Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly

Friday 20 July 2012 Written Answers
Likewise, changes have been made to the syllabuses at both universities to respond to the needs of
the expanding financial services sector in Northern Ireland. My Department anticipated this demand
and, for example, provided support under Assured Skills to up-skill lecturers in the Investment
Operation Certificate. Just under 100 graduates have now successfully completed this qualification,
creating a pool of attractive potential workers with financial skills for the sector.
I hope these examples demonstrate the pro-active approach being taken by both my Department and
INI to help attract potential investors to Northern Ireland by using their feedback to re-model the range
of training and skills provision here.
Work Experience and Training Places within the Public Sector
Mr Allister asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, in relation to his Statement of 2 July 2012
on Youth Employment Scheme and NEETS Initiatives, (i) whether there will be short work experience
placements and training places within the public sector; (ii) how many placements and training places
will be offered; and (iii) whether these will be cost neutral, apart from the payment of the training
allowance to the participants.
(AQW 13499/11-15)
Dr Farry: There will be short two to eight week work experience placements in both the private and
public sectors. Public sector organisations can offer training opportunities for between six and nine
months in skills that have the potential to transfer to the private sector to help rebuild and rebalance
the economy. My Department will seek to maximize the availability of those opportunities. There are no
targets for numbers of work experience placements or training opportunities in the public sector. Given
that this scheme has the dual purpose of addressing youth employment and helping to rebuild and
rebalance the economy, the intention is to engage with both the private and public sectors to secure
the right types of opportunities. Any public sector provision will be cost neutral.
youth Employment Scheme and NEETs
Mr B McCrea asked the Minister for Employment and Learning, in relation to the Youth Employment
Scheme and NEETs initiative, what evidence exists to substantiate his statement that the Executive
and his Department are doing more than any other region of the UK to assist our young people.
(AQW 13513/11-15)
Dr Farry: The evidence is in the scale of the investment announced on 2 July. The full cost of the
package agreed by the Executive is £41 million over three years. In Great Britain, the Youth Contract
will cost £940 million over 3 years. As a consequence of the introduction of the Youth Contract the
Northern Ireland Block Grants received an additional allocation of around £28 million over three years.
That is a sum roughly equivalent to 3% of the investment in Great Britain. However, such allocations
are not ring-fenced so it was always a matter for the Executive to determine how much it would invest
in any local scheme. The fact that we have chosen to invest £41 million is testament to a high level of
commitment to our young people in Northern Ireland by the Executive.
Health Check on the North West Regional College
Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister for Employment and Learning for an update on the most recent health
check on the North West Regional College, and any other recent information the Department has on
student achievement and retention at the College.
(AQW 13559/11-15)
Dr Farry: The Department compiles and issues health check reports to the governing bodies of
all further education colleges on a quarterly basis. Reports relating to the second quarter of the
2011/12 academic year were issued to colleges on 21 May 2012. Statistical Bulletin ‘Professional
and Technical Retention and Achievement Data NI Further Education Sector for 2010/11’, using data
collated in the Further Education Leavers Survey (FELS), was published on 6 April 2012 and can be
accessed on the Department’s website. These figures are reported in the college health check. They
show that the retention rate for all professional and technical courses in North West Regional College
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