1. Draft Minutes of Meeting held on 9 November 2000
2. Matters Arising
3. Enquiry into education and training for industry
4. Forward Work Programme
5. Matters Arising

Present: Dr E Birnie (Chairman)
Mr M Carrick (Deputy Chairman)
Mr R Beggs
Mr J Byrne
Mrs J Carson
Mr J Dallat
Mr W Hay
Mr J Kelly
Mrs M Nelis

In Attendance: Mrs E Sung
Miss A Colville
Mrs C McGrattan

Apologies: Mr Hutchinson
Mrs McWilliams

Agreed as amended. Proposed: Joan Carson. Seconded: William Hay.

Agreed:

To include the Committee response to DFP Committee (on the budget 2000/01, and the Programme for Government); and to the Minister (on Part-time Work Regulations), on the Committee's website.

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Agreed:

The Chairman's meeting with the Chairman of the Education Committee, to address common interests as regards literacy and numeracy, should take part after the Committee's evidence session with the Educational Guidance Service for Adults (on 23 November).

Agreed:

The Department should be approached for advice on establishing a protocol which would enable Members to have advance notice of consultation documents to be issued by the Department - so that the Committee could, at an appropriately early stage, ask for sight of drafts.

Noted:

The Chairman reported that at the invitation of NIHEC he had attended, on behalf of the Committee, a dinner for the academics who would be charged with selecting the NI research projects, of world class standard, which would attract SPUR support. They included experts from the Netherlands, France, Germany, as well as the UK, ranging over disciplines as diverse as physics, chemistry, political science, and history. NIHEC would be keen to give evidence to the Committee's enquiry.

Agreed:

To seek clarification on locus of responsibility for agricultural research carried out at QUB.

Noted:

Twenty-first November debate of the Committee's motion on Student Finance.

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Agreed:

Individual firms were poorly represented in responses to date (only 1 out of 70 substantive responses) - the Committee wished to ensure they heard their views. Members passed to the Clerk details of individual firms to approach.

If Committee staff or Assembly research could not properly accommodate the work, assistance (eg postgraduate student) should be urgently sought to analyse responses to the enquiry, in the light of the scale of interest and the detailed nature of many of the responses.

The terms of reference are very broad, but should stand. The enquiry will be completed by spring 2001.

A paper setting out the pros and cons of a study visit would be prepared.

The Committee's priorities for the enquiry are:

• Basic skills.

• Is there a better training system for NI to adopt eg Germany (apprenticeships), Denmark (technical colleges), Republic of Ireland (Institutes of Technology)?

• Organisational/strategic issues, including:

- Has incorporation worked?

- How good are links between FECs?

- How good are links between FECs and schools?

- Should the Company Development Programme remain with IDB/DETI?

- Too many private sector training providers?

- Is something wrong at sub-degree (HND) level? Content, numbers, status? Pros and cons of the Foundation Model proposal?

• IT - are/will there be shortages and of what nature?

• Setting up systems to identify gaps between labour demand and labour supply.

• How should existing and potential members of the labour force be made aware of up-coming skill demands, including issues around quality of careers guidance in schools and for other young people; correcting image problems related to certain occupations/crafts, such as plumbing, construction, engineering; addressing gender preconceptions related to certain disciplines/occupations?

• Innovation (and links to training and education).

Subjects to flag up but not consider in detail in this enquiry:

• Provision of graduates and postgraduates (particularly of engineers, scientists and technologists) in general.

• The Social Security system - interface with the world of work.

• Management skills and training, at all career stages.

Subjects to suggest to other Statutory Committees:

• Teaching of literacy and numeracy in schools (DE)

• Ensuring widespread and adequate training in mathematics and science up to at least 16 and perhaps 18 (DE).

Subjects which could be part of a future joint enquiry:

• R&D. (DHFETE, DETI)*

• Co-ordination between training providers and those seeking inward investment. (DHFETE, DETI)

• Training in rural areas. (DHFETE, DETI)

• Training for tourism. (DHFETE, DARD)

*Further reflection is required on whether R&D should form part of the current enquiry.

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Agreed as drafted.

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New Deal: Agreed that Members would raise, at the meeting on 23 November, any issues they wished to pursue in the light of the Minister's response to Committee queries. Dr Birnie and Mr Dallat would accept the Minister's invitation to attend the New Deal workshop at Cookstown on 30 November.

Closed session issues: A briefing paper will be provided for the next meeting, on an issue raised by the Minister in closed session, and about which he has written to the Committee, concerning his conclusions.

Date of Next Meeting: 2pm 23 November 2000.

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Signed

ESMOND BIRNIE
Chairman of Committee

9 November 2000 / Menu / 23 November 2000