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COMMITTEE FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING Report on the Inquiry into Education and Training for Industry (Continued)
WRITTEN SUBMISSION BY: 1. What should the education and training system (including university based research and development) offer, and how does it need to change, to meet the needs of the Northern Ireland economy? Education and training on offer must be flexible, inclusive and relevant to meet the needs of potential employers and to satisfy the needs of those already in work in order to enhance their skills to meet the diverse current and future needs of the Northern Ireland economy. The Further Education system should be enabled to increase its already very significant contribution to areas of identified current and future skill needs. The vocational education and training system should provide for transferable skills including ICT and problem-solving and should provide clear pathways from basic to higher education. There should be reciprocal recognition of the qualifications between Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the rest of Europe to facilitate free flow of labour in an increasingly global economy. The linkages between the various Government Departments and between the FE sector and industry must be enhanced. The Further Education should be fully involved with the Government Departments and Agencies, including IDB and LEDU in the formulation of policies for the economic developments and the manpower needs of the economy. 2. What are the main strengths and shortcomings in how this system provides for the needs of Northern Ireland industry? Strengths n Numerous examples of good links between individual Colleges/Institutes and local employers, including specific training for employers and employees both in College and at the workplace. n Some innovative adult literacy/numeracy programmes in place to help address the problems in this area as highlighted by the Basic Skills Unit, and others. n Allowing for local variations, most College/Institutes have excellent ICT facilities and are well placed to meet the national policy initiatives in a flexible and timely manner. n Many Institutes/Colleges have established close links with local communities, enabling access to lifelong learning for the most marginalised sectors. n Since the Incorporation of Colleges in 1998, Colleges/Institutes have been able to devise more imaginative and innovative means of meeting the needs of industry and the local communities. n Institutes/Colleges have growing links with schools at Key Stage 4 as a result of the disapplication of the curriculum and some provide imaginative and realistic sampling experiences to enable school leavers to make more informed choices about future careers. n Institutes/Colleges have provided education and training for all sections of the community and have, since their inception been integrated. n With the transfer of Training Centres to Institutes/Colleges, the Further Education sector is the main provider of skills training and given the transferred specialist accommodation is better placed to address the identified skills shortages and to develop other services for industry, including research and development. Shortcomings n Total of 17 Institutes/Colleges and consideration should be given to the Stewart Report which advocated more rationalisation and a need for a degree of specialisation. n Insufficient linkages between DHFETE and DETI and between FE and the various agencies including IDB, LEDU and as a result difficult to clearly identify current and future needs of industry. n Insufficient linkages between schools and FE leading to missed opportunities for extensive job sampling in years 11/12 in schools via the FE Colleges which could help broaden the curriculum in schools and enable school leavers to make better career choices. n Opportunities seldom given to top and middle ability range of pupils to experience job sampling links with the FE sector, and not just the lower ability range. n Key Stage 4 curriculum does not allow sufficient opportunities for pupils to develop an interest in trades. n Funding methodology can lead to schools retaining school leavers to follow a restricted range of GNVQ course/s at school which may not be in the best career interests of the pupil. n Funding for 16-18 year olds in FE less favourable than for similar age groups in schools. n Capital funding for FE in comparison to other sectors has resulted in poorer quality accommodation in most Institutes which is not attractive to students or to employers who wish to contract quality education and training provision. n Linkages with industry inhibited due to lack of specialist College staff being appointed specifically to build quality partnerships with firms. n Funding methodology can inhibit delivery of imaginative delivery of training on employers' premises. n Whilst in most cases, Institutes/Colleges effectively market in their own localities, there is a problem with getting the message about what FE can and does do, to a wider audience and particularly to industry on a Northern Ireland basis. 3. How important is Information Technology (IT) to industry now and in the future in Northern Ireland? How can the education and training system (including university-based R&D) provide the IT and communication technology needs of Northern Ireland industry? IT application is essential for the effective and efficient operation of all businesses whether they are SME's or large multi-national organisations and regardless of the type of business transacted. The specialist IT sector is developing within Northern Ireland and this is likely to expand rapidly because of the growing shortages of skilled IT labour in many other countries including the ROI. Lead inward investors to seek to locate where there are available supplies of labour which can be trained to meet their requirements. It is not only essential that the numbers of Computer/Electronic/Software Engineering courses are increased but also that ICT is taught in all courses offered in Further Education Colleges/Institutes and that students are required to use ICT as an integral part of their work at College. The existing numbers taking full-time Higher National awards in Computing, Electronics and Software Engineering should be increased to meet the needs not only of indigenous firms but also the needs of inward investors who are seeking to set up in areas where there is currently or the possibility of skilled technician level employees such as HND holders. However it is essential that the contents of such qualifications meet the needs of the industry and more needs to be done in this regard including a more focused and determined marketing effort aimed at employers in Northern Ireland to convince them of the great potential of HND and similar courses emanating from the FE sector. It is essential that HND qualifications are recognised by industry for what they are, and not just as a stepping-stone to a degree. The growing combinations of GNVQ (Vocational A Levels) where for example, a full award GNVQ Business can be combined with a single award GNVQ IT can lead to very marketable qualifications and such additionality should be encouraged by the funding methodology. More innovative fast-track training ventures such as those pioneered by Nortel are required to meet the current shortages in IT and the growing shortfall predicted by many experts in the IT field. However the FE sector needs to have sufficient resources made available to it to meet the development of IT training and this includes appropriate accommodation and equipment as well as well qualified lecturers and technician staff who have relevant industrial experience. Consideration should be given to expanding the lecturers into industry scheme (including technician into industry) and indeed coming to an agreement with industry for the reciprocation of release of their engineers into teaching to help alleviate the current difficulties of attracting relevantly qualified and experienced staff into Colleges. Enhanced payments to specific groups of lecturers such as IT lecturers could lead to division and could worsen industrial relations but other inducements such as well equipped IT laboratories and adequate support staff, with the possibility of research work could provide incentives for staff recruitment in the field of IT. 4. Incentives for Training Providers and Businesses to develop training geared to a high quality competitive global economy. It is essential that the Training Providers have world-class facilities and accommodation to enable them to deliver the training required in sufficient numbers, at different levels, to industry in general as well as to specialist IT firms. Training providers must ensure that the training provided must enable workers to be able to cope with an ever-changing industrial environment which will require employees to be up-skilled and retrained many times throughout their working lives. The training providers must therefore be funded appropriately to enable them to have the physical and human resources available and regularly developed to meet the training needs of a high quality competitive global economy. Business must have the confidence that the training providers have the resources and expertise to deliver programmes which meet their needs. Businesses should, and would, contribute to the training provision if they can be guaranteed a quality outcome delivered to meet their needs in a timely and flexible manner. Whilst all Colleges/Institutes can deliver basic and intermediate IT training there needs to be a strategic approach to developing centres of excellence in IT provision at HND/Foundation Degree/Degree and post-graduate levels as well as increased support for all centres to deliver IT training as an integral part of their course portfolio. Colleges must be included in strategic planning to meet the needs of industry and the resources already available in Colleges should be more fully marketed to the various Agencies of the Department, including LEDU, IDB and the T&EA. Consideration should be given to developing partnerships links with Institutes in the Republic of Ireland with a view to joint-delivery on and all-Ireland basis together with joint staff development exercises. 5. Views of Skills Shortages and how any perceived problems might be tackled. Whilst different interpretations can be put on the published evidence of skills shortages it is evident that with the growth of the economy and increasing movement of skilled labour to other areas including the Republic of Ireland, the labour market is continuing to tighten. Very many young people are not sufficiently informed of the very many excellent careers available in skills shortages areas, including growth areas identified in the 2010 Report of construction, hospitality, engineering, IT, Tourism. Careers staff in schools need to update their knowledge of the excellent career opportunities available as a result of taking NVQ and GNVQ programmes, and pupils at Key Stage 4 in schools should be given opportunities to sample different skills during years 11 and 12 at schools including participation in NVQ/GNVQ units as part of their Key Stage 4 curriculum. It is important that students of all abilities should be given such opportunities, and not just those in the lower ability streams. The HND/C courses lead to skilled and productive graduates who can perform vital roles for industry as a result of the training they receive, together with the work placement experience which is an integral part of such courses. As these courses are offered locally by many Institutes, this reduces the leakages of talented young people from the areas in which they live as a result of not having to seek such courses in England or elsewhere. There is a need for an increase in this type of provision in Northern Ireland whether this is offered through the HND route or through the new Foundation degree route. A study may well need to be carried out of the 'under-employment' of many currently at work, who with additional training either in the work-place or fast-track training at College could contribute effectively to the skilled labour pool and help to attract more and higher value-added jobs to a local economy. There appears to be a lack of knowledge on the part of many opinion formers in Northern Ireland as to what is now provided by the Further Education sector in comparison to what was on offer 10-20 years previously, resulting in many opportunities being lost to market the FE sector to potential investors in Northern Ireland. Increased and more effective marketing needs to be undertaken by the sector itself, aided by "champions" from industry, commerce and government agencies. The proposed centres of excellence would allow a system whereby a limited number of Colleges/Institutes could deliver vocational education and training to HND/degrees/professional levels and all Colleges could deliver a wide range of provision, albeit at a lower level, some of which would eventually feed into such centres of excellence. Such a proposal was contained in the Review Group's Report to the Minister on the Planning and Funding of Further Education in 1993. Unfortunately many of the excellent proposals have not been acted upon. 6. Our role and contribution to education and training for industry in Northern Ireland. Newry & Kilkeel Institute has developed a wide range of vocational education and training programmes designed to equip young people and adults for employment and to enhance the knowledge and skills of those already in work. The increased enrolment total for 1999/2000 of 2858 FTE's (12,188 enrolments) against 2531 FTE's (10,817 enrolments) for the previous year includes increases of 45% in Construction; 32% in Engineering; 25% in Hospitality and Catering; 25% in Computing. Such increased enrolments are against the trend and have taken place in the face of increased competition from schools and the capping of full-time Higher Education in Further Education. A summary of the contribution of the Institute to education and training for industry in Northern Ireland includes: n Increased enrolments in curricular areas which have been designated by 2010 as essential for the future economic well-being of the economy. n Increasing links with industry and increased delivery of training on employers' premises, including Compas (Northern Ireland), BE Aerospace, NI Civil Service. n Upgrading of facilities and equipment to enhance students' learning resources and environment including cabling of all campuses, provision of internet access to students/trainees in each campus and establishing network linkages between each campus. n Robust quality assurance procedures applied throughout Institute to ensure appropriate standards of delivery and achievement, resulting in retention and achievement rates above the norm, including one student being chosen to represent Great Britain (Carpentry and Joinery) in the World Skills Olympics in Montreal in 1999 - with considerable success. n Increasing involvement of representatives from industry on Faculty Academic Boards to ensure provision is consistent with needs of industry. n Successful completion of negotiations leading to merger of Training Centre with the Institute resulting in an increase in the numbers of trainees in areas of key skills shortages including Bricklaying; Carpentry & Joinery, Motor Vehicle, Plumbing, Electrical Installation, Plastering, Engineering and Painting & Decorating. n Substantial increase in the numbers of students following HND/C in Computing, Software Engineering and Electronics. n Involvement of Institute staff in conferences and meetings with LEDU, IDB and potential inward investors through their membership of bodies such as Enterprise Newry whose remit is economic regeneration. n Targeting of marginalised groups including for example women returners for education, training and personal development programmes in order to enable such untapped resources to boost the available pool of trained labour. n Delivering IT courses to individual communities by means of mobile IT units, and bidding for additional funding from the Access Initiative funds from DHFETE to enhance existing resources in order to develop this work. n Taking lead partner role in New Deal consortium, comprising 23 partners, including the local Council. n Ufi lead partner, which will enable the Institute to deliver training on line to customers and committing over £200,000 for the building of a state of the art Information Technology Training Centre at the former Caretaker's bungalow on the West Campus site for Learndirect and other industry focused courses. n Planned development of additional Electronics, Multi-media, Software Engineering Laboratories/workshops within the next 12 months to cater for the increasing demand for GNVQ Advanced and HND/C courses in these curricular areas. n Discussion under way with T&EA and Nortel to deliver fast track training at HND level in Software Engineering as well as focused short courses in Fabrication & Welding, Engineering. n Over 600 students progressed to higher education for 2000/2001. n Introduction of innovative link courses with the local secondary schools at Key Stage 4, enabling pupils to sample a wide range of skills - thus assisting them to make more informed choices as to their future careers. The numbers in 1999/2000 were approx 240 and increased in September 2000 to over 400. n Over 700 young people in Jobskills training from NVQ 1 to NVQ 3 levels, most of whom are in areas of identified skills shortages and all of which involves placement with employers during their three-year training period. topWRITTEN SUBMISSION BY: 1. THE MAIN ISSUES 1.1 Role of higher-level education in the development of local industry in Newry. 1.2 Newry & Mourne has a youthful well-educated population. It is home to four of the top grammar schools and the most progressive College of Further & Higher Education in Northern Ireland. 1.3 The College of Further Education has 13,000 Full-time and Part-time students and 1400 staff with Campuses throughout Newry & Mourne. It offers a range of vocation and non-vocation training. 1.4 Following changes in legislation, the College also manages training centres, which provide skills training such as building, plastering, etc. 1.5 The College offers a range of training relevant to industry at GNVQ, HND, and Degree Level. 1.6 The most recent initiative is the establishment of Foundation Degree Courses. The 1st Pilot Course will be offered in Computing and Network Technology and involves a 2-year programme of study. The modules of this course are developed by the College but in direct consultation with relevant local industries. This is then accredited by the University of Ulster (Jordanstown). One year of further study can enable students to attain an Honours Degree. The College believes this structure of course will help meet the needs of industry given their involvement in course design. The aspiration is to expand this provision to cover creativity and innovation based subjects, such as Electronics, ICT, Technology, Multi-Media, etc. These courses will also focus on Industry based projects to encourage research and development, innovation, etc which is in keeping with the themes of Strategy 2010. 1.7 Already there is evidence of good links between Colleges and Industry by way of placements and specific training for industry. 1.8 All the training organisations in the Newry & Mourne areas have excellent ICT facilities enabling flexibility to meet the needs of Industry. Indeed, the College of Further Education has commissioned a Technology Bus to enable IT based training to be brought to rural areas and marginalized communities. 1.9 The College of Further Education has forged links with Intertrade Ireland, have appointed an E-Business Manager and will appoint a Business Development Manager to interact with the local industrialists. 2. BUSINESS EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP 2.1 Newry & Mourne Business Education Partnership has been established, with funding from Newry & Mourne District Council and Newry & Mourne Peace & Reconciliation District Partnership and its administered by Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency. 2.2 The concept attempts to forge links between schools and industry. The potential to offer industrial placements to teachers has been popular, however, finance has curtailed the scope of the initiative. 2.3 Industrial placements for students have also been another feature of the initiative, however, it has highlighted the need for one central co-ordinating body in each region to organise and administer the placing of students. 2.4 The most striking feature of the Newry & Mourne Economy is the Micro Enterprise Pre-Dominance. The nature of these businesses is that the owner is also the manager, thus it is difficult to forge links with schools due to time constraints and lack of manpower. A co-ordinating body could overcome this problem. 2.5 Newry & Mourne has an Entrepreneurial Culture; this is underlined by 360 new jobs created via self-employment since 1997. This is not adequately showcased in the region to demonstrate self-employment as a career option. 2.6 Greater co-ordination is required between schools for careers advice. This is a vital part of the curriculum but it is not resourced. A network of career advisors need to be established which is supported by Government Agencies, ie IDB, LEDU, T&EA, Local Authorities, etc, to ensure advisors are aware of industry needs and future strategies. There must be a mechanism developed to allow careers advisors/teachers to communicate with the labour market and its demands. 2.7 One must question how aware schools are of Strategy 2010 and its implications for the future. 2.8 How do key Government strategy documents, ie Strategy 2010 and industry influence the key stage 3 and 4 curriculum? 2.9 There is a mis-match between the supply and demand of skills. 2.10 Cross Border Career Fair in Newry & Mourne - efficient use of company time, economies of scale - illustrates to young people that industry is a viable career path. 3. GENERAL ISSUES 3.1 Secondary/Grammar sector does not in effect provide training for industry. 3.2 There is a major gap between the upper and lower levels of attainment, which affects motivation levels among our young people. 3.3 A career in industry is in general not seen as a worthwhile career opportunity. Society needs to be re-educated if the mindset is to change that if one is to succeed or have a worthwhile career they must be a "white-collar worker".
17 May 2001 topWRITTEN SUBMISSION BY: The North West Institute of Further and Higher Education welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Committee's enquiry into Education and Training for Industry in Northern Ireland. For ease of review the Institute will respond to the individual questions raised in the invitation and will then elaborate on those points by addressing the issues raised in Annex 1 of the communication. The Institute would argue that the role of the Further Education sector is to offer a wide range of vocational and employability skills to the Northern Ireland workforce. The vocational skills should address the current and future needs of the economy and the employability skills should ensure that all of the population has access to employment opportunities. It could be suggested that the current education and training provision has been pressurised, both through policies and funding, to provide narrow non-transferable low level vocational training which is not in the long-term interests of the economy nor of those seeking employment. The Institute would argue that the suggestion that research and development should be a monopoly of the university sector is a false premise. If the future growth of the economy is dependent on SME development then the research facilities must service the needs of the sector and this may not be best provided by research-funded university research. A number of further education institutions are ideally situated to develop applied research to support SME development in line with similar developments in the Institutes of Technology in the Republic and the Community Colleges in the USA. An analysis of the current strengths and weaknesses of the provision and its support for the needs of the Northern Ireland industry is best carried out at a local level since each further education provider has developed different arrangements within the local economy. The main strength of the current system is the local nature of the provision. Each institution has the opportunity to develop a close working relationship with local employers. In the best examples this local provision has led to site-specific training provision being provided. However the weaknesses of the existing system tend to outweigh the strengths and the weaknesses can be found both in the provision and the employer demand pattern. On the employer side there is a long-term pattern of under-investment in training. An examination of the historical levy system would indicate that, despite its weaknesses, it encouraged firms to seek a return on their levy investment through the acquisition of training. In the current situation many firms, particularly SMEs, are reluctant to invest in training either because of cost or because they fear poaching of trained staff by competitors. This has resulted in a lack of strategic planning in the human resource area, a concentration on cheap, or subsidised, low level training and a reactive attitude to knowledge-based developments. In the further education sector the plethora of providers has mitigated against high quality training since many institutions feel forced to attempt to compete in a public 'free for all' rather than concentrating on areas of specialism. The unwillingness of government to implement the recommendations of the Stewart Report is a major factor in this area. The current further education funding mechanism is also a weakness since it concentrates on, and funds, classroom delivery. Liaison with local industry, development of short course provision must be funded by the institution and there is no incentive, except internal commitment, to seek a meaningful long-term involvement with local employers outside of directed training. Another weakness of the current system is the belief fostered by government and industry, and acquiesced in by colleges, that there is a short-term solution to the development of knowledge-based high level training programmes. The current resource level of further education institutions, in terms of buildings and capital equipment, is also a weakness. The funding of Foundation Degrees on an FE, and not a university funding level might be seen as an indication of the Government view in the area of resources. The importance of Information Technology to the future of industry in Northern Ireland cannot be overstated but it is important to outline the parameters of such a role. The importance can be defined in two separate areas. Firstly there is a role of specialised IT training in developing the technological skills required by industry. Secondly there is the development of training provision in the applied use of IT skills. In terms of future employment all of the population willl require knowledge of, and training in, the applied IT skills. The hard IT skills, at a range of levels, will be central to competitive production in the next generation and will be extremely important as an attraction to inward investors. The role of the education and training system in providing the IT and ICT needs of the economy should be developed at a strategic level both regionally and locally but the Institute will only comment on the situation in the North West. The Institute, the Magee campus of the University of Ulster, Derry City Council and Strabane District Council, have worked closely to ensure that the pro-active and speculative training provided by the Institute and the University campus matches the regeneration policy of the Councils and that policy is strongly IT centred. The Institute would argue that within the strategic parameters of Northern Ireland (PLC) the education providers must operate as part of a local consortium to provide IT training within a strategic development framework. Whilst recognising that university research and development may aspire to the cutting edge of artificial intelligence, and its roles in the next generation of IT development, the Institute would argue that many areas of applied development, such as web-page design and 'E' applications, which most benefit SMEs, should be funded through a number of further education institutions. The question of incentives for training providers and businesses to develop training geared to a highly competitive global economy must take account of the historical context. The lack of a tradition of investment in staff training combined with a government sponsored grant/subsidy-dependent culture, does not provide a scenario which would lead one to assume that industry will take a lead in this area. Indeed history would suggest that many SMEs are hostile to training which facilitates mobility of labour. The Institute would recommend that government should agree to fund, through approved and properly resourced FE institutions, a comprehensive programme of training to allow firms to maximise their return from the global economy but would also indicate the timescale for such a programme and outline the withdrawal strategy to a zero subsidised base. Such a strategy could pump prime training but also encourage firms to plan strategically for the future developments. The current speed of changes within the global economy combined with the changing attitudes of the wider population can create a skills shortage in two areas. Firstly there is the growth of a skills shortage in traditional industries such as engineering and construction and secondly there is the shortage in the developing areas of new technologies. One issue is common to both and this centres around the current curriculum delivered to the 14-19 age cohort. The developments of the 14-16 GCSE curriculum in science and mathematics have produced a cohort of young people who are poorly skilled to progress to a vocational curriculum in areas such as engineering. The move from vocationally-based National Diplomas to Advanced GNVQs, aimed at a school-based population, has created major problems in terms of progression to Higher Education. This is a problem not only for HE in general, but especially for the entry requirement to Higher Technician qualifications. The Institute would not presume to offer suggestions about the delivery of the wider schools curriculum but would suggest that the Department view positively the development of bridging courses to enable young people to enter training for skills shortages in traditional industries. We would have very definite proposals to make in this regard. The Assembly may also wish to consider whether allegiance to national programmes, such as GNVQs, necessarily benefit the region in a highly competitive global economy. In terms of skills shortage in the areas of new technologies, the Institute does not believe that short-fix solutions are of a long-term benefit. In the area of broad based IT skills the Institute would suggest that there should be a regional and local strategy to develop the skills requirements to meet local demands. The strategy for such training should be delivered through accredited further education institutions in conjunction with community organisations. The Institute is strongly supportive of the concept that such developments should include industry specific qualifications but would also recommend that such qualifications should enhance, rather than restrict, mobility of labour. Speculative training should also be encouraged where this can be clearly seen to be linked to opportunities for attracting inward investment. The Institute makes a significant contribution to the provision of education and training in the North West area. It is the only further education institution in the Derry City Council and Strabane District Council areas and works closely with the University of Ulster and the Queen's University of Belfast in higher education provision for the area. The Institute is currently working with the University of Ulster and local industrialists in the design of Foundation Degrees. The developing role of the
Institute in terms of provision can be best demonstrated by the growth in full-time
equivalent students during the 1990s. During that decade the Institute expanded
by 70% as shown below. YEAR FTE STUDENTS 1989-90 2669 1990-91 3105 1991-92 3253 1992-93 3426 1993-94 3520 1994-95 3746 1995-96 4004 1996-97 4043 1997-98 4301 1998-99 4262 1999-2000 4535 The Institute differs from many further education institutions in that the majority of its current students are over 25 years of age. This derives from the Institute's approach to the concept of life-long learning. Over 20% of the taught student hours are on higher education courses. Current education provision provides a service to local industry by courses in construction and allied trades, electrical, mechanical and motor vehicle engineering, business and management, office skills, caring, hospitality, leisure and tourism, sciences, computing, art and design, media and performing arts. The provision is available from entry level courses through to higher national level and hopefully in the near future to Foundation Degree level. In that respect we would enter a plea for the use of the title Associate degrees rather than Foundation degrees. This would be more in harmony with the United States which is currently and likely to remain the main source of inward investment. The Institute has, for many years, provided courses at post-graduate level. The Institute is also a major provider of training through Jobskills and New Deal and leads the largest New Deal consortium in Northern Ireland. In September 2000 the Maydown and Springtown Training Centres merged with the Institute and the merger has increased the Institute's capacity for industry specific training provision. To enhance its provision to industry the Institute has an involvement with an associated company, Customized Training Services (CTS). It has also played a lead role in the establishment and development of the Northern Ireland Business and Innovation Centre (NORIBIC). Customized Training Services offers customised training packages for industry, business training, a range of special initiatives for the unemployed through an Open Learning Centre and participates in European-funded initiatives. It also houses the North West STAR Business Communications Centre which is equipped with the latest computing and telecommunications facilities and has specialist knowledge in assisting business and implementing business solutions using advanced telecommunications and information technology. The Northern Ireland Business and Innovation Centre offers comprehensive support for all aspects of business from start up to export potential. Current contracts include Self Start, New Deal, Self entrepreneur, LEDU Export start and a range of EU funded projects. In addition it provides ongoing support for some 400 companies, mainly in the SME sector. Through its liaison with Derry City Council the Institute has also been contracted to manage and staff a one-stop business advice shop which offers advice on training to local employers and prospective employers. The Institute would suggest that further education institutions are ideally located to co-ordinate, to best effect, lifelong learning to serve Northern Ireland industry. FE institutions, through their community networks, can deliver vocational and employability skills to those seeking employment and, through their liaison with firms, deliver on-site specialised training packages to those in employment. Through such an approach institutions can help retrain and reskill individuals who may become the casualties of industrial restructuring. In the wider context of industrial change colleges can partner other organisations in speculative training, particularly for the knowledge-based industries, so that a trained pool of labour is available to attract inward investment, provide alternative employment opportunities and minimise the effect of the declining sector. Developments in this area can benefit from the recent work on a skills audit but it is essential that the skills audit recognise that skills shortages can be filled by knowledge transfer and redeployment as well as by direct skilling or reskilling. The Institute is of the view that the further education sector in Northern Ireland can benefit from the work undertaken, and links established, by the Institutes of Technology in the Republic of Ireland. The inclusion of the Institutes of Further Education in the research area must be of benefit to SMEs and this, together with the development of Foundation Degrees in the FE sector, could provide an important basis for growth and development of the industrial sector in Northern Ireland. It has been noted earlier in the response that industry in the province has been slow to invest in human resource development and this is most obvious at technician level. The Institute is of the view that the further education sector could play a central role in such training and would argue that the cap on higher technician numbers should be removed not only in selected areas but right across the HND spectrum. This would not only help to solve the area of skills shortage but also provide a pool of skilled labour with transferable skills which would support inward investment drives. The Institute welcomes the acceptance that there is a need for substantial capital investment in Further Education. The North West Institute of Further and Higher Education has the worst space ratio of any 3rd level college in the United Kingdom. The Institute recognises that the region can learn from international examples and would suggest that the proposal for Foundation Degrees within the FE sector, and their progression links to university, points towards the USA community college network as a model for further examination. Developments on this model, combined with the best practice of the Institutes of Technology, would create a more highly qualified workforce, provide opportunities for upskilling of the current workforce and create a range of provision to allow individuals to maximise their potential. Top |