Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly

Friday 20 July 2012 Written Answers
Academic year Overall STEM subjects only
2010/11 590 180
Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency
Notes:
1 HESA data are rounded to the nearest 5.
2 The latest available data are for academic year 2010/11.
3 STEM subjects have been identified using the course title field on the HESA record. The content of the field
is determined by individual institutions.
4 There are various combinations of subjects included in course titles and, in general, they cannot be
assigned to each of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects. Hence, only the
overall totals for STEM subjects have been given.
5 A figure for the number of newly qualified teachers in STEM subjects in 2008/09 is not available as specific
subjects cannot be identified for a large number of qualifications.
Migrant Workers
Mr D McIlveen asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what discussions his Department has
had with major employers to assess the number of migrant workers in the various industries.
(AQW 13404/11-15)
Dr Farry: Employers are not compelled to collect information on the nationality or migration status of
workers and there are complexities in attempting to do so. However my Department has commissioned
a number of pieces of research in recent years which have included analyses of the number of migrant
workers in various occupational sectors. There are also a number of additional information sources,
e.g. the Labour Force Survey and NISRA’s International Migration Statistics, that my Department draws
on to inform its work to support Migrant Workers.
Discussions with individual employers may not provide an accurate assessment of overall Northern
Ireland position.
Sources: The Oxford Economics Labour Market and Skills Impacts of Migrant Workers in NI (December
2009)
The Institute for Conflict Research report - “easy life, great people, bad weather” A Report on the
Experiences of Migrant Workers in Northern Ireland. ( December 2009)
Millward Brown Ulster – The Private Recruitment Sector in NI (December 2009)
STEM initiative
Mr Hazzard asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for his assessment of the STEM initiative
offered by South Eastern Regional College to enable part-time students to earn back their tuition fees
by successfully completing their course.
(AQW 13450/11-15)
Dr Farry: My Department is one of a number of departments contributing to the implementation of the
STEM strategy, ‘Success through STEM’, which was endorsed by the Executive in March 2011. It aims
to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics and, in so doing, encourage more people
to gain skills in these areas, to meet the needs of the economy. A particular challenge for Northern
Ireland is that the envisaged growth in STEM areas is not being matched by a sufficient growth in the
number of young people choosing to study these subjects at school, college and university.
I therefore welcome the initiative being taken forward by South Eastern Regional College, which will
encourage more people to study STEM subjects and acknowledge its valuable contribution in helping to
achieve the STEM strategy’s overarching recommendations.
WA 478