£30m Boost For Skills, Education And Employment

Funding of £30 million has been announced to support under-represented individuals to access and participate in skills, education and employment opportunities.

The funding has been provided by the UK Government under the New Deal for Northern Ireland initiative and will see the Department for the Economy (DfE) and Department for Communities (DfC)working collaboratively to harness their expertise, relationships, and creativity, working with Northern Ireland's further and higher education institutions and employers, to create a compelling offer which will help remove barriers to employment and unlock the economic and societal potential of people who are currently economically inactive.

Through the StepUp programme, the DfE will lead on skills and education-related interventions aimed at increasing / widening participation, particularly from those most at risk of experiencing economic inactivity.

In parallel, the DfC will lead on progressing proposals to address economic inactivity through the JobStart scheme.

Invest Northern Ireland will support the work of both Departments through its ties with the Northern Ireland employer and business base and will harness the expertise of its client-facing teams to secure commitment and engagement from employers.

Welcoming the funding allocation, Graeme Wilkinson, Director of Skills at the Department for the Economy, said: "This funding from the UK Government provides us with a significant opportunity to enhance the life chances of people who have found it difficult, for a range of reasons, to engage in skills and education provision. The funding will give many more young people and adults the opportunity to participate in supportive provision, which will be delivered in a tailored, individualised way, and includes mentoring, to help those who need it most to take that step in a new journey of learning and skills attainment."

Director of Work and Wellbeing at the Department for Communities, Deirdre Ward, added: "I am delighted to be able to work together with the Department for the Economy to deliver on our objective of 'more people in better jobs'. The funding from the UK Government will make a real difference in helping unemployed young people to overcome the challenges they face and provide the practical support needed to build their confidence and skills and so maximise their long-term employability perspectives."

Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Steve Baker, said: "Delivering on the announcement by the Chancellor at the Spring Budget, the skills, education and employment initiatives enabled by this funding will create positive change in the lives of those who participate, opening up opportunities for the future while benefiting the wider Northern Ireland workforce and economy. Working together and supported by UK Government funding, the Department for the Economy and the Department for Communities have developed a valuable approach to increasing access and participation."

Invest NI's Director of Skills and Competitiveness, Niall Casey, commented: "Invest NI is committed to supporting NI businesses to access the labour they need to increase productivity and grow the overall economy. The existing gap between workforce supply and demand means that employers must increasingly seek out innovative ways of identifying and attracting potential employees, including those who are not currently participating in employment. We therefore welcome this opportunity to continue working collaboratively with both Departments and will use our existing relationships with the business community to encourage active engagement with the initiative."

People who will be able to access the various provision opportunities will include:

• those with a disability, including a Special Educational Need (SEN);

• those from a care experienced background;

• women returners to the workplace;

• young people who are not in employment, education or training and;

• others who currently may be economically inactive for a range of reasons.

Individuals will be supported through the availability of flexible, tailored intervention packages, which also includes mentoring.

Further information on how to access the support available under the StepUp programme is available on the Step Up – the person-centred skills programme page on the nidirect website.