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Presentation of the recommendations of the ETF

1. We believe that education lies at the heart of any new economic regeneration and social inclusion strategy. A changing education environment must reflect a changing world and Northern Ireland’s future generations must be prepared for that world and a new way of working.

2. A long-term political settlement is needed to stimulate the return of talented leavers and to encourage entrepreneurship. We must remove the barriers to economic growth by addressing over-regulation, over-taxation and lack of inward investment. We must improve public sector efficiency and use the proceeds of efficiency to reduce the burden of taxation, and we must invest in vital infrastructure, in particular our transport networks.

3. We hope that the new arrangements for transfer of pupils from Primary Schools will be fairer and more in keeping with a more flexible curriculum. It should be a fundamental aim that all children should have reached a clearly defined level in functional communication (both oral and written) and in numeracy by the end of their primary education. If they have not, special steps should be taken before they move on to the next stage of education.

4. We welcome the attempts being made by government to increase the number of vocational subjects on offer at post-16 level. We must invest in the delivery of better basic skills at one end of the system and in fostering intellectual excellence at the other. We must reduce regulation which is hampering such simple activities as science experimentation, thus reducing interest and consequent study of science and technology.

5. We believe that the ‘demand’ which comes from business and industry has not been formalised. There is a need to define meaningful and acceptable qualifications, asking w hat employers want and assuring quality in the qualifications. If there is a perception that the education supply-side delivers with little reference to society's needs, then that perception must be addressed. At the same time the business - demand side must define and articulate its needs and how they will be met.

6. We welcome the development of school partnerships, breaking down the perceived barriers between schools, and across the education sectors, allowing movement of students between such schools at post-16. The importance of Further Education colleges needs to be recognised, and that such an educational experience is perceived as a more suitable route for many of the students presently being encouraged to go to university.

7. We believe that Northern Ireland lacks a socio-economic agenda and that without an economic vision we cannot determine the skills required for the future. Forward movement in terms of N.I. as a vibrant economic entity will only be achieved by forward thinking and planning and a shared vision between education, industry and commerce, political parties and the general public. Much more information regarding the economic situation in Northern Ireland needs to be made public and debated seriously. Responsible decisions need to be taken locally. A positive vision is needed to retain our young people and to regenerate the whole community.

8. Finally, we recommend the appointment of an advisory body to look in depth at the many interacting problems which it has highlighted and to make recommendations, to develop a vision and a strategy for education-driven economic growth in Northern Ireland. The ETF recommends that the advisory body looks closely at the way in which Finland and other countries have managed to combine excellence in educational performance with world-beating economic performance. The qualifications structure which is developed should be designed specifically for Northern Ireland, while at the same time commanding full acceptance elsewhere.

We believe that the focus of the advisory body should be on encouraging government to support:

We need: