Celebrating 30 years of impact: OCN NI’s legacy of learning and skills development across Northern Ireland

Celebrating 30 years of impact: OCN NI’s legacy of learning and skills development across Northern Ireland

As Northern Ireland’s leading professional and vocational awarding body, OCN has developed and awarded qualifications that engage, enrich and equip learners for life. Since 1995, OCN has played a key role in shaping pathways to learning, employment, and personal growth and they have registered over 870,000 learners in over 700 accredited qualifications. OCN works with further education colleges, schools, private training providers, third-sector organisations and more. Today, OCN has firmly established itself as a cornerstone within Northern Ireland’s education ecosystem.

Qualifications

OCN develops qualifications that are responsive to the needs of learners, employers, and communities. These qualifications range from entry level up to Level 5 and support learners from all walks of life, helping young people in school pursue a vocational pathway, college students, SEN young people studying for essential life skills, adults with learning disabilities, private training providers, apprenticeship and traineeship learners, learning hobbyists and more.

OCN CEO Martin Flynn is proud of the scale of evolution over the last three decades: “Today, OCN offers over 500 qualifications across a wide variety of subject areas, including ICT, health and social care, service enterprise, construction and hospitality. Our team is committed to developing qualifications that will improve the skillset of individuals, drive economic growth, and promote social mobility.”

Centres

OCN currently works with over 150 post-primary schools in Northern Ireland, supporting vocational pathways that focus on transversal skills, employability, entrepreneurship, science, religion, essential skills and more. Its longest-standing partners are the regional FE colleges in Northern Ireland, which collectively registered over 24,000 learners in the 2024/25 academic year alone. The colleges offer OCN qualifications for a range of learners, including university-bound students, vocational learners, and adult learners seeking essential skills.

Over the last 30 years, OCN has worked with over 150 Third Sector organisations. These organisations include women’s groups, homelessness charities, religious charities, youth groups, groups helping young offenders and former prisoners, and more. These organisations are the backbone of local communities and provide critical access to education for those most in need. OCN also works closely with private training providers to support external training and consultation, develop new qualifications and contribute to workforce development in sectors facing labour shortages. OCN works collaboratively with their centres to build a successful, inclusive community where every learner matters.

Apprenticeships and traineeships

OCN remains at the forefront of workforce development through its apprenticeships and traineeships that promote skills development and prepare learners for a career in diverse industries.

OCN apprenticeships include hospitality, business administration, working in adult social care, retail knowledge, and youth work. OCN traineeships include animal care, woodworking skills, transversal skills, travel and tourism, plumbing, hairdressing, engineering, wet trades, motor vehicle skills, and information technology.

These qualifications not only equip learners with the specialised skills needed for employment, but also provide employers with a pool of competent and motivated individuals ready to work.

OCN’s initiatives align closely with the Department for the Economy’s Apprenticeship Action Plan, reflecting a shared commitment to empowering learners, strengthening pathways to employment, and fostering inclusive education. The DfE Action Plan reflects OCN’s core values of accessibility, opportunity and lifelong learning. All OCN qualifications are designed to support a progressive pathway to apprenticeships, further education studies and employment.

OCN’s newly-launched green skills qualifications is a good example of OCN’s constant focus on being responsive to the needs of the local economy. OCN’s green skills qualifications aim to support the Northern Ireland workplace, allowing learners to study Level 2, 3, and 5 awards in green technologies and progress in further learning and/or employment.

Learner grants and bursaries

Over the past 30 years, an estimated £476,000 has been awarded to OCN learners and centres through bursaries and grants, underscoring OCN’s key role as an educational charity committed to equity and opportunity for all. OCN’s annual Learning Endeavour Awards honour the resilience and achievements of learners from all backgrounds. The awards provide learning bursaries to support learners in their educational journey, providing bursaries of £1,000 to winners and £500 to highly commended nominees. The Centre Learning Grants programme aims to support OCN’s centres, many of which are working without consistent funding or are unable to offer additional learning opportunities for their clients because of funding issues.

Three pledges at 30

To mark its 30th anniversary, OCN has reaffirmed its strategic direction through three pledges:

Opportunity for all
Collaboration at the core
Nurturing innovation

Paul Donaghy, OCN Chairperson adds: “OCN is proud to reaffirm its commitment to education and skills development in Northern Ireland that reflect our dedication to breaking down barriers to learning, strengthening collaborative partnerships and creating forward-thinking approaches to vocational and technical education. These pledges reflect OCN’s dedication to breaking down barriers to learning, strengthening collaborative partnerships and creating forward-thinking approaches to vocational and technical education.”

As OCN enters its fourth decade, it will continue to expand its range of qualifications in key growth areas such as digital technology, green energy, advanced manufacturing and health and social care.

Through strong collaboration with industry, government, and education providers, OCN will ensure its qualifications remain relevant, future-focused and responsive to the evolving labour market.

T: 028 90 463 991
E: info@ocnni.org.uk
W: www.ocnni.org.uk