Further Education sector vital in NI transformation

Education, Employment and Learning Minister Maria Eagle today said that Further Education (FE) Colleges have a vital role to play in the transformation of Northern Ireland’s education system and the subsequent development of the local economy.

The Minister was speaking as she addressed the Association of Northern Ireland Colleges (ANIC) annual conference at the Ballymascanlon House Hotel, Dundalk.

The Minister said: “Northern Ireland’s economy faces a huge challenge if we are to compete in the global market of the 21st Century. To sustain a growing economy, our education system must be world class.

“The transformation taking place in education will raise standards for all."

The Minister continued by saying that this will provide access to a range of courses that will engage and motivate young people and give them qualifications that will bring success in getting a job, progressing to training or into further or higher education.

She added that by working with schools, FE colleges will play a key role in providing the wider choices for pupils from age 14, equipping them with the professional and technical skills that business and industry need, while giving them the opportunity to achieve his or her potential.

Ms Eagle continued: “There will be many routes to achieving this potential and I want young people to be judged by what they have achieved, rather than the route they took to get there.”

Praising the FE sector for its engagement with other education providers and with business and industry, the Minister told delegates that the sector was well placed to rise to the challenge of providing a skilled workforce for Northern Ireland.

She said: “To gain the most from our biggest asset, the people of Northern Ireland, Government departments, schools, further education colleges, training organisations, universities and businesses must collaborate and seek ways in which they can work together and help each other."

The Minister concluded by saying that the Further Education Sector has been one of the Government’s most proactive partners and that she is looking forward to engaging with them in the future to make Northern Ireland the location of choice for people to do business.

(EF/GB)