The apprenticeship pipeline is at the heart of Northern Ireland's economic prosperity
4 min read
If Northern Ireland is to make the most of its talent pool, a quality apprenticeship system is paramount, writes David Simpson
An economy is built on its skills capability. It is the key element in the mix which determines the strength of economic growth and prosperity. Northern Ireland has an enviable record of producing highly skilled workforces and innovative thinkers, however the challenge is now to continue this record in a global economy based on mobility and technological advances.
Northern Ireland has seen significant growth in ‘new’ industries such as cyber security and financial technologies, to the extent that an impressive record for foreign direct investment is being matched by an ever increasing number of homegrown start-up businesses.
In line with the DUP manifesto call to “greater align the skills provision from our colleges and universities to match the need of both indigenous companies and foreign direct investment and fully realise the potential of an integrated enterprise and skills department”, education bodies are now working more effectively with employers to identify their needs and structure their programmes accordingly. However, there is more work to do, especially in ensuring that those new to the workforce are indeed ‘work ready’ and have the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and personal communication.
While new sectors are vitally important, key sectors such as agri-foods, manufacturing and hospitality equally have identified their own skills needs in accordance with their increasing international focus. Each has been identified in successive strategies as being key to Northern Ireland’s economic growth, and have demonstrated considerable progress in their skills development capacity. Effective partnership between business and government has been one of the major successes of devolution in Northern Ireland to date, and underlines why we must see a return to local decision-making as soon as possible.
In parallel with the university system, the need for a quality apprenticeship pathway to employment is clearly evident. In a debate on apprenticeships in the House of Commons in February 2016, I highlighted to the minister, “in order to achieve a higher level of apprenticeship and to create the apprenticeships themselves, there needs to be a working relationship between further education colleges, universities and the business community”.
While well-resourced and larger employers such as Harland and Wolff and Shorts/Bombardier have long been recognised as offering quality apprenticeships, there is a need for greater investment in this area, especially among our SME sector. To smaller businesses, time and resources are precious, and investment in apprenticeships is time consuming but rewarding. Therefore the balance must be correct to help the business as well as the trainee.
The DUP did not support the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in the United Kingdom and remains concerned as to its impact on local employers and apprentices going forward. Apprenticeship and skills policy is a devolved matter to the Northern Ireland Executive. Each part of the UK will manage its own programme based on levy income, and determine how funding will be spent on apprentice training. Locally, the Department of the Economy has held consultations, and is moving towards an employer-led apprenticeship system.
However, employers in Northern Ireland are still awaiting details of what systems will be in put in place for accessing levy funding. Organisations such as the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce have maintained regular contact with my party, highlighting their concerns as to how this uncertainty negatively impacts upon business confidence. We in the DUP recognise this and have been pressing for greater clarity and improved communication with businesses.
The simple fact is that the apprenticeship pipeline is at the heart of our economic prosperity. As we refocus our economy in the post-Brexit world and expect our businesses to prosper with new confidence and ambition, it is the responsibility of elected representatives to ensure that the frameworks are in place to get the most out of our talent pool and to see Northern Ireland as a world beating location to apply their talents.
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