user’s profile but also on the skills associated with available courses and the pathway logic developed by the ReSHAPE team.

“Rather than acting as a chatbot, the AI functions as an intelligent matching engine that connects people, skills, learning opportunities and future occupations,” Halligan says. “The platform also incorporates privacy safeguards, anonymisation and human oversight to ensure recommendations remain transparent, explainable and responsible.”

Benefits and potential

For individuals, ReSHAPE supports lifelong learning, career progression and greater ownership of personal development. For employers, it helps to improve workforce planning and organisational resilience. Training providers gain valuable insight into current and emerging skills demand, enabling them to adapt programmes accordingly.

“For employers, ReSHAPE supports more effective workforce planning by turning what is often a manual process into a data-driven one,” Halligan explains.

“Organisations can define existing and future job roles, compare these requirements against the skills available within their workforce and identify capability gaps. The platform canthen highlight priority development areas and recommend relevanttraining pathways, reducing the time spent reviewing spreadsheets, training catalogues and workforce data.”

At an organisational level, ReSHAPE provides aggregated insights into workforce capabilities, emerging shortages and training demand. This helps employers plan for future skills requirements, support staff development and respond more quickly to changing market conditions.

Importantly, employee participation and data sharing remain fully consent-based, ensuring individuals retain control over their information while employers benefit from anonymised workforce intelligence.

Since launching in March, ReSHAPE has seen encouraging levels of engagement, with users registering, completing skills audits and exploring training opportunities and career pathways.

Feedback from users has been positive and is helping the project team continue refining and enhancing the platform. Early engagement highlights the growing demand for trusted, personalised skills intelligence and career planning tools.

“The current focus is on increasing awareness and engagement across the Midlands region among both individuals and employers. As usage grows, the project team will continue gathering insights and evidence to inform future development and wider adoption,” Halligan says.

“The long-term ambition is for ReSHAPE to become a key piece of skills infrastructure that benefits individuals, employers, training providers and policymakers alike. At a policy level, the platform can provide valuable intelligence on skills gaps and workforce trends, helping shape future education, training and regional development strategies.”

ReSHAPE invite individuals interested in exploring career pathways to visit the website and take a 2-minute skills audit. Employers interested in hearing more can get involved by emailing [email protected]

ReSHAPE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund Programme 2021-2027, supporting the workers and communities most negatively impacted by the transition to a low carbon economy by aiding the development of sustainable and resilient communities in the Midlands, primarily in Laois, Offaly, Longford, Westmeath.

Photo: (Left-right) Rosalenn Archbold, UL; Dr. Fiona Boyle, MTU; Geraldine Oâ€™Sullivan, MTU; Colette Fitzpatrick, MC; Carmel Halligan, Programme Manager ReSHAPE Project and Caitriona Mordan, ATIM Cluster at the launch of the ReSHAPE platform â€“ Regional Skills Horizon and Pathways to Employment at Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Athlone.