Cover story:Colleges look to the future
Friday, July 9th, 2010Leading representatives from Northern Ireland’s six colleges discuss the future of further and higher education, and highlight its importance to economic development. The College STEM Initiative (CSI) is the colleges’ main initiative to encourage learners into careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and building those skills is their main priority. What will be the consequences for the colleges after the UK Budget? Brian Doran We have to see the outworking of the Budget and how it translates into decisions made by the Executive here. For colleges it will be down...[full story]
ICT:Biometrics & consent
Friday, July 9th, 2010With the new UK Government’s commitment to “outlaw the fingerprinting of children at school without parental permission” in England, Meadhbh Monahan checks out the situation in Northern Ireland. Seventeen of Northern Ireland’s 1,096 schools use biometric technology, mostly in their canteens, according to the five education and library boards’ official records. The boards are aware of other schools, under CCMS control also using the system but CCMS does not hold this information. In light of the UK Government’s tough stance, agendaNi asked the Department of Education to outline...[full story]
ICT:Effective environments
Friday, July 9th, 2010Developing ICT infrastructure in schools is essential for an effective learning environment according to Anne Casey, education ICT advisor for Partnerships for Schools (PfS). Rather than drawing up a list of ICT equipment that they would like, school principals who are considering re-vamping their ICT systems should garner an understanding of the ways in which new technologies can improve their schools’ educational provision, according to Anne Casey. Lessons learned from her role as ICT advisor for PfS can be applied to Northern Ireland, she claimed. An umbrella body responsible...[full story]
Skills:Skills, knowledge and success
Friday, July 9th, 2010Employment and Learning Minister Sir Reg Empey explains why he thinks Northern Ireland’s new skills strategy will improve our economic performance, especially by up-skilling those already in work. The economy is rightly at the heart of the Northern Ireland Executive’s current Programme for Government, but to achieve the innovative, dynamic economy the Executive aspires to, it must continue to refine its policy toolkit. The Independent Review of Economic Policy led by Professor Richard Barnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ulster, recognises the important correlation between...[full story]
Skills:Skills for the future
Friday, July 9th, 2010A follow up to the 2006 skills strategy, Success through Skills 2 prepares for a future where 90 per cent of jobs will require formal qualifications and a highly skilled workforce. This revised draft strategy, put out to public consultation by Reg Empey on 1 June, centres on the fact that the 2008 Programme for Government’s main goal was to create an “innovative and dynamic” economy. In order to achieve this, Success through Skills 2 aims to increase the number of well qualified managers in the province, up-skill the current workforce and ensure that the future workforce has a...[full story]
Skills:Programme update
Friday, July 9th, 2010agendaNi tracks the Programme for Government’s main commitments on skills and checks what has been achieved or not to date. A highly skilled and flexible workforce is one of the ingredients for the “successful economy” desired by the Programme for Government, although there was also “much to do” to build that skills base. The document also recognised that a “tolerant, inclusive and stable society” would attract skills (i.e. those of migrant workers) and investment, thus implying that both would be deterred if this were not the case. Published in January 2008, the programme...[full story]
Skills:A right to training
Friday, July 9th, 2010A new Assembly law aims to make training for employees easier but plans are on hold until the economic pressure on business eases. Northern Ireland’s employees will have the right to ask for time off for training or study, when the economy improves. The proposal is contained in the technically- named Employment (No.2) Bill, which was introduced to the Assembly on 7 June and passed its second stage on 21 June. The Bill’s main thrust is to update the law on workplace disputes and speed up how they are resolved. On training and study, the overall aim is to make employees more aware,...[full story]
Skills:Coalition skills plans
Friday, July 9th, 2010Reversing the over-importance placed on higher education is emerging as the coalition’s main theme as it gears its skills policy around the economic recovery. Skills policy is a devolved matter except for some UK-wide bodies. When UK ministers use the word national, it therefore usually means English. To be truly national, an idea needs to be suggested by the UK Government and accepted by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland administrations. During the election campaign William Hague said the Tories had learned from Reg Empey’s experience in government while they were in opposition. Within...[full story]
Skills:What’s the problem with skills?
Friday, July 9th, 2010Brian Acheson sees the solution in young people educated for the economy, using the block grant to grow the private sector and government trusting colleges to get on with their job. Here’s an interesting vox pop from some of our brightest 16 and 17-year olds. A fundraising programme from my son’s school features answers to a number of questions. The answers to the question ‘possible career path’ contain no surprises. Out of 46 boys, almost half want to become doctors or lawyers. But, is this a good thing? How does this unrepresentative picture impact on the need to grow a truly...[full story]
North/South:Middletown purpose questioned
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010A major North/South project’s purpose has again been questioned, with claims that it will not properly meet the needs of children with autism. Lord Maginnis has said the cross-border Middletown centre on autism should be replaced by assessments by health visitors, followed up by local support services. Middletown has been hailed as a major example of all-island co-operation, having been jointly established by both governments in 2007. It currently trains staff working with autistic children, such as teachers and classroom assistants, and a residential block is due to be built to let...[full story]
